Page 67 of Cruel Heir

Celeste shakes her head. “No, Lucia.” Her voice is firmer than I’ve ever heard it, in a way that I know she would never have spoken to me when we first met. “If you’re going to stay here, then so am I. We’re friends. I’ve helped you, and you’ve helped me. I’m not abandoning you now.”

I can see the sheen of tears in her eyes, and I know she’s frightened,too. I promise myself, then and there, that I’m going to find a way to put an end to this conflict.

And that starts with telling Andre the news.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” I reach out, squeezing her hands. “Now, I need to go talk to my husband.”

—

Andre is in his office when I walk in. I can’t go into the room without feeling a twist of anxiety, remembering the night I was dragged in here and married against my will, or the night my father first attacked the estate, and Andre knew I had a hand in it. So much bad has happened here.

I hope that today, something better can begin.

Andre looks up at the sound of my footsteps, a startled expression on his face. “The second time in two days you’ve come to find me of your own free will,principessa. Our marriage must truly have taken a turn.” He says it lightly, as if it’s a joke, but I can see something else in his face, behind the attempt at humor. Something that almost looks like hope.

“Are you busy?” I close the door behind me, my pulse quickening at the thought of the conversation ahead of us. “I need to talk to you.”

“Not too busy for you.” Andre closes the ledger in front of him, standing up to move around the desk towards me. I meet him halfway, and his hand slides into my hair the moment I’m close, tugging me nearer so he can kiss me. It’s a light kiss, almost hesitant, as if he’s giving me a chance to pull away.

I don’t, and I can feel the surge of desire between us. I almost let it go further—but that’s not what I’m here for. Not right now.

“I talked to the other dons.” Andre’s expression is grim when he pulls back from me. “Gaeta is still pretending to be on my side. The others, I believe, are firm in their alliance. But it’s not enough.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I was a fool to think it was. Amalfi tells me that none of the elder members of the Family will be swayed. They don’t want change, especially not with Enzo Leone’s son.Fuck!”

He swears aloud, as if saying it to me has driven the situation home. When he turns back to look at me, there’s something glittering and desperate in his eyes. “Gaeta has turned on me, I know that. But he won’t say it, which makes me believe he’s playing both sides. It’s a dangerous game, but perhaps one he’s willing to gamble on.” Andre shakes his head. “I should send you back, Lucia. You’re only in danger here.”

I stare at him, struck momentarily speechless. In all our conversations, in all the time we’ve spent together, the idea of my going home has always been entirely off of the table. He’s always made it abundantly clear that he would never relinquish me. That I’mhis. But now—

“Do you want me to leave?” I hear my voice tremble slightly as I say it, and Andre looks at me as if I’ve grown another head.

“Of course I don’t want you to go.” He turns towards me, his hands on my upper arms, drawing me close to him again. “You’re priceless to me, Lucia. I would never want—”

Anxiety spikes in my chest, sharp and piercing, whispering things that make me wonder if I’ve miscalculated. “Priceless?” My voice turns equally sharp, as I pull out of his grasp and step back. He lets me go, but even that’s not enough to dampen the fear that’s spreading through me. “A priceless object. Like my father—”

“No!” There’s a sudden, desperate edge to Andre’s voice, and he starts to reach for me again, before he stops himself. “No, Lucia. Not like that at all. You are—irreplaceable. You are—”He breaks off, his jaw tightening. “I don’t know what to say,principessa. I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel for you. When I say that, I don’t mean—”

I haven’t moved, and Andre takes a step closer, his fingers reaching out to brush against the unbruised side of my jaw. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you,” he murmurs. “But I would, if it would keep you safe.”

Something in his voice breaks my heart. I’ve wondered again and again if I can believe the changes in him, if they’re nothing but another manipulation—but I can hear that he’s telling the truth. Theway he’s looking at me would speak volumes alone, even if he said nothing.

“And our child.” The words come out before I can stop them. “What would you do to keep our child safe, Andre?”

It feels as if time stops for a moment. His hand goes still on my face, the only movement his eyes searching mine. “Don’t tease me,principessa.”

“I’m not.” It comes out as a whisper. “I just found out.”

His face has paled, and he looks stunned. “You’re sure?”

“As sure as I can be without going to a doctor.” I swallow hard. “Andre—”

He takes a step back suddenly, looking at me. “You’re not panicked,” he says slowly. “Not all that long ago, you were ready to jump off a balcony to avoid having a child with me.”

“Things have changed.” My mouth feels dry, but I force myself to stay there, looking at him, having a conversation that I never thought we would have. “You’vechanged. And I’m terrified, don’t get me wrong. But this baby—” I press my hand to my stomach, and I see Andre’s gaze drop instantly, a faint hope in his expression. “Maybe this is the key to stopping all of this.”

“I want to believe that’s true,principessa,” he murmurs. “I want to believe that more than anything. But your father—”

“This is hisgrandchild,” I insist. “He wouldn’t.”

“He would,” Andre says flatly. “And I think you know that now, Lucia, even if you don’t want to believe it. The baby might be his grandchild, but it’smychild. The part of it that’s you isn’t going to outweigh that. He’ll only care about the fact that any child of ours is my heir.”

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