"I lost my phone," I press on, desperation making my voice small. "I don't have their numbers anymore."
He scoffs again, the sound clipping through the speaker. "Fine. I will have someone send Daniela’s contact over to this number. Camilla lost her phone at the mall." There is a rustle of papers on his end before he adds, "Is that all? Give the phone back to Alessandro."
I hand the mobile back to my husband, whose jaw is clenched so tightly I can see the muscle ticking.
"I will come over this evening. Six p.m.," my father tells Alessandro, his voice carrying that familiar, unearned authority. "I need to talk to you."
Alessandro grips the phone, his eyes locked on mine, burning with a promise of retribution. "Wonderful," Alessandro says, his voice dripping with an icy, menacing sarcasm. "Because yes, we absolutely need to talk."
Without waiting for a reply, Alessandro hangs up, plunging the bedroom back into a heavy silence.
"What the fuck is his problem?" Alessandro growls, tossing the phone onto the mattress. "I absolutely hate him."
A dry laugh escapes my throat. I can't even find the energy to scold him for talking about my father that way. Not when he's completely right.
"Dad said Camilla lost her phone at the mall," I say, trying to piece the timeline together in my head.
Alessandro stops pacing, his eyes narrowing as the tactical side of his brain takes over. "That's probably how Pietro got his hands on it. A stray scout tracking her, waiting for a slip-up."
Before he can elaborate, his phone beeps with an incoming text. He checks the screen, his expression smoothing out marginally. "Your father just sent Daniela's number. I'm calling her."
"Thank you," I breathe, relief flooding me as he dials and places the call.
The line rings only twice before a guarded voice answers. "Hello. Who is this?"
Alessandro seamlessly hands the phone over to me. I press it to my ear, my voice cracking slightly. "Hi, Dani."
"Sienna? Oh my god, hi," Daniela says, her tone instantly shifting from defensive to deeply concerned. "Are you okay? You sound completely stressed. Whose phone is this?”
"Alessandro’s. I'm fine," I say softly, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Is Camilla with you?"
"Hold on, I'll head to her room right now," Daniela says, the background noise changing as she walks through their house. "Sienna, are you sure you're fine?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you both together."
A sudden, sharp knock echoes through our bedroom door. Alessandro glances at me, gesturing that he'll get it, and leaves me on the bed to cross the room.
On the other end of the line, I hear the muffled sound of a door opening, followed by Daniela's voice calling out, "Cami, Sienna is on the line."
A second later, Camilla’s breathless voice comes through the speaker. "Hi, Sienna!"
"Cami," I cut straight to the point, my heart racing. "Where is your phone?"
"I lost it at the mall days ago, or it was stolen," she says, sounding genuinely frustrated. "I don't even know how it happened. One second I had it in my bag, and the next it was just gone. Why? Did Dad tell you?"
"No," I whisper, staring at the empty space on the bed beside me.
Before I can start telling them the horrific truth of where that phone actually ended up, Alessandro walks back into the bedroom. His posture is rigid again.
"I have to go," he says, his voice clipped and tight. "The elders just called an impromptu meeting. It sounds urgent."
"Okay," I say, shifting slightly against the pillows. "I'll call my sisters back when you get home."
"No," he insists, pushing the phone back into my hand. "Keep it. Finish your conversation." He leans down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against my cheek. His breath is warm against my skin as he murmurs, "I'll get you a new phone on my way back. Rest well, Sienna."
"Okay," I answer softly. I hold the phone to my ear, watching his tall, commanding silhouette disappear through the doorway, leaving me alone with my sisters' voices on the line.
"He loves you, Sienna," Camilla says softly, her voice carrying a sweet, wistful sincerity through the line. "I’m so happy for you."
