My mind is already racing back to the estate, back to the bedroom where Sienna is resting. I want nothing more than to walk out of this mansion and return to her. But as the room erupts into a low hum of respect and compliance, I force myself to stay anchored. This is the moment I fought for. This is the empire secured. I need to stand here and revel in it just a little bit longer.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
SIENNA
Alessandro arrives just a few minutes before 6:00 PM, bringing with him a wave of warmth, a lingering scent of expensive cologne, and a brand-new phone box in his hand. He doesn't even let me stay under the covers; he immediately lifts me right off the bed where I've been resting since we got back, wrapping his powerful arms securely around my waist. I melt into him, letting my head rest against his shoulder. A deep sigh escapes me as I completely relax, entirely at rest. There is truly nothing better than this.
"You've been away since morning," I scold him softly, keeping my arms looped around his neck as he holds me. "I was starting to think you forgot about me."
“Never.” He lets out a low rumble of a laugh. "The elders threw me a mini party. I couldn't exactly walk out the second they handed me the crown."
My brows furrow, and I pull back just enough to look at his face. "So you're all best friends now?"
He laughs again, a triumphant, wicked spark dancing in his dark eyes. "They've officially accepted my rule. They finally see how cunning Luca really was, and more importantly, how I dealt with him. No one in that room wants to risk being on my bad side anymore."
A genuine laugh escapes me. I lean in and kiss him, pouring all my relief and affection into it. He responds instantly, his grip tightening on my waist as he deepens the kiss, pulling me flush against his chest.
We are just about to lose ourselves in each other when a sharp, hesitant knock rattles the bedroom door.
We pull apart, Alessandro’s jaw tightening in immediate annoyance as the door cracks open to reveal one of the house maids. She keeps her eyes lowered, clearing her throat nervously.
"Forgive the interruption, sir," she says quickly. "But Mr. Caruso has just arrived. He is waiting downstairs in the main parlor."
A heavy groan escapes my lips, the blissful bubble we were just in popping instantly.
Alessandro looks down at me, his thumb tracing my jaw. "You don't have to be in this meeting, Sienna. Stay up here and rest."
"I want to," I say firmly, shifting my weight. There is no way I am letting him face my father alone after everything that happened today. I know he can, but I won’t let him.
Alessandro rolls his eyes, a dark, frustrated hunger flaring in his gaze. "Your father can completely fuck off. I want you so bad right now."
A bright laugh bursts from me as he lunges in to kiss me again, his lips fierce and demanding against mine. I manage to pull back just an inch, breathless. "Alessandro, come on. Let’s just get this over with."
He lets out a dramatic groan of his own, running a hand through his hair. "Fine."
When we finally walk down the grand staircase and enter the main parlor, Alessandro and I are holding hands, our fingers tightly intertwined. My father is already settled, sitting rigidly on a single leather couch. His silver-topped cane is gripped firmly in his hand, and a stoic guard stands like a statue directly behind him.
The moment we step into the room, his cold gaze drops instantly to our joined hands. For a split second, a flicker of something dark crosses his face, but he masks his expression seamlessly, returning to his usual detached, unreadable self.
Alessandro steers me toward the sofa directly across from him, and we sit down together, presenting a united front.
My father clears his throat, a stiff, formal sound that does nothing to warm the chilly room. He turns his cold gaze to me, his eyes sweeping over the visible bandages on my skin. "How are you, Sienna?"
"I’m fine," I reply, my voice clipped and flat, mirroring his own detached energy.
He nods once, dismissively, before turning his attention entirely toward my husband. "You’ll have to excuse us, Sienna. This meeting is no place for a woman."
Alessandro lets out a sharp, mocking scoff that echoes loudly against the high ceilings. "She’s my equal and my wife," he states, his voice dripping with absolute authority. "There is no meeting with me where she doesn’t have a place."
My father’s brows furrow deeply, his knuckles whitening around the handle of his cane. "She is a woman," he says, his tone laced with old-world disdain. "What use are they in a meeting like this?"
Beside me, I can feel the dangerous heat of Alessandro’s anger flaring up, his entire frame tensing as if he's about to vault across the coffee table. I immediately tighten my grip on his hand, anchoring him to the sofa.
Alessandro doesn't shout. Instead, his voice drops to a lethal, quiet whisper that is infinitely more terrifying. "Speak, Massimo. Or get the fuck out of my house."
My father scoffs, leaning back against his chair, though a flicker of caution finally passes through his eyes.
"I am glad to see that your marriage is going so well," he says, his voice smoothing out into a practiced, diplomatic tone. He rests his hands on the head of his cane, adjusting his posture. "I am here today with my requests. As your father-in-law, and as an ally."
