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Sienna had won the vote by a slim margin, but it wasn’t enough to secure her title. With me at her side, things would be easier. The men of her family, and others, would expect the real power to come from me, even if it was behind the scenes. And I had to do exactly as they’d expect. Otherwise, Sienna would lose everything, and I wouldn’t be able to stop my father from creating his own empire. He’d wait for Sienna to fall before putting me in her place, using me as his pawn to get what he wanted. And I was not going to be used as his chess piece any longer.
If we played our cards right, Sienna and I could build our own empire. With her as Don over the Rosanias and me taking my place as the head of the Scaranos, nothing would stop us, and our child would inherit it all. Two families joined as one. It was the bigger picture my father—and hers—could never really see.
But all of this depended on Sienna actually trusting me. I knew I would never get her love, not really. But respect? Trust? That would all come with time—time we didn’t really have much of. Which is why I needed to maintain some control. Sienna was the type of woman that respected power and intelligence. She needed someone as strong as she was to be by her side, if not stronger. I could be all that and more if she’d let me. And if she didn’t? Then I’d do exactly what I’d done tonight to prove it to her.
Sleeping on the couch wasn’t as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. I didn’t even hear Sienna moving about the next morning until she was halfway out the door. She noticed me as soon as I sat up, pausing with her hand on the doorknob.
“Where are you going?” I asked, trying to blink away the lingering feeling of sleep.
She hesitated. “To the offices. There are some things I need to deal with.”
I wanted to ask her what those things were, but didn’t push it. By the wary look on her face, I could tell that she was still on edge from last night. Instead, I watched her head out. I checked my messages and found a few texts from Ivan about my father requesting my presence at his office down on the docks. I probably could have caught a ride with Sienna if I'd checked them a bit earlier.
Sighing, I made my way to our master bathroom to get ready, dragging my feet. I knew I would get a fucking earful from my father about the election last night. I’m surprised he’d even want to see me today, honestly. I’d backed out of his plan and had thrown my support behind Sienna. He was bound to be pissed off about it. Tugging on a freshly-pressed button-up and slacks, I slipped on my loafers halfway to the door, grabbing my keys.
The parking lot was brimming by the time I got there, but my own designated spot was, of course, free. It was right next to the entrance, so I didn’t have to walk far. Usually, I was thankful it was so close to the office. Today, I wished I had been forced to park at the back. At least then, I’d have more time to prepare myself against my father’s wrath.
As soon as I stepped through the office doors, Ivan was waiting for me. He leaned against the secretary’s desk, arms crossed as he glared straight ahead. Ivan was only half-Italian, his mother coming from Russia, though no one spoke of it. He’d been my father’s closest confidant, giving himself and his mother immunity from her heritage. Looking at him now, though, I could only see the Russian side.
His white hair was thinning on the sides, the top bald and shining. His hooked nose was larger than even most of the Italians here in the office, his eyes beady and dark. I remember when he used to tower over me, stern and intimidating. Now, I was at eye level, able to match his glare with one of my own.
“Your father is waiting for you.”
“Of course he is,” I muttered, brushing past him. The secretary kept her head down, too afraid of us to take a breath.
When I entered, Sal was seated at his desk, staring out the window towards the rows of shipping crates along the docks. He didn’t even turn as the doors opened. I stood, waiting for him to acknowledge me before sitting down. He was already angry. There was no need to infuriate him even more. Sal Scarano would never threaten to kill me, but there were other things he could do that would be far worse. I’d learned that pretty early on.
“Where were you last night?” My father’s words sent a chill down my spine. I’d seen my father suspicious and paranoid, but it had never been directed at me before.
“I saw someone I thought was a threat and followed them. They attacked me and knocked me out.” It was the truth.
His eyes flicked towards me, like a storm about to break. “Why didn’t they kill you?”
My mouth opened before closing again. “I’m not sure. Maybe they didn’t know who I was. Maybe I wasn’t their target that night.”
He snorted. “No, you definitely were not their target. We were.” Sal leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “But I don’t believe for a second they didn’t know who you were.”
He was right, of course. The week of our marriage, Sienna and I had made all the papers and gossip columns. Two inheritors of two shipping tycoons, a real-estate heiress and the hidden son. Anyone in the city would have recognized us. But I didn’t have any other explanation for why I’d been left alive. If they were after Sienna, or my father, then the surest way to end our line was to go after me.
I slumped into the chair across from him, one hand scrubbing my face. “I really don’t know why I was left alive. Perhaps it was just a threat—not a real attack. To send a message to Sienna or make her suspect me more than she already does.”
“She suspects you of what?” Sal snapped. “Of killing her father?”
“I mean, I was her enemy just a few weeks ago,” I pointed out.
“After what happened last night, you still are her enemy.” He gave me a pointed look. “She might have won the title, but there is no way the majority of her people will follow her. They’ll be looking to you, and she knows it.”
Then, it dawned on me why he didn’t kill me as soon as I stepped through that office door. I still had a use. Sienna might have won the vote, but he was planning on me ruling from the shadows. He was still hoping for this empire of his, and I wasn’t about to tell him otherwise. Already, I walked a tight line, and with the Snake still out to get Sienna and her family, I wasn’t about to add my father to the list of enemies at the moment.
“Right,” I shrugged, “but I have to do that in a way she won’t suspect.”
“So get her on your side! If generations of mafia women can learn to manipulate their men, then so can you.” He sneered. “Use the skills you picked up while trying to defy me all these years.”
My eyes narrowed. “What are you insinuating?”
“Oh, please.” He snorted. “You don’t think I didn’t know what you were up to? Besides, your brother isn’t exactly great at hiding his emotions.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised. My father wasn’t Don just because he had inherited it from his father. He knew everything and everyone—that was just part of the job. What surprised me was that he’d let me. If there had been any mistakes, any accidental children from my past, it would have been a scandal. One he could probably cover up, but still.
