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A knock sounded on the door, shaking me out of my thoughts. I cleared my throat. “Come in.”
The door opened and Elia walked through, anxiety bleeding out of her expression. My cock stirred as I took in her pencil skirt and floral blouse, the way her hair was swept to one side, exposing the column of her neck where my lips had been in the early morning hours, and the concern that flowed from her eyes.
She had no idea what she did to me. Even now I was starting to forget why I had asked her to come to my office to begin with, torn between wanting to talk to her and wanting to clear my desk so I could bend her against it. Never had I wanted anything as much and as frequently as I had with her. It should be a concern, yet I couldn’t help craving her.
“You wanted to see me?” she was asking as she closed the door behind her.
I gestured to one of the chairs before my desk. “Yes, I did. Do you have time?”
She nodded and took a seat, looking visibly nervous. She kept her eyes looking down and her hands neatly folded on her lap, almost as if from practice.
“Nothing is wrong,” I added hastily. The truth was, I enjoyed her. I lived for her giggles, for the way she gasped in my arms. I lived for the way she pressed herself against me, the feelings she made me feel in the quiet moments. Somehow, she had become an outlet, a way for me to glance at the possibilities of unlatching my heart. And in spite of the lingering questions I still had about her and her family’s intentions, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t long for her when she was gone.
Still, I worried. It was all working too fucking well, and I knew that things like this didn’t work out forever.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I’m not a fan of being called into a don’s office.”
Of course,I realized. How many times had her father done this to her? How many times did she hear bad news about things that were out of her control and that would destroy her life—things that began exactly in this way? A hesitant knock, the inevitable invitation, and finally being seated before she was forced to listen and accept whatever the other side said?
I nodded and stepped from behind the desk, settling into the chair next to her. “Better?”
Elia smiled, but she continued to avert her eyes. “A little.”
Was this how she’d found out about her brother’s death? Was this how she’d learned about this marriage? What else had Ludovico done? Each unasked question sparked curiosity, but behind them were flames of anger.She was your daughter, you bastard.If he was anything like my father…if he had done any of the things to her that my father did to me…
Then our fathers were truly no different from each other.Monsters. Devils.
“You said you wanted to talk to me?” she finally asked.
“I do,” I replied. “I need your advice.”
The shock on her face was real, and even I still couldn’t quite believe that the words were leaving my lips. I never asked others for help. But this was something that I could no longer handle on my own. I needed to be careful about my next steps. And somehow, I felt that Elia would offer another perspective that I sorely needed.
“All right.” She laced her fingers in her lap and cast me a quick gaze. “How can I help?”
“If you were in my position, what would you do?” I asked her, finding no bitterness in my voice. Surprisingly, it did feel normal. It felt far too normal.
Elia drew in a breath, and I could see the wheels turning in her head. It turned me on that she would think so deeply about matters when it came to business and livelihood, like she was in it for the long haul.
“Well,” she finally said. “If I thought that my uncle was out to ruin me, then the last thing I would do is to spook him. The more you push against him, the more likely it is he’ll try to cover his tracks. I say that you ride it out.”
Interesting…
“That way,” Elia continued. “You can look for anyone he’s using who might not be fully on board with his plans, and drive a wedge between them. Then, and only then, will you apply pressure.”
“Impressive,” I admitted, surprised as hell. I didn’t know why I was surprised. “How did you come to this conclusion?”
She smiled at me sheepishly. “When Luca and I were younger, we used to go through our own play acting like this. He would quiz me on what to do, like we were little dons. I think he was using me to help him strategize for the day when he would take over from Father.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she froze, as if she had said too much.
It was impossible to miss the hurt that flashed across her face. Her fingers tightened against each other, knuckles white from pressure, and she turned away again to hide behind a curtain of her hair.
“You were close.”
Elia nodded. “As close as you and Alya. Perhaps closer.”
I opened my mouth to apologize, but I knew I could not. No amount of apologizing could undo the past. Nothing I said could fill the hole in her heart. The words would be hollow. Because the ugly truth was that I didn’t feel sorry about killing Luca Tarallo. He would’ve done the same to me. I only felt bad about hurting her. That was all.
Even if Elia and I had married before Luca’s death, we would still have been enemies under the veneer of an alliance.
