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“He’s right, Enzo.” I braced my elbows on my knees and cocked my head to look him in the eyes. “Even if the three of us work together on this, we could never undo what our fathers did. Do you think Signoria Vittoria wouldn’t take advantage if Rex stepped down willingly? You honestly think she won’t fight for the throne?”
“You don’t think I know that?” Enzo glared at me then at Rex. “I’m not asking him to step down. Hell, I’m not asking him for anything.”
“Caterina wants you to be happy. She wants her brother back.” Rex leaned back and tapped his fingers on the table. “Which is why I’m willing to make a deal with you.”
“Oh yeah?”
Rex nodded. “The contract the entire board agreed to, says that if I don’t produce a male heir with Caterina, the crown, so to speak, would be relinquished back to the Alfera family. If I die before you do, you would take over and no one would dispute your right to do so.”
“What the fuck are you saying?” Enzo sat forward.
“I promise that Caterina and I will not have children. You can have it all back when I’m gone.”
“Jesus fuck, Rex.” I shot to my feet. “Did you talk this over with your wife?”
“No way in hell Caterina agreed to this.” Enzo slowly rose to his feet. “Did she?”
“She doesn’t know. I don’t even think she’s considered that part of the contract.”
“You’re doing all this for what?” Enzo tossed his empty tumbler on the table. “To be my friend again.”
A meaningful gaze passed between Rex and me. Leave it to Rex, the king of manipulation to find a way around our fathers’ fucked-up contract. If he was here offering this deal, it was because he was one hundred percent willing to make good on his promise. But fuck me, how would Caterina feel about this arrangement? Even if it meant getting her brother back? Was Enzo that selfish?
“Yes.” Rex put out his hand.
Enzo groaned, scowling at Rex and his insurmountable gesture.
I reached out to push Rex out of the way, but Enzo beat me to it and clasped his hand to seal their fucked-up deal.
“How is this the solution to Enzo’s sour grapes? Rex, you’re an idiot.” I turned to Enzo. “And you’re the biggest asshole. Think of your family, your sister.” I didn’t wait for his retort and made to leave.
“Where are you going?” Rex called after me.
“Home. To follow my own goddam advice and talk to my wife. You should do the same.” Shaking my head in disgust, I headed for the stairs.
Back at the penthouse, I went straight to the main suite, our room. Light filtered out from under the door. No doubt Luce was waiting for me. She was right, I did owe her an explanation, but the outing to the Crucible didn’t give me the enlightenment I had hoped for. I still had no clue how to tell her the truth.
I stomped past our door and went into the guest room. Thanks to the several glasses of whiskey I’d consumed, I managed to fall asleep right away. Tomorrow. Luce would have all her answers.
The next morning, I woke up with a headache that felt like I had a needle stuck in my right eye. How much did I have to drink last night? I rolled out of bed. For a minute, I squinted at the walls around me. “What the fuck?” As soon as my bare feet touched the cold marble, I remembered where I was and why.
I pushed off the mattress and headed out to look for Luce. She wasn’t in our bedroom. This early in the morning, she was probably downstairs eating breakfast. Thank God for small favors. I took a few minutes to shower and make myself presentable. I couldn’t have this talk with her hungover and looking like hell.
The cold shower set me right. By the time I reached the bottom of the grand staircase, I felt like myself again.
“Good morning, Mr. Santino.” Marie greeted me in the foyer.
“Is Luce in the dining room?”
“No.” She shook her head. “She left about an hour ago.”
“What? Alone? She knows she’s not allowed to.” I fished my phone from the inside pocket of my suit jacket.
“I think so.”
“Did she say where she was going?” I hit the speed dial for the bodyguard assigned to her and pressed the phone to my ear. The ringing tone while I waited fanned the anger bubbling in the middle of my chest. Why the hell did her bodyguard not say anything to me when he noticed she was gone?
“No, Sir. I’m sorry. She left in a hurry. I didn’t think to ask.”
