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"You arrogant bastard," he spits through gritted teeth, driving his knee savagely into my ribs. I buck hard, flipping us until I have him pinned beneath me. My forearm crushes against his throat as I snarl just inches from his face, "You've always been a hopeless fool for a sob story. This time, she played me for the fool, too."
The sounds of violence echo down the hall over the crashing of furniture. The study door bangs open forcefully yet again.
"Enough!" The command bellows through the room in Pietro's baritone voice. Strong hands yank me off of Giovanni's prone form, none too gently.
I shake free of the grip, chest heaving for breath as I survey the wreckage of the once pristine study. Books, shattered glass, and splintered wood litter the antique rug. Blood drips from a cut above Giovanni's eye, while his split lip leaks red down his chin. But greater fury simmers in his defiant glare.
Pietro steps between us, wearing a mask of restrained rage and disappointment—emotions I have not seen on my normally calm brother's face since we were boys.
"Is this what you want?" Pietro demands harshly. "To tear each other apart while our enemies target our family?" His charcoal eyes flash with anger as he straightens his rumpled suit jacket. "Papa always warned the only ones who could destroy this family were those already inside it. Now look at you two brawling like street thugs."
Giovanni rises slowly, dabbing at his torn lip with a handkerchief. When he looks back at me, his eyes are colder than I've ever seen. "Then let’s make the Ferraros pay.” His eyes glint with vengeance. "Feed Clara false information as a test. If she's truly loyal, she'll prove herself and keep us ahead of the Ferraros’ schemes. If she betrays us, we control the leak and set a trap for them."
Hearing her name sends a knife twisting in my chest. Doubt winds its thorny vines through my mind. Part of me wants to believe she would never intentionally betray what we shared...but the evidence against her seems irrefutable. I cannot afford to let desire or emotion blind me, not when my entire family hangs in the balance. Perhaps Giovanni's bold strategy offers the most cunning recourse.
I begin pacing anew. Turning options over in my mind, seeking flaws or gaps. "Using her as a mole is risky business,” I mutter. “She may find and leak things we don't intend if we give her such access again."
Giovanni pushes off from the desk where he rests, wiping the last of the blood from his face with grim determination. "I still believe in what I saw in her eyes, heard in her voice when we spoke. Give her one chance to prove her innocence." He meets my gaze steadily, unwavering conviction shining through.
I stop pacing, tension winding through my shoulders. His faith seems so unshakable...isn't hope a risk worth taking when everything hangs in the balance? I look to Pietro questioningly.
Pietro sighs, breaking the tense silence. "Even a viper can be handled properly, if one takes precautions. But we must be prepared to crush her at the first hint of further betrayal." His eyes convey the gravity of what he is suggesting in his typical pragmatic manner.
I close my eyes, inhaling slowly. This is a dangerous gambit, but perhaps a necessary one. Finally, I force out the words, "Very well. We will give her this chance, albeit a controlled one." I open my eyes to see relief break across Giovanni's face. After a moment I return the gesture tersely, feeling the rage between us cooling to calculating determination. There are contingencies to consider if we are to turn this situation to our advantage.
I turn to Pietro, back in control. "Dante is gathering the others. We have plans to make and preparations to make sure this works."
Pietro nods, his expression approving as he pulls out his phone to begin making arrangements. I survey the wreckage of the study once more as he departs. So much now depends on Clara. If she continues working with the Ferraros...the knife poised at my heart will cut swift and deep.
I straighten my shoulders, letting the familiar chill settle over me. Sentiment makes one sloppy, vulnerable. I cannot allow affection to make me falter again. The chips are in and I must play my hand flawlessly, for my family's sake. By my cunning and will, the Ricci empire shall endure.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, I'm seated at the head of the long oak table, my key advisors and lieutenants gathered. Giovanni stands at the door, arms crossed, still simmering with tightly leashed anger. His eyes warn that he is ready to defend his plan.
But I cannot afford to be so blindly sympathetic. Not with the entire family potentially at risk.
"What information could she have already given the Ferraros if she is a plant among us?" I ask calmly, yet with steely command resonating in my voice. I meet each man's gaze in turn, impressing the urgency of the situation upon them. "I want her access completely traced. Who did she speak with unsupervised during her time here? What could she have seen or accessed?" I lean forward, steepling my hands on the table. "Nothing can be left to chance or assumptions."
Down the long table, Lorenzo clears his throat. "I've interrogated the servants already. They insist she mostly kept to her room, the kitchen, library, and gardens when not with you. Never asked prying questions, really." He pauses, glancing warily around the room before continuing. "Except when she accompanied you to your room, and may have seen papers lying about."
I lift a hand, stopping him there. No need to dwell on details of my lapse in judgment. Instead, I turn my attention to Dante, seated halfway down the table. Ever the tactician, his analytical eye is best suited for this. "What do you advise?"
The wiry man taps his pen rhythmically against his lips in thought. "If she has been planting information for the Ferraros, she already possesses intimate knowledge of our operations and holdings. The potential risk is great."
"So you advise we eliminate her immediately?" I ask bluntly.
Dante meets my gaze steadily, his eyes shrewd. "Not necessarily. Use her to funnel misinformation, yes. It may redirect the Ferraros for a time at least. But you must remain detached and cautious, or it could lead to worse exposure."
I give him a curt nod. His guidance is sound—strategic without being reckless.
Behind me, I can feel Giovanni's silent fury simmering. Ever the discordant note, he cannot simply let matters be resolved.
I rise calmly from my seat and turn to face him. "Go ahead and tell the others you plan, Giovanni." I keep my tone firm but not confrontational.
He straightens, meeting my gaze levelly. "If you insist on using Clara as some pawn, at least make it a true test of her loyalties. Give her false intelligence and see if it reaches the Ferraros. If she is innocent, this will confirm it." His voice rings with conviction. "And if I'm wrong, your enemies take the bait, giving you a perfect chance to entrap them."
I arch an eyebrow, intrigued by his boldness. "You would risk her so easily then?"
