Chapter 56
Leonardo De Luca
“So what’s your plan with Matteo or They?” Russo asks as he shuts the door to my office.
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I was already pouring myself a glass of whiskey, especially after the day I’d had. Down in the kitchen earlier. I could barely. look at the spot on the counter where I fucked Alessia into oblivion and those big brown eyes stared up at me with so much trust and undeniable lust that I might lose myself if I think about it for too long.
Alessia needs to be the last of my worries right now because if someone like my brother could dare stab me in the back like this, then there’s going to be a fucking war. Brother or not.
“We keep quiet for now,” I say as I turn to look at Russo, extending a glass of golden whiskey to him.
Russo eyes the drink and then takes it into his hand, latching his lips onto the glass edge. “And do what?”
“Let it play out,” I say simply. “We need to make sure things stay the same until we can figure out exactly what has happened. There’s no point accusing him now and waiting to see how he reacts. If my brother is the culprit, we must catch him when he least expects it. So for now, we act normal”
I watch Russo as he nods slowly
To think that my brother could betray me like this changes everything. We might not be best of friends but we fucking grew up together!
Russo straightens out his spine. “Why would he have given out sensitive information to get back at you? Or the empire? What would have been his motive? In the few weeks, I got to know him, he acted like such an asshole, I was relieved when he left but you’re his brother dammit!”
For a moment, I pondered on Russo’s question because deep down, I don’t know.
“I don’t know,” I admitted out loud after a few moments. “Nothing sparks to my mind as to why he would do this unless he’s got an offer for a cash reward to do this. He’s always been one greedy son of a bitch”
Russo sets his glass now on my desk and shakes his head. “No. I don’t think that’s it. Your father is one of the richest men in the whole of Italy and you think Matteo would do this for money?”
I take a sip of the smooth alcohol that burns my throat with the right amount of spice as I scoff. “You don’t know him like I do but I guess we’ll see.”
I glanced towards the windows. “He never left for Italy like I thought he did. I’ve got men keeping a close eye on him right now, if he does anything suspicious, it will be reported straight back to me.”
Russo picks up his glass again and then downs the rest of the liquid. “And for Trey?”
The corners of my lips lifted into a smile. Im going to interroge him and then we’d know for sure who has fucked us over, once and for all
Russo’s head tilts with slight confusion. “You seem calm about all this.”
“There’s no pont losing my head when it can make things worse I refuse to let anybody tear this empire down. It’s time for lethal calmness. That’s what allows me to focus the best.” I admic pushing the sleeves of my shirt up to my elbow slowly.
Russo raised his eyebrows and sucked in a breath. “Well, I’m pleased to know that you still don’t think that it’s me who has sabotaged everything for you.”
09:40 Tue, Feb 11
Chapter 56
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I stare back at the man who has been with me for over a year now, and despite the circumstances with which we got to know each other, has never for once failed me. Yet, I doubted him. It’s hard to know to trust when you’ve grown up with men who enjoy bringing down others for the fun of it.
“It was a bad day.”
“Oh wow. A bad day?” Russo scowls. “That’s all you can say?”
I’ve come to see Russo as more of a friend than an employee and I know I dented something in our relationship when I told him that I suspected him.
But he should know that I suspected everyone. Even my brother is now a suspect.
But this is one friendship I intend to keep and I don’t even mean this because of Alessia “Russo-
“It’s okay.” He retreats and places his glass back down again. “I know you’re my boss and you do not owe me anything but 1 want you to know that I’d never shit over the people I care
about and believe it or not, you’re one of them.
I’m sorry you have such a shitty brother but that’s not the kind of person I am. I’m loyal and I thought I’d proven that already and a bit of appreciation would go a long fucking way”
Russo is out the door before I can say anything else. I know he’s been holding that in and I could see the hurt in his eyes. Alessia knew her brother well after all. She was adamant that he would never betray me but I just couldn’t bring myself to apologize. Those tasted like poison in my mouth. I’m the fucking boss goddammit.
Who are these people to think that they can just barge into my life and turn me fucking soft?
I plunged myself down into my office chair and stared ahead.
The glass twiddles between my fingers and I breathe out a harsh ligh. Heaviness sitting on my chest unexpectedly.
All of a sudden, Alessia came to mind and I remember the sliver of flesh that was on show. Those bruises across her hips, I put those bruises on her body.
Normally, something like that would turn me on. A lot of the women I slept with in the past liked it hard and rough to the point of evidence but seeing those bruises on Alessia’s body, made my stomach twist with an unknown emotion. I don’t want to be the cause of any such bruises on her body. I could mark her with hickeys but never a bruise as evident as that.
I remember her face as she strolled into my office, furious that dropped the network without telling her, and for a split second, I felt bad.
A curse word in Italian falls from my lips and I press my head into my hands.
I can’t seem to control the waves of confusion going on inside my head, my chest, and my stomach. Every part of me can’t grasp what’s going on with my emotions.
1 hadn’t seen Alessia for days. Days.
The last word she said to me continued to taunt me.
We fucked and you left a bruise. It’s no big deal.
We fucked? That’s true but those bruises are a big deal. At least for me.
09:40 Tue Feb 11
Chapter 566
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She call I can think of and worse it’s at a time like this. Those long brown hair and those punishing curves make me forget
I can’t believe a woman is swaying my thoughts like this. Maybe the bruises were a little too much for her and she was avoiding me because of that
I’ve been craving for her, internally begging for it. And now, I can’t take a second of being ignored or avoided. Whatever it is
Russo is out and Alessia is downstairs in the dining room. I saw her as I passed the kitchen earlier and I haven’t heard her come up the stairs yet. It’s already approaching ten o’clock in the evening.
approach the dining room, poking my head inside and then I rest against the doorway. Alessia’s eyes were down, their classes sitting pretty on her face, her hair was tied back into a messy bun, brown strands falling in front of her face as she stared intently at her laptop, occasionally punching the keys.
1 dont think I’d ever seen her so focused and with glasses on her ace
Just seeing her like this unda me. It strengthens my craving and desire for her. I’m pretty sure I’ve been bewitched because I just can’t seem to get enough no matter how many times we do it I can feel the tightness in my chest and my eyes dilate at the sight of her. So damn beautifd and she’s not even trying.
I claner down at her body in the chair, she’s in her silk nightgown with her arms inside her lightweight dressing robe. Legs clongated in front of her, tan skin flashing beneath the legs of the table.
Just then she glances up at the wall and realizes that I’m standing by the doorway. Her gaze sprung wide at the shock and she pressed a hand to her heart that I know is thundering out of shock behind the thin fabric of her night gown.
What are you doing here?” She sucks in a breath.
I notice that her skm begins to flush.
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