I wear his name like a scar.
Alessandro Rossi stole everything from me; my freedom, my future, the lie I told my father to keep him alive. He thinks I'm a tool to be used, a bride to be displayed, a Fraga to be broken. He thinks the ring on my finge...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Passing Diego's office, the shouting forced me to a halt.
"She's always been fucking trouble. I told him, warned him, but the idiot never listened," Diego spat, his contempt thick enough to choke the air.
"Enough, Father," Luca fired back, his voice blazing. "Yasenia is his wife. That makes her one of us, part of this family whether you like it or not. For once in your life, accept it and stop stirring poison before you burn everything down."
That was all I needed. I drove the door open, the wood crashing against the wall as I stormed inside. Rage coursed through me, and Diego's smug expression only sharpened it into something lethal.
"Well, look who finally grew a spine," Diego sneered, leaning back as if the room belonged to him. "What the hell do you want now?"
I closed the distance, my voice a low snarl. "What garbage are you feeding him this time?"
His eyes thinned, a curl of disdain tugging his mouth. "You're walking on a knife edge, boy. You put Bruce Bailey's son in the ground, and soon enough someone will trace the blood back to your brother. You want that kind of firestorm breaking down our doors?"
The words landed, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. I stepped in closer, my tone sharp and cutting. "I did what you never had the courage to do. You want to talk consequences? Let them come. Let the chips fall where they fucking may. But don't stand there and pretend you're a shield for this family. You abandoned us long ago. You forfeited the right to speak about responsibility."
His face twisted, but before he could strike back, Luca forced himself between us, his voice exploding. "Enough! Both of you! I'm sick of this constant war. You're tearing this family to pieces, and neither of you can see it."
He turned to Diego, his voice heavy with betrayal. "And you? I don't know what you're after, but I don't like it one bit. Alessandro is my brother, and I'll stand with him until the end. If you've got a problem with that, deal with it now."
I held Diego's stare one moment longer before pushing past him, the room too small to contain my fury. My steps thundered against the floor as I tore into the hallway, every muscle vibrating with rage so sharp it blurred the edges of thought.
"Al!" Luca's voice cut through the storm as he hurried after me.
I spun so fast he nearly collided with me. "Leave it, Luca," I snapped, the fury straining to rip itself out of me. "Walk away."
But Luca stood firm, defiance etched across his face. "Don't let him crawl inside your head. That old bastard's only trying to break you."
A cold laugh escaped me. "Oh, he got inside already. I should have been watching him closer. He's moving pieces, Luca, and none of it ends clean. But this fight is mine. Stay out of it, because if you stay in, it'll eat you alive."
