THE DEVIL'S ANGEL

chapter 28

### Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Confession and the Tease

Alessandro sat in his private lounge at Falconi Estate, a half-empty glass of whiskey in his hand. The fire crackled in the grand fireplace, casting flickering shadows on the walls. His best friend, Luca DeLuca, was lounging on the opposite end of the room, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Alessandro in silence.

It had been a long time since they had a conversation that wasn't centered around business or the inner workings of the Falconi empire. Luca, always the calm and steady counterpoint to Alessandro's intensity, was the one man Alessandro trusted implicitly. But even between them, the air was thick with unspoken words.

Alessandro swirled the whiskey in his glass, staring into the amber liquid as if it held the answers to the turmoil in his mind. The tension between them had started weeks ago when Alessandro had found Luca speaking to Isabella in the garden. His fury had erupted before he could even think, and he had accused Luca of crossing a line. It had been irrational, driven by the jealousy and possessiveness that still gnawed at him whenever he thought about his wife.

Now, the weight of that outburst was pressing down on him, and for the first time in a long time, Alessandro felt the unfamiliar sting of guilt.

"I need to talk to you," Alessandro said quietly, breaking the silence. His voice was rough, but there was a vulnerability in it that Luca rarely heard.

Luca arched an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. "You're going to apologize, aren't you?"

Alessandro's jaw clenched. "Don't make this harder than it already is."

Luca chuckled, a soft, teasing sound. "You? Apologize? This is a moment I never thought I'd see."

Alessandro shot him a dark look, but there was no malice in it. He sighed, setting the glass down on the table between them and leaning back in his chair. "I was wrong."

"About what, exactly?" Luca asked, though his tone was light. He knew Alessandro was trying, in his own way, to say what needed to be said.

Alessandro ran a hand through his hair, frustration clear on his face. "About you and Isabella. I shouldn't have... I overreacted."

Luca raised an eyebrow. "Overreacted? You accused me of betraying you, Alessandro."

"I know," Alessandro growled, his voice tight with the weight of the admission. "I wasn't thinking straight. I thought..." He trailed off, his throat tightening. Saying the words out loud made him feel foolish, but he forced himself to continue. "I thought you were getting too close to her."

Luca shook his head, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Too close? She's your wife, Alessandro. And I was just talking to her. Is that what this is really about?"

Alessandro's eyes narrowed. "Don't push me, Luca."

"I'm not pushing. I'm just curious," Luca said, leaning back in his chair, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. "You've always been possessive, but this is something else. You're acting like you're afraid she's slipping away from you."

The words hit a little too close to home, and Alessandro's fists clenched. He didn't like feeling vulnerable, especially not in front of Luca. But he couldn't deny the truth of what his friend was saying.

"She's... complicated," Alessandro muttered, looking away. "And she's changing things in ways I don't fully understand."

Luca's smirk widened. "Ah, so it *is* about her."

Alessandro glared at him, but there was no real venom behind it. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Luca said, his eyes gleaming with amusement, "that your wife is making you soft."

Alessandro stiffened, his expression hardening. "I am not soft."

Luca laughed, a rich, teasing sound. "Oh, yes, you are. You used to be the coldest, most ruthless man I've ever known. But now?" He gestured vaguely in Alessandro's direction. "Look at you. You're sitting here, apologizing, actually apologizing, because you were jealous. I never thought I'd see the day."

Alessandro's eyes darkened, and his jaw tightened. "I'm still the same man."

"Sure, sure," Luca said, nodding with exaggerated sincerity. "Except now you're concerned about feelings. It's a little strange to watch, honestly."

Alessandro slammed his hand on the table, the sound reverberating through the room. "I am *not* soft."

Luca just grinned. "You keep telling yourself that, my friend. But I see what's happening here. Isabella's changed you."

"She hasn't," Alessandro insisted, though even as he said it, he felt the doubt creep in. He had always prided himself on his control, on his ability to keep emotions at bay, to make decisions with ruthless precision. But Isabella had a way of unraveling that control, of getting under his skin in ways no one else ever had.

Luca leaned forward, his teasing tone softening slightly. "Alessandro, it's not a bad thing. Caring about someone, being protective—it doesn't make you weak. It makes you human."

Alessandro stared at him, his jaw still tight. "I don't like it. It makes me vulnerable."

Luca shrugged. "Maybe. But it also makes you stronger in other ways. Look, I've known you for years. I've seen you at your best and your worst. And I can tell you, the Alessandro I see now, the one who's willing to fight for something he cares about—that's a man who's got more to lose, sure, but it's also a man who's got more to live for."

Alessandro fell silent, Luca's words sinking in. He didn't want to admit it, but Luca was right. Isabella had changed him. She had made him feel things he hadn't felt in years—things he had long since buried under layers of power and control.

But with that change came a loss of the armor that had protected him for so long. And that terrified him.

"I don't want to be soft," Alessandro muttered, almost to himself.

Luca laughed again. "Trust me, you're not. You're still a bastard most of the time. But you're a bastard with a heart now, and that's what's throwing you off."

Alessandro shot him a glare. "I should fire you for talking to me like this."

Luca smirked. "You've tried that before. Didn't work."

Alessandro couldn't help the small, reluctant smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. Luca always had a way of cutting through the darkness, of lightening the mood even when the weight of the world pressed down on them both.

"Maybe you're right," Alessandro said after a long pause, his voice quieter now. "Maybe I've changed. But I can't afford to be weak, Luca. Not in this world."

"You're not weak," Luca said firmly. "You're evolving. And if you want my opinion, it's for the better. Isabella's making you more than just the ruthless don everyone fears. She's making you a man."

Alessandro stared into the fire, the flames reflecting in his eyes. The idea that Isabella was changing him wasn't one he had fully come to terms with, but he couldn't deny it any longer. She was softening his edges, making him feel things he hadn't allowed himself to feel in years.

But at the same time, he knew he couldn't lose the part of himself that had built this empire, that had kept him alive in a world of betrayal and violence.

Luca's voice broke the silence. "So, what now?"

Alessandro's expression hardened again, the steel returning to his eyes. "Now, I make sure no one mistakes my evolution for weakness."

Luca chuckled. "There's the Alessandro I know."

Alessandro shot him a warning look, though a hint of a smile still lingered on his lips. "Don't get used to this. I'll still tear apart anyone who tries to cross me."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Luca said with a grin. "But don't forget, I've got your back. Always."

Alessandro nodded, the tension between them finally easing. "I know."

As the fire crackled softly in the background, the two men sat in a comfortable silence, the unspoken bond between them as strong as ever.

But Alessandro couldn't shake the feeling that Luca's words would haunt him long after the fire had burned out.