Book two of 'The Vengeance Duology'
Five years ago, the lads and I made the biggest mistake of our lives-a reckless decision that shattered everything.
We destroyed what mattered most, but my deepest regret is how much I hurt her.
Every moment of pa...
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"How did it go?" Nicco asks as I walk into our office, his voice laced with curiosity.
I slump down onto the sofa, feeling the weight of the meeting settle in. "I think it went okay. She said yes."
"So when do we tell her the truth?" Giovanni asks, his expression serious.
"We can't until she's comfortable around us," I reply, leaning back and running a hand through my hair. "I'm not risking her not believing us."
"I can't wait," Nicco interjects, his voice rising with frustration. "That's our sister, Alessio. She has to know. It's been five years—five fucking years!"
My own frustration surges, boiling over. "You think I don't know that? Of course, I know it's been five years. I've loved her since I was nine, and when I finally got her, everything fell apart. Believe me, I'm painfully aware of how long it's been."
"So do something about it!" Nicco shouts, his tone bordering on desperation.
"I can't, Nicco," I snap back, my voice matching his intensity. "Not yet. If we tell her now, none of us know how she'll react. What if it pushes her too far, and she disappears again?"
Giovanni's phone rings, breaking the tense atmosphere. He checks the caller ID, mutters something under his breath, and steps out to take the call.
Nicco exhales, his anger softening just a bit. "So, what do we do now?"
"We wait," I say firmly. "We have to get close to her, little by little. Earn her trust again. It's the only way."
Giovanni returns, his face a mix of curiosity and surprise. "Nicco, Maison Valens' marketing team reached out," he says. "They want to collaborate with us to promote Valentina's new launch which is in a month and a half."
Nicco's eyes light up. "Seriously?"
I nod. "That's our perfect opening. She's already agreed to work with me, and now she's reaching out to you. We need Theo and Lucas to come up with something, too. Get them involved."
Nicco nods, a glimmer of determination in his eyes. "We have to make these chances count. If she's opening the door, even just a little, we can't mess it up."
"Exactly," I agree. "One step at a time. Be patient and smart."
"But what do we do about Tom?" Giovanni asks, his brow furrowed with concern.
Nicco sighs. "I looked into him. He's 28, from Greenwich, Connecticut. His father is David Moore, a successful banker, his mother, Elizabeth Moore, a retired journalist turned public relations executive. He's got a younger sister, Samantha, who's in university for fine arts."
"So, no red flags?" I ask, trying to mask my irritation.
Nicco shakes his head. "He's clean. Just a Wall Street broker with money, a taste for the high life. No criminal ties, nothing suspicious."
