LA CAMORRA / MAFIA ROMANCE

CHAPTER FIVE

DIEGO HERRERA
Monza, Italy

The sun was setting, casting the estate in a coppery glow that bounced off the windows and the long stretch of stone walls. It felt like the calm before a storm, the quiet before all hell broke loose. But in this business, silence was never a sign of peace—it was just the pause before the next move.

Maria Delvina still hadn't given me an answer.

Five days. It had been five damn days since I made the offer. In that time, I'd done nothing but wait—wait for her to make up her mind, wait for her to either accept the marriage or spit in my face. I'd been through hostile negotiations before, but this? This was personal.

I stared out of the window, fingers grazing the edge of the desk. I knew what she was doing—playing her cards close to her chest, seeing how long she could hold out before I lost my patience. She was testing me. But also mistaking me.

Footsteps behind the close door, before it opened, breaking the stillness.

Jet Permetti. He never hesitated, never paused or waited for permission. That was why I trusted him. Jets loyalty was quiet, built on action, not words. He'd been by my side long enough to know that I didn't need reassurance, just results.

"She hasn't confirmed," Jet spoke without preamble.

I clenched my jaw, the irritation bubbling just under the surface. Maria hadn't confirmed. Of course she hadn't. The game continued.

"She stalling," I muttered.

"She's making a point," Jet corrected, his voice low and flat.

I turned to face him, moving my elbows to rest on the table infront of me. "What's the latest on her family?"

Jets weight shifted, arms crossed in that familiar way, looking like a mountain that could crush anyone in its path. "Her father's still out of commission. In bed, talking, but not moving much. Maria's running the show now."

That didn't surprise me. I'd expect her to take over her father's operations once the old man got taken down, but Maria was going above and beyond. She wasn't just keeping things afloat—she was expanding. I'd heard whispers that she'd make some reckless move, taking over territories that weren't her to claim, getting her hands into operations that hadn't belonged to the Delvina's before. It was bold. And dangerous.

"And Sergio?" I asked.

Jet snorted. A rare sight of expression other than a blank slate. "He's around. Laying low, but still causing trouble. Nothing major. Yet."

Sergio Delvina, was a disaster waiting to happen. His drug addiction made him unpredictable, a liability. But it wasn't him I was worried about—it was her. Maria had Sergio on a leash, but for how long? One mistake, and he'd blow everything up.

"She's running things, but she's taking risks," Jet continued, his tone measured. "Made a few more moves that don't make sense. Could be trying to prove something."

I scowled. That tracked of with what I knew of her. Maria was smart, but she was pushing the limits. Running her father's empire wasn't enough for her—she wanted to make it her own. But that kind of ambition was dangerous in our world, especially when you still rely on your old man's advice from a sickbed.