Evelina

(xvi)

Draven

My daughter despises our family. And I know, deep down, it's all because of me. Because I treated her the same way I treated my boys. When my sons turned five, I put them through the test—a trial every Giannino child is supposed to face to prove they can survive in our world. I thought I'd wait, give my daughter one more year, and put her through it when she turned six. I believed it was the right thing to do. After all, my father did it to me when I was five, and he turned me into who I am today. A mafia boss cannot be weak.

But my parents died too early for me to ask if this was the right way to raise a girl—especially my girl. I shove those doubts aside as I walk toward her bedroom, trying to block out the pang of guilt that's been gnawing at me. I can't afford to be weak now. That's what my father always told me—showing emotion makes you vulnerable, and in this life, vulnerability gets you killed.

As I approach her door, I stop when I hear muffled sobs. My heart clenches painfully. Damn it. I hate hearing her cry, but I know I shouldn't go soft. Not now. Not ever.

"I promised him, Tones," I hear Eve sob between shaky breaths. "I promised Enzo I'd come for him, that I'd save him no matter what. But I... I feel like I'm breaking that promise. I have no idea where he is. I feel so useless."

Her voice is raw, thick with emotion, and it cuts deep, even though I've tried for years to numb myself to this kind of pain. There's silence for a moment before I hear Antonio's voice, calm but strained.

"Love, not having Enzo here is eating me up too. Trust me, it's killing me. No matter how annoying he is, he's still my little brother. I practically raised him with you. I can't imagine life without him." There's a pause before he adds, "But you have to remember something important, Eve."

I lean in closer to hear them, and despite myself, I can't help but smile, a flicker of pride lighting inside me. Antonio cares for Eve. He's there for her, even though I've been blind to her struggles for far too long.

"When you were twelve," Antonio continues, his voice soft but filled with emotion, "when those Germans kidnapped you, I was losing my mind. I was searching for you everywhere, like a madman. Every lead was a dead-end. Every minute that passed made me feel like I was going to lose you forever."

I freeze. The Germans kidnapped her? How the hell did I not know about this?

My mind reels as I pull out my phone and text my sons to meet me in my office. If there's something this serious that I didn't know, we need to address it immediately.

As I turn to walk away, I hear more of Antonio's voice drifting through the door. "Enzo sat me down and told me something that saved me. He told me I was letting my emotions cloud my judgment, that I needed to think like the bad guys. I needed to get into their heads to figure out where they'd take you. And he was right."

I can't believe this. Enzo, my youngest, was the one who saved Eve. Maybe that is why she is more attached to them. They care for her too much.

I step into my office, pacing as I try to shake off the flood of emotions rising in my chest. Not long after, Lucian, Dante and Blaze walk in.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Lucian asks, concern evident in his tone.

I take a deep breath, my voice firm. "What do you know about Eve, about what happened to her after she left?"

Dante scoffs, leaning against the doorframe. "Finally, you decide to ask. Took you long enough."

I glare at him. "You have something to say, Dante?"

"Yeah, I do." His expression darkens. "When you and Antonio were off saving Lorenzo, I asked Eve what happened and she told me that she was about to return home because of mom, but then some people took her and abused her. She told me that much before I got knocked out."

"She was kidnapped?" I repeat, still trying to process it.

Dante just nods, his eyes narrowing. "Yeah. And I think they're the reason she stayed away for so long."

The weight of that revelation hits me hard. I get up from my seat, needing some air. As I walk onto the balcony, the cool night breeze does nothing to calm the storm raging inside me. I've failed her. Not once, but multiple times.

I lean against the railing, but then I hear something—voices from below. My attention snaps toward Eve's room, directly below my office. I listen closely.

"Alexa, I need the information now," I hear Eve say, her voice steady but cold. "I wasn't the only girl they took. There were more. You saw it when you came to save me, so don't play around. Tell me who they are."

There's a pause before Eve's voice sharpens. "I swear, one day I'm going to make Johann and Klaus Schmitt beg for their lives before I finish them."

Johann Schmitt. The Don of the German mafia. His son, Klaus. Their names send a surge of fury through me. What did they do? Did they kidnap her from me?

I hear Eve laugh bitterly. "You know what my biological father said? He wanted me to marry Klaus. Can you believe it? The very people who tortured me, who stole my childhood—he wanted to hand me over to them." They actually kidnapped her?!

She laughs again, a sound filled with mockery and pain. "Sometimes, I wonder how that man became a Don. How blind could he be? Planning to marry me off to the ones who ruined me."

I clench my fists, every fiber of my being consumed by rage. She's talking about my old friend—the man I once respected but now loathe with every bone in my body. He didn't just betray me; he betrayed my daughter, my family and my mafia. He broke out peace treaty.

She continues, her voice growing quieter. "I'm fine. I'm just... angry. If my biological father hadn't forced me to kill when I was six—maybe I wouldn't hate him so much. Maybe I wouldn't be covered in scars. Maybe I'd be someone else."

I hear a 'good luck with that' and then the balcony door close softly below me, and I stay frozen in place. My daughter—my Eve—has endured more than I ever imagined.

The Schmitts, the German mafia... They've crossed a line they will regret for the rest of their miserable lives.