POV: Marco
Arianna chooses the restaurant.
Of course she does.
It’s tucked into a side street off the old quarter, discreet enough to disappear if you don’t know where to look, exclusive enough that no one inside asks questions. The kind of place where deals are whispered, not toasted. Where loyalty is traded quietly, without witnesses.
I’m not there yet.
I don’t need to be.
***
Earlier
Arianna sits across from Enzo and Sofia De Luca, posture relaxed, expression composed, as if she isn’t meeting with the remnants of the family she claims to want erased. Enzo drinks too fast, always has. Power makes him careless. Sofia barely touches her glass, eyes sharp, calculating, never leaving Arianna’s face for long.
“Marco Venetti is blind,” Arianna says calmly. “Completely.”
Enzo grins. “I told you. Men like him always think they’re in control.”
“He thinks he’s using me,” Arianna continues. “He believes proximity equals dominance.”
“And his people?” Sofia asks, voice cool.
“They’re already slipping,” Arianna replies. “Some because they want power. Some because they want safety. And some because they’re tired of his emotional decisions.”
Sofia’s gaze narrows. “You’re playing close to the fire.”
“I always do,” Arianna says lightly. “That’s why I win.”
Enzo leans forward. “What’s the next move?”
“We damage Venetti’s supply chain,” Arianna answers without hesitation. “Not enough to collapse him. Enough to make him need me.”
Sofia stiffens. “That’s risky.”
“Necessary,” Arianna counters. “When he’s destabilized, he’ll trust me completely. He’ll listen without question.”
“And if he starts doubting?” Sofia asks.
Arianna smiles faintly. “Then I remind him who’s loyal. And who walked away.”
Sofia doesn’t smile back. “Be careful. Venetti men are dangerous when cornered.”
“So am I,” Arianna replies.
***
By the time I arrive back at my estate later that afternoon, the air feels wrong.
Not hostile. Not quiet.
Unsettled.
I move straight to my office, shrugging out of my jacket, rolling my sleeves as I pull reports up on my screen. Shipments. Routes. Numbers. I force myself to focus, to think strategically instead of personally.
It doesn’t work.
Carmen’s absence is everywhere.
In the untouched chair across from my desk. In the silence where her voice used to cut through meetings with precision and calm authority. In the way the house no longer feels anchored.
I tell myself she chose this.
That she wanted an excuse to leave.
That running to Vincent Rossi proves everything Arianna implied.
And yet.
My hand stills on the mouse as doubt creeps in, unwelcome and persistent. Carmen never ran from responsibility. Never from confrontation. She fought. She stayed. She warned.
I push the thought away sharply.
Emotion is a liability.
A knock sounds at the door.
“Come in,” I say.
Luca steps inside, posture relaxed, eyes alert. He closes the door behind him carefully, a habit he’s had since long before I put him in charge of anything important.
“Everything good?” I ask.
“For now,” he replies.
He doesn’t sit. That’s my first warning.
“You look like you have something to say,” I add.
“I do,” Luca says. “And you’re not going to like it.”
I lean back in my chair. “Try me.”
“Arianna is too deep,” he says flatly.
My jaw tightens. “Define ‘too deep.’”
“She’s moving people,” Luca continues. “Testing loyalty. Talking to men who shouldn’t be talking to her.”
“That’s expected,” I reply. “Information flows.”
“She’s not just sharing information,” he says. “She’s positioning herself.”
I study him carefully. Luca isn’t emotional. He doesn’t exaggerate. If he’s saying this, it’s because something crossed a line.
“She’s dangerous,” he adds. “Not because she’s smart. Because she’s patient.”
“I know exactly what she is,” I snap. “And I can handle it.”
“That’s what worries me,” Luca says.
I straighten. “You think I’m losing control.”
“I think you’re underestimating how much she wants it,” he replies. “And how far she’ll go.”
“You’re repeating Carmen’s words,” I say sharply.
The name lands heavier than I expect.
Luca hesitates, then continues anyway. “Carmen wasn’t wrong about her.”
Anger flares hot and immediate. “Carmen walked away.”
“She walked away because she felt unheard,” Luca says quietly.
I stand abruptly. “That’s enough.”
“She saw the threat before you did,” he presses. “And she paid the price for saying it out loud.”
I move around the desk, closing the distance between us. “You’re out of line.”
“I’m doing my job,” Luca replies evenly. “Protecting this family.”
“This family is destabilized because she left,” I snap. “Because she chose doubt over loyalty.”
Luca meets my gaze without flinching. “Or because you chose pride over partnership.”
The words hit harder than I expect.
“You think I don’t see what’s happening?” I demand. “You think I haven’t considered the risks?”
“I think you believe you’re immune to manipulation,” Luca says. “And that’s when it’s most effective.”
Silence stretches between us, thick and brittle.
“She approached me,” Luca adds.
My chest tightens. “What?”
“Arianna,” he says. “She made an offer.”
Cold spreads through me. “And you didn’t think to mention this sooner?”
“She wanted me to switch sides,” Luca continues. “I told her I’d think about it.”
My fist clenches. “You what?”
“I needed to see how far she’d go,” he says. “She thinks she’s winning.”
I exhale slowly, forcing control back into my voice. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“So is she,” Luca replies. “The difference is, she believes she’s untouchable.”
I turn away, staring out the window at the grounds below, my thoughts racing. Arianna recruiting my men. Carmen gone. Supply lines under pressure. Doubt creeping in from every angle.
“You don’t trust me,” I say finally.
“I trust you to be strong,” Luca replies. “I don’t trust her.”
I say nothing.
After a long moment, Luca adds quietly, “If she’s telling the truth, you won’t need her for long. If she’s lying, she’ll cost us everything.”
He leaves me alone with that.
I remain standing by the window long after the door closes, jaw tight, mind restless.
Carmen’s face rises unbidden—angry, hurt, resolute.
Arianna’s voice follows, smooth and reassuring, telling me doubt is weakness and loyalty is rare.
Two women. Two truths.
And somewhere between them, my empire balances on a blade.
For the first time since Carmen left, uncertainty settles deep in my chest.
Not about her.
About myself.