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As I reach for my phone to call Micah to handle this, a bulky hand lands on my shoulder.
Silvano’s eyes fix on mine, a mix of bitterness and vengeance swirling in their depths. “I am sure that you haven’t forgotten that this place used to be mine and Valentina’s…. Before you took it from me.”
I roughly shrug off his hand, my jaw tightening at the mention. “I’d think twice before bringing that up, Silvano.”
“Why? You’re worried I’ll scare off your new lady of the week?” His mouth twists into a wicked smile. “Valentina and I cherished this land. We grew up here. I had plans for us before you came into our lives.”
A knife twists at the thought of Valentina—my wife.
It was no secret that Silvano was head over heels in love with her, but it was always unrequited. She’d told me when we had first started dating, laughing it off as a harmless crush.
“He’ll get over it,”she’d assure me whenever the topic came up between us. “He just needs to grow out of it.”
Decades later, it’s clear that Silvano has never gotten over anything. He’s never been able to move on from the fact that she chose me over him. He’d managed to keep his hatred toward me masked behind a business rivalry when she had been alive. But now that she’s gone, it’s apparent what his true motives have always been.
“The land belongs to me,” I assert. “You’re trespassing on private property.”
“Private property?” Silvano barks a laugh as though I’ve told him the world’s funniest joke. “This land was jointly owned by my family and Valentina’s. You’re the trespasser here.”
“You seem to conveniently forget that her father sold it to me after we got married.” I school my face back into impassivity. “I’d go easy on the alcohol; it’s messing with your ability to remember important facts.”
Silvano’s eyes blaze with anger. “It was never for sale. You forged the papers. I can prove that.”
“Good luck explaining that to a lawyer.” I smile, unfazed by his empty threats.
It’s all he has.
“The property lines need to be redrawn. Decades ago, you took what wasmine.” His voice cracks, and I know he’s not referring to the property. “I’m here to claim it back.”
She’s gone.I want to scream at him.Nothing you do is going to bring her back to this world.
Silvano begins to shuffle through the pockets of his coat.
Is he about to pull out a gun? Knowing his temper, I wouldn’t put it past him to commit a crime in broad daylight.
But before I can react, he brandishes a few crumpled pieces of paper.
“You have to sign this,” he barks out before handing the papers over to me.
My eyes skim over the document.
It is a legal contract to redefine the property lines. If I sign this, legal ownership will be transferred back to the Silvano family.
Silvano observes me intently. There’s a certain desperation to it.
I look up at him, smirking in his direction. “Is that all I need to do? Sign the papers?”
“Yes,” he replies, surprised. “Valentina and I were the real owners of this place. It’ll restore what was truly meant to be.”
I nod, pretending to consider his words. “Very well, then. If that’s all it takes…”
A flash of hope crosses Silvano’s face, but it’s gone as I begin to tear up the paper right in front of him.
“You bast—”
“Never threaten me in my lands ever again,” I snarl, dropping the niceties. “You’ve grown bold, and I think you need a reminder of whom you’re speaking to.”
I snap my fingers, indicating security to intervene.