Page 48 of His Son's Ex

Luca clears his throat, taking a step back, feigning nonchalance. “Dad. Didn’t realize you were in.”

Dante’s eyes are cold, fixed on his son. “Clearly.” His tone is curt, controlled fury simmering just beneath the surface. He turns to me, his gaze softening. “Everything all right, Ms. Smith?”

I can’t help the tiny rush of satisfaction that floods through me. “All good, sir.” I emphasize the last word, trying not to grin.

Luca looks between us, frowning. “Wait, what’s going on here? Why are you two acting so weird?” He glances at his father, his confusion mounting.

Dante pins his gaze on Luca again. “We’re not acting weird. Eva and I are an item.”

For a beat, the world stops spinning. My stomach flutters with a mix of triumph and terror. We’d agreed to keep it quiet, but Dante just declared it loud and clear, in front of his son.

Luca’s mouth drops open, and he stares at us like we’ve grown two heads. “You…what?”

Dante’s expression is deadly calm as he slides a hand around my waist. The contact is calming, and I press my lips together, suppressing a giddy laugh.

“She’s my girlfriend,” he repeats. “So I’d appreciate it if you kept your hands to yourself.”

Luca blinks multiple times as he looks back and forth between us. “That’s… you two are…” He trails off, scrambling for words.

Halsey would kill to see this.

I clear my throat. “Yes, we are.”

His confusion morphs into incredulity then anger, though he tries to mask it with a shaky laugh. “Wow. So you’re hooking up with my dad now?”

Dante’s arm tightens around me. “Watch your tone.” There’s a subtle warning underneath.

Luca’s eyes flick to me, then to Dante. He seems lost, like he can’t process it. I half expect him to start sputtering nonsense. Instead, he sets his coffee cup down hard on the counter and mutters, “Whatever. Good luck with that,” before storming out of the kitchen.

As soon as he’s gone, I release the breath I’d been holding. My heart hammers so hard I can barely hear my own thoughts.

I look at Dante. “I thought we were keeping it quiet.”

Dante sighs, running a hand through his hair. “He crossed a line. I wasn’t about to let him disrespect you in front of me. Or at all.”

My chest squeezes with emotion—gratitude, admiration, and a flicker of anxiety. “So now what?”

He gives me a thin smile. “Now, we handle the fallout.”

CHAPTER 12

DANTE

Idrum my fingers against the leather upholstery as my driver weaves through Manhattan traffic, frustration simmering beneath my calm exterior.

Two days of unanswered calls. Two days of trying to handle things civilly. I offered Gianni Lombardi the chance to sit down and negotiate like men—keep blood off the streets.

He ignored me.

I take a deep breath and exhale slowly, rolling my shoulders in an effort to calm down. The old me, the one I’ve spent years tempering, would’ve handled this with a single bullet. But Eva’s changed something in me. She makes me want to be better. She despises senseless violence, and I respect that.

But I also can’t let Gianni’s actions go unpunished. He put innocent people in danger—including her. That demands retribution.

As my driver pulls in front of my apartment building, a strange sense of intuition overcomes me, one I’ve learned over the years to trust.

“Go around the block. I’ll call if I need you.”

“You got it, boss.”