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And for the first time in my life, I have no plan. No angle. No clever con to make it all better.
Just the crushing weight of knowing I've destroyed everything I touched.
Including the one man who might have actually loved me.
CHAPTERTWENTY
Stefano
The abandoned warehouse loomsagainst the midnight sky, its broken windows reflecting moonlight like shattered dreams. Fitting place for what I'm about to do. For the empire I'm about to break.
"Perimeter's secure," Tomasso murmurs beside me as we approach the entrance. "Our men are in position if this goes south."
If. Such a small word for such a massive risk.
I adjust my cuffs. The monster is stirring and I need to control it for now. I push through the rusted doors.
The space inside is vast, empty except for the group waiting in the center. Dramatic staging, meant to intimidate.
Amateur hour.
The Fiori brothers stand like mirror images in their expensive suits, flanked by their soldiers. But my attention catches on the figure kneeling between them.
Tony.
The boy looks like hell, his face bruised, his clothes torn, trembling visibly even from this distance. They've worked him over thoroughly, though nothing appears permanently damaged.
Smart. They knew I'd check.
"Rega." Carlo Fiori's voice echoes in the empty space. "Right on time."
I move forward with measured steps, Tomasso a shadow at my shoulder. Every movement is calculated to project power, control, absolute certainty.
Even if I'm about to give away half my world.
"Let's skip the pleasantries." I stop ten feet away, close enough to see the fear in Tony's eyes. The confusion. The desperate plea for help he's trying to hide. "You have something that belongs to my family."
Marco Fiori smirks. "Family? The boy's just leverage. Like his sister." He nudges Tony with his foot, making him flinch. "Though I must say, she played her part beautifully. Almost had us convinced she was really working for us."
The casual mention of Ava makes the monster in me snarl, but I keep my face neutral. "The deal. State your terms."
"Simple enough." Carlo pulls out a manila envelope. "Sign over the club. Half your southern shipping routes. A few other...considerations we can discuss later."
"In exchange?"
Marco yanks Tony's head back by his hair. "In exchange, baby brother here gets to keep all his fingers. Gets to go home to big sister and your little heir."
The threat lands exactly as intended, making my blood burn with the need for violence. But I can't. Not yet. Not with Tony's life in the balance.
Not with my child's future at stake.
"Show me the paperwork."
Carlo tosses the envelope. I catch it one-handed and examine the contents. Everything appears straightforward—property deeds, transfer documents, all the bureaucratic documentation needed to dismantle my empire legally.
"Please," Tony whispers, voice cracking. "I don't know anything. I swear, I don't?—"
Marco backhands him, the sound echoing like a gunshot. "Shut up."