Page 125 of Brutal Heir

“If she’ll have me, that is,” I amend. Knowing her, she’ll give me a ton ofshiteabout it.

He leans back slowly, brows drawing together. “You’re doing what?”

“I’m marrying her. As soon as possible.” The words echo in the space between us like a challenge.

“For fuck’s sake, Ale.” He lets out a sharp breath and rubs his temple. “I knew that little Irish girl had her hooks in you, but I didn’t think you’d go this far.”

My jaw tightens. “This isn’t about hooks,” I hiss, raking my hand through my hair. “Cazzo,Papàdon’t talk about her like that.”

“She lied to you. She dragged a war to your front door. There’s a price on her head. And now you want to tie her to this family? Legally?”

“Exactly,” I bite out. “Legally. That’s the point.”

His brow twitches.

“If something goes sideways with the Quinlans or the O’Sheas, or if Conall gets bold, if she’s ever arrested, tracked, hurt, I need a legal leg to stand on. I need her protected under the Rossi name. And the fastest way to do that is to make her mine, officially.”

Papàexhales slowly, weighing the burden of what I’ve said.

But I don’t stop there.

“Yes, part of this is strategy,” I continue. “But the rest? The real reason?” I place my palms on his desk and lean forward. “It’s because I fucking love her.”

His eyes narrow. “Love fades.”

“Not this kind,” I snap. “Not when she’s the one who put me back together after the fire. Not when she held me together through the pain, the burns, the nightmares.”

I straighten up, voice quieting but no less intense.

“She didn’t see a monster when I was at my lowest. She saw me. She saved me when I didn’t think I was worth saving. And now, I get the chance to do the same for her.”

He goes still.

“She’s being hunted like an animal,Papà. If we don’t stand behind her, who the hell will?”

He picks up the tumbler again but doesn’t drink. Just swirls it, watching the amber liquid catch the light. His voice is softer when he finally speaks.

“You sound like me when I first told your uncle I was actually in love with your mother. As you know, he’d forced me into marrying her for the sake of the Geminis. We hated each other at first but then…”

A beat passes.

“You remember the stories we told you? About the arranged marriage with the Four Seas? Everyone said it would be a liability. A distraction. That she’d cost me my empire.” His lips curl into something between a smile and a scowl. “Turns out she became the only reason I held onto it.”

“I know,” I murmur. “And that’s what Rory is to me.” I pause, then draw in a steadying breath to really hit it home. “You lovedMathrough the fire, through the hatred and the betrayal, even through the internal war within the Four Seas. I only want the chance to do the same.”

His gaze sharpens again. “So you’re not asking for permission.”

“No,” I answer. “I’m telling you. Because I respect you. And because I didn’t want you to hear about it after the fact.”

A long silence stretches between us.

Then, finally, Marco leans back in his chair, nods once, and mutters, “Cazzo, then marry her.”

Relief ripples through me, though I try not to show it.

“But do it quietly,” he adds. “And have Matteo lock down every piece of paper attached to her name. The Irish can sniff out weakness faster than a goddamn shark in blood.”

“I already asked him.”