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“Did he—?” Dom growled, unable to finish his sentence as his throat tightened. I knew he was thinking the worst of Gio, even though Gio had been nothing but wonderful. However, for Gio’s safety and for what I wanted, I knew I couldn’t let Dom know.

I shook my head. “They treated me well. I had my own bedroom, anything I wanted.”

His eyes widened with surprise, but he nodded. “Thank God. Thank God you’re back. I can’t believe they would—”

“Why wouldn’t they, Gastone?” I blurted out, stopping him in his tracks. “Don’t you know what’s been happening? Of course the Lebedevs hate us, even though I know,” I stepped forward and took my brother’s hands in mine. “I know you didn’t do those things.”

“What are you talking about?” Gastone furrowed his brows. “Stop talking in riddles, sister.”

“Gastone, your men have been acting behind your back. Dom—he’s been leading attacks against the Lebedev operations.

They… he… bombed one of their warehouses.

People could have died,” I paled as I gave my brother this information.

“Not only that, Gastone. I’ve seen things.

Your men, they kill their subordinates. Shoot them right dead. You must do something.”

Gastone’s face hardened, and for a moment, a stretched silence lingered between us. I couldn’t imagine how shocked he must be by all this, so I gave him time to process it, waiting patiently.

But then, he let out a sound. A laugh. My world twisted on its axis as he looked at me with scorn. “And you think Dom and the others did those things without me knowing? How weak a leader do you think I am, Larissa?”

“What?” I choked out the question, not understanding what he meant. It couldn’t be. It was impossible that my brother knew the whole time.

“The bombing at the warehouse three months ago,” he said conversationally. “That was me.”

I felt the air suck out of my lungs.

“The attack on their shipment in April. Also me.” He adjusted his cufflinks. “The men being killed on our sites. They’re traitors. Useless.”

Each confession hit like a physical blow. The bombing could have killed people, killed Gio, killed his lovely family.

My knees weakened. I sank back onto the bed. “Why?” The word emerged as barely a whisper.

“Business,” he said simply. “The Lebedevs were expanding too rapidly. Taking contracts that should have been ours. Recruiting men from our territory.”

“So you risked open war? For business?”

He shrugged. “War is business, Larissa. Your grandfather understood that. Your brothers understand that. We kept you safe from this world.”

I thought of all that time I wasted trying to gather evidence to prove to Gio that my brother wasn't behind the escalating violence between our families. All lies. I'd been defending a monster.

“So, that day,” I asked, for myself more than anything. “When you sent Dom with me for those chores…”

“He wasn’t there to help you with chores. You were sent as a cover. I needed him to spy on Giovanni Lebedev, but Dom made a mistake by leaving you alone. Lebedev covered his tracks so well that day that we were chasing false leads for months. Months.”

“And here I was,” I said, with anger in my voice as I met his gaze. “Trying to prove you innocent. Trying to convince Gio that you wouldn’t do such a thing! You used me. You used me, Gastone!”

That was when the tears began to fall. I held back sobs and curled my arms around my body, but I didn’t want to cry. Not after what Gastone had just told me. He was cold and cruel, and I knew my tears would mean nothing.

“Gio?” I heard him ask, softly.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I looked up and saw his scrutinizing gaze directed at me. “You were working with him, trying to prove my innocence?”

I shouldn’t have told him that, I felt it in my bones before I understood the full context of why he’d asked. But I also knew there was no point lying when the truth had already been laid out. I gave him a single nod.

“And he let you work with him, didn’t he?” It wasn’t a question, just an observation. I said nothing.

He walked closer until he towered over me. But unlike when Gio did so, I felt afraid. I looked up and met his cold, blue eyes.

“You know, I always wondered, Larissa. That day at the mall, when Dom found you, why you didn’t go with him straight away. Now I know. You were with Gio. You betrayed me.”

The way Gastone used the word with, tinged with disgust, told me I was too late. He’d figured it out. He knew what Gio meant to me.

“You went soft on him,” the accusation hung in the air.

“I never betrayed you,” I whispered. “I was trying to—”

“To what? Make peace?” He spat the word. “Let me explain how this works now. You will end your relationship with Giovanni Lebedev. You will remember that you are an Ajello.”

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach. The baby. Our baby. But I quickly removed it, before Gastone caught on. “And if I refuse?”

“If you refuse,” he said softly, “I will destroy him. Not quickly. Not cleanly. I will take everything he loves, piece by piece. And when he has nothing left, when he is broken and begging for death, then—only then—will I tell him why.”