Page 5 of The Empress

He saved me in more ways than one. Without him, I wouldn’t have survived the attack and the harrowing years that followed.

I lost my best friend and his parents during the attack, and Carina vanished without a trace.

Carina. Stellina mia.

Even after seventeen years, my heart still squeezes painfully in my chest. Not knowing what happened to the precious little girl, who held my heart in her tiny palm, will haunt me until the day I die.

If it weren’t for the photo I have of her and Diego, which has an honorable position on my bedside table, I would’ve forgotten what she looked like over the years. I was also able to take a few things like Carina’s stuffed unicorn, Bella, from the Messinas' house. Every once in a while, I look at everything, wondering what things would've been like if the Messinas hadn't been killed because of me.

“Did you get a gift for your mother’s birthday?” Massimo asks.

My eyes flick to him. “I got her a shit load of those diamond-dot things she loves.” She has an unhealthy obsession with that hobby of hers. She framed a few and tried to get me to hang them on my walls, but that’s where I put my foot down. So now she donates them to the local charity.

He lifts his eyebrow at me. “Is that all?”

“No. I also got Mamma the handbag she asked for.” I glance around at the festivities again. “What did you get?”

“Perfume.”

I let out a chuckle because he gets her the same thing every year.

After the attack, I only had Mamma and Massimo. The three of us had to build a new life together. My mother lives on her own, not too far from Massimo. I wanted her to stay with me, but she refused, saying we both needed our privacy to do our own thing.

While I stare at a group of women who are dressed to the nines, my thoughts jump from one topic to the next.

Suddenly, Massimo asks, “Are you thinking about marrying Liliana?”

Drawn out of my deep thoughts, I give him a what-the-fuck look and grunt, “Huh?”

“You’re staring at her and her friends.”

There’s no fucking way I’ll ever tie myself to Nicolo’s only daughter. Shaking my head, I check the time on my wristwatch. “You know I’m not interested in getting married, and even if she were the last woman on Earth, I wouldn’t consider her.”

“Are you enjoying yourself, Leo?” Giada, Nicolo’s wife, asks as she comes up behind me.

“Of course,” I murmur politely, glancing up at her as she comes to a stop beside my chair.

There’s a woman I haven’t seen before at Giada’s side, and before I can wonder who she is, Giada says, “I’d like to introduce you to Dakota. She’s Santo’s widow.”

Not recognizing the name, I mutter, “Santo? Should I know who that is?”

She playfully touches my shoulder while letting out a chuckle, which annoys the living fuck out of me. “Nicolo’s brother. He died of a heart attack recently, so Dakota and her daughter came to visit us.”

This is such a fucking waste of my time, but remaining polite, I just smile at the women.

Honestly, I wasn’t aware Nicolo had a brother.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Dakota says with an American accent.

“Likewise,” I murmur, before glancing at Massimo and adding, “As much as we’re enjoying the evening, we have to go.”

Giada’s face falls. “Are you sure? It’s still early.”

As we climb to our feet, Massimo says, “We have a meeting to attend.”

Yeah, the only meeting I have tonight is with my bed.

I give the women a nod before we walk toward Nicolo. When he sees I’m heading in his direction, he quickly excuses himself from the couple he’s talking to.