CHAPTER SIX

ENZO’S POV

Cazzo!.

I was hoping to stay for the night at one of my hotels here in Chicago, foolishly believing she wasn’t going to be the woman I saw in that dem file—the same woman I can’t seem to take my stupid mind off. But now here I am, already in New York leaving all the responsibilities to Zeno to handle. Running like a punta that I have become.

The moment the car stopped in the driveway, I noticed my son's car wasn’t parked in the driveway. I shoved the door open and climbed out, my movements sharp and fast. Gravel crunched under my Armani shoes as I stormed up the front steps, barely noticing the porch light. I burst through the front door, my voice ripping into the silence.

“Where fuck is Matteo?” I announced to the guards standing in the hallway.

I caught the way blood drained from their faces as they noticed who was speaking. In an instant, one of the men began talking, the tremor in voice very evident, the way he couldn’t meet my eyes and kept fumbling with the sleeve of his uniform. “Il… Il Falco, your son Matt…

Already fed up with him, I hissed out. “Non essere sciocco, Speak up!”

“Sorry… Il Falco. Yesterday, not long after you left for Chicago, your son stormed out of the house last night, not long after you left and still hasn’t returned.”

Without sparing him another glance, I went into the kitchen and was greeted by the sweet scent of muffins and the presence of Aria—Zeno’s wife who was scolding two of my men.

As soon as my presence was acknowledged, she excused them and turned to me.

“Ahhh… Enzo, welcome back home” Her smile flattered slightly as she glanced behind me, searching through the open door that leads to the hallway. “I don’t see Zeno on site, weren’t you supposed to arrive together?” Her brow furrowed in subtle confusion, the question lingering in the space between us. “And what about Zeno and our new bride?”

Aria, my second-in-command’s wife, was born into quite luxury and grace. Her marriage to Zeno was arranged, a merge between two powerful families, a marriage that Aria was skeptical about but now wears with effortless elegance.

I like her, genuinely, with the quiet respect reserved for someone who brought a little light into a world filled with darkness.

Not wanting to tell her why I left Chicago, I decided to lie. “I had an important meeting this morning so I had to come back before them—their flight got delayed, but they’ll be here in time for dinner.”

“That’s lovely to hear, I am currently thinking of what meal to prepare while baking muffins for our guests. I hope she loves it.”

Her voice blurred into a distant hum as I exited the kitchen. My footsteps were heavy against the marble floor as I headed to my office.

Lost in the storm of my thoughts, I couldn’t shake the anger I felt towards myself for agreeing to a marriage for my son. Knowing it involves a woman I slept with. A beautiful mistake that has now turned into a punishment.

Stepping into my office, I moved behind my desk. A low vibration against my chest snapped me back, the faint urgent buzz of my phone against the fabric of my jacket. I retrieved my phone from my breast pocket with a practiced flick of my wrist and unlocked the screen, swiping it open. A new text lit up.

Zeno.

Zeno: We will be arriving in the next two hours or more, the weather here in Chicago is bad.

Me: Okay. Hurry. Matteo isn’t home. He hasn’t been home since last night.

I didn’t wait for his reply as I pulled my drawer open, placed my phone on the table deciding to do some work.

I sat in my office for a while engulfed in the silence and paperwork in front of me. But my mind. My mind keeps drifting away. To somewhere I do not want it to be. “Gianna Romano.” I still can’t wrap my head around why I agreed to this marriage.

I absently tapped my pen against the table, the faint clicks blending with the quiet background of the office. I don’t feel like myself today—the weight in my chest pressing down and suffocating. The constant swirl of thoughts makes it feel as though my head feels like it’s caught up in a vice. What if she’s part of Lorenzo’s plan? What if he’s using her to get me? Lost in this dark spiral, a shadow flickered at the threshold of my doorway, followed by a sharp clearing of throat that cut through the questions folding my head.

I tilted my head upwards, only to be welcomed by my son. With a sharp voice, I said, “Matteo, when will you learn? Huh? When will you learn to listen to me when I say you should stop sleeping outside.”

“Dad, it’s not a big deal, I was caught up with work at the club and I couldn’t make it home.”

I narrowed my eyes on him. I have always known my son, and I have dedicated myself and my time to seeing him become a strong man when he gets older. But that look in his eyes tells me he’s lying about being at the club. He is hiding something, and I’ll find out sooner or later.

I shook the thoughts out of my head. “Have a seat, I have something important to discuss with you,” I said with a tight voice.

He hovered by the chair, fingers drumming against his thigh before he finally lowered himself down. “I think I know where this conversation is heading. But I can’t be sure if you don’t speak, so speak dad I’m listening.” He snarled at me with tight gritted teeth. The anger was written behind the surface of his face.

With a clenched fist at my sides, I took in a deep breath and cleared my throat. “So you’ll be getting married—and the wedding plans are already set. She’ll be arriving with Zeno this evening.”

His jaw clenched tightly as he slammed his palm against the table. “Shit!” I knew it. I felt this coming. So you and Zeno went behind my back to plan a wedding I didn’t agree with? Why would you do that to me?.” His chest heaved with every breath, rising and falling in quick heavy bursts.

Without a second thought, I snapped back at him. “This is good for the

growth of our shipments. We will have more sales coming in once this marriage is finalized. So, Matteo, you will agree to this marriage, and that’s a must.”

“Christ…, you know this is a low blow right? You see, this is my problem with you Dad, you do what you want to do without caring about what other people want. Without realizing how much it affects you.”

I sucked in a deep breath. He is right, I should have talked to him before agreeing to this marriage. “Look Matteo, I am sorry for not talking to you before saying yes.”

“Why do I feel like there’s a but hanging in the air? Dad just say what you want to say and get this over with.”

I sometimes forget that I can’t trick this boy. He is smart and that alone shows me how good I did in training him as a father. I adjusted in my set, leaning forward I said. “But you have

My phone vibrated with a message from Zeno popping up on the screen. I clicked on the message with the message reading.

Zeno: We just landed, we’ll arrive home in the next thirty minutes.

I didn’t bother replying to the message. I lifted my head to my son. His eyes were wide, but his jaw locked tight as if holding back a scream. Already done with the conversation, my voice came out flat.

“They just landed.”