Her Birth Father

Cara's POV

I took a cautious step back, eyeing him wearily.

"How do you know my name?"

He still had that look of disbelief—no. It had evolved into something more sentimental.

A mixture of both sadness and hope.

"You have her eyes," Miguel responded.

"Whose eyes?"

"Your mother's."

"Y—" I frowned. "You know my mother? She died of cancer a few years ago."

He shook his head in disagreement.

"No. Tatianna died in an accident."

I took another step back, getting ready to bolt out of the building if necessary.

"I do not follow."

Luca stepped forward. "Neither do I. We didn't come here for this, Mr. Miguel. Hand over our capo and men, and we'll be on our way."

"You took my shipment," Miguel replied in a bored tone.

"We did nothing of the sort. We didn't even know that the Spanish mafia was still involved in the dealings. We had planned to poach all your suppliers and buyers, not steal from you. That is beneath us. Imagine how surprised we were to get your note."

Alvaro scoffed.

"That's a lie. All evidence points towards you. We found a ring with your emblem on it."

"The ring was stolen a few months back." Luca battled.

"And you expect us to believe that? Try again. No shipment, no men."

"I don't expect you to believe it. Either you do or you don't; I'm not leaving here without the men I came for." He ended, and with a small tip of his head, fifteen guns were cocked.

He aimed at Miguel.

"Where's Adonis?"

Alvaro took a defensive stance; all nonchalance disappeared—it was like a new chapter opened.

"You dare to threaten Master Miguel."

"Bring out our men!" Luca barked.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the reflection of a bright red light on a bulging vein on his neck. My attention got diverted as I took a closer look.

"Oh my God. Luca, do not shoot."

It wasn't just on him alone. We all had the mark.

"I see you're the only smart one here. Please do me the honours and begin the shootout." Alvaro gave a disturbing grin. "The building is well soundproofed, go on."

It was then everyone else realized that they each had a sniper targeted at them, but they still refused to back down.

"Call back your weapons," Miguel broke the ominous atmosphere.

Luca tipped his head in question, but he waved him away.

"Not you." He looked to Alvaro, "You."

"But boss—

Miguel raised a finger in silence. Alvaro's face scrunched up, and with a small mumble, the dots disappeared. Satisfied, he turned back to Luca.

"Now you."

Reluctantly, Luca did as instructed.

"I didn't come here for this." His eyes drifted to me. "I have far more important things to discuss, so let's get this over with. Are you saying it wasn't the Italian mafia that stole my shipment?"

"No. I'm saying it wasn't the Bernardis. The Grecos did."

Miguel's look turned darker.

"You mean those disloyal tools? Can you prove it?" He spat in disgust.

News about the Grecos' doings must have spread. Luca did say that disloyalty was frowned upon in their circle.

I stepped up this time.

"I can." Then I proceeded to explain all that the Grecos had done since I moved into the Bernardi home, leaving out the information he didn't need to know.

By the time I was done, Miguel had an annoyed scowl on his face.

"I'd hoped to be the one to kill Sebastien. I heard about the ongoing feud, but it wasn't in my place to interfere. I promised not to..." He exhaled. "Fine. You're free to go back with your men. Alvaro would confirm all you've said, but knowing Sebastien, I doubt his sons would be any different."

"This doesn't solve anything, boss," Alvaro argued. "We still don't know where the shipments are, and the one we suspect is dead. Shouldn't we blame the Bernardis for not keeping their own in check? Why would Antonio decide to go against us if it wasn't for his family?"

"That is another story entirely. Just do as I say." Miguel commanded. "I have known Sebastien for more than half of my years; our relationship—though a bad one—runs deeper than you think. I must warn you, boy," he extended an arm to Luca. "Do not by any means think the war has ended because the Grecos are dead. This is just the beginning."

Luca and I shared a confused look.

What was he on about? Was another coup ongoing?

"Natasha's father had never been an ally. Dimitri knew that, but he wanted to keep him close, so he pretended he didn't."

Luca couldn't hide his curiosity anymore.

"What are you saying?"

Miguel glanced at our men.

"Tell them to leave. The consequences of this getting out would be dire."

Luca struggled with doing what he requested and being logical. At the end of the day, his curiosity won, and he signalled us all out. I was about to take my leave, too, when Miguel stopped me.

"Not Camila. I'd like her to stay back."

Cecelia gave me a look of sympathy as she closed the door behind her, leaving just me and Luca at the mercy of Alvaro and Miguel.

It was risky. Their men had instant access to us while ours would have to run in before they could protect us, yet a gut feeling kept telling me that this was more than a physical battle.

"They're out. You can speak." Luca encouraged

"The relationship between Dimitri and Sebastien didn't always start with just the both of them. I used to be the third in the clique."

"That's not true. Nonno Dimitri never mentioned you."

Miguel chuckled bitterly.

"That's because Sabestien caused a rift between us the moment he caused an attack on my family. An attack that caused me to lose my wife and my daughter—well, I thought I lost her." He gave me a small smile.

I pursed my lips.

"What are you trying to say?"

"You're the daughter I thought I lost twenty years ago."