Chapter-20 News

Nico

“Leonardo and Xavier have left,” Caelian muttered.

I stood by the pool, watching the soft spring wind make ripples on its clean surface and nodded. We were at one of my farmhouses on the outskirts of the city. Leo and Xavier had come over to discuss matters about last night. And to plan our strategy for tomorrow.

Another shipment of mine is expected to move, and this was the cue we were waiting for. Tomorrow, we'll grab those bastards by hook or by crook. We have to. From damaging our shipments to attacking me right in public out of nowhere was concerning.

There weren’t many people I could think of who would dare take on the Baldocchi like that. And Gianna’s safety was at risk…that was bugging me the most. Not only could she have been severely injured, but we have no leads either. I have never felt so helpless and cornered ever before.

But that changes tomorrow. I can’t rest until I have one of them locked up and beaten half to death in my torture room. I had some really innovative ideas building in my head.

“You haven’t spoken the whole way here, and you were quiet during the meeting, too. Is everything alright?” he asked again.

“Fine,” I muttered.

“You don’t look fine.”

“I am.”

“Why suddenly call for a meeting here instead of the office?” I grit my teeth at his never-ending string of questions, fighting the urge to punch him.

“Because it’s more private here,” I snapped, shooting him a glare. “Don’t you dare ask another question.”

“Okay, I don’t know what’s got your knickers in a twist, but take a dip in the pool, that ought to calm you down,” he said. “I get it, last night was shit but I haven’t seen you so distracted and out of sorts. So whatever it is and…whoever it is with, try and sort it out. If you wanna talk…you know I will always be here.”

“No need to make me feel guilty with that tone,” I sighed, rubbing my face. I needed a damn fucking drink or drinks at the moment. But Leo and Xavier were coming, and this meeting was important. I needed to keep my shit together at least until the meeting.

“I…Gianna and I slept together last night,” I blurted out, and even hearing those words out loud made me want to drown myself in the pool. Caelian’s eyes widened, and it was evident that he was happy to hear the news.

“Okay…” he mumbled. “And what is the problem? Was it not good?”

I didn’t know how to answer that. Last night was phenomenal. I had sex with other women before, and great sex at that, but last night was…different. It was raw, intense, and the passion just flowed unrestricted. All my control slipped away when she came down those stairs.

Gianna could have been badly injured last night, and just thinking of that makes rage overtake all other emotions. I couldn’t love her, but I had sworn to protect her forever, and I wasn’t doing a very good job so far. The moment I felt her warmth, I spiraled. And as much as I hate myself for doing that and crossing those lines, a part of me also doesn’t regret it.

The image of her beautiful naked body waiting and ready for me hasn’t stopped haunting me for a second. Gianna was like a goddess, and I was a mere human worshipping her. Her body fit with mine so perfectly. And not just my body. My cock has never felt so good inside anyone before. And the way she made me touch her…she unmanned me with that one move.

So wet, so tight…so mine.

I blinked at my thoughts. Wait…what? Mine?

“Your silence kind of answers it,” Caelian said. “So then what went wrong?”

“What went wrong? Everything was wrong about it,” I hissed, running my fingers through my hair. “It shouldn’t have happened.”

“And why not? She is your wife not some other woman you accidentally got drunk and fucked,” he pointed out.

“Gianna doesn’t want to fuck…Caelian. She wants to make love. Do you understand the difference between the two?” I snapped. “And I can’t make ‘love’ to her because I don’t love her…I don’t know what the fuck that even is.”

“It seems you try harder every day to convince yourself that you don’t love her,” Caelian said sarcastically.“I don’t get your point.”

“She deserves more than just sex,” I mumbled. “And every time I try to give her more…I screw up.” Whether it was dinner last night, or last year when I visited her in London…I always mess up, and she ends up more hurt.

“There’s more to this…isn’t there?” Caelian raised his brow. “It’s not just the sex part. Please don’t tell me you pushed her away after sleeping with her.”

“I did,” I whispered, feeling as shitty as a person could feel.

“Oh, fottuto dio…” Caelian sighed, looking as disappointed as I felt. “What did you say?” I really didn’t want to say it out loud. Because I really wasn’t proud of what I said.

“That we just fucked…and not to expect anything more from me,” I muttered. “In a much worse manner. And then I walked out…”

“Jesus,” Caelian hissed, rubbing his face. “I don’t even know what to say to you. Nothing is worse than humiliating a woman after you sleep with her. And she is your wife, she deserves some amount of respect at least.”

“I do respect her!” I protested.

“Well, then you need to check the definition of respect again, capo,” he grimaced, shaking his head. "But there’s one thing I would say… stop trying to push away, probably your only chance at happiness. Life doesn’t give you chances over and over again. And neither will Gianna…”

I hated to see the disappointment and defeat in his eyes as he walked away. That’s how Gianna had looked this morning. Or maybe ten times worse. I hated myself for hurting her, for causing her pain. But it was for her own good.

This was the best path for both of us.

“Capo…I have news,” Domani distracted me, a troubled expression on his face. I closed my eyes, mentally preparing myself for some other shitty news again.

“What now?” I grumbled. Can I catch a fucking break?

“Ah…remember you asked me to keep you informed about Signora?” he said. I blinked, a startling jolt erupting in my chest.

“Yeah…what about that? She’s alright, right?” I demanded.

“Yeah, yeah…” he nodded. “But you might like to know that…she visited a certain someone this afternoon.”

“I don’t want to know about her whereabouts. That’s private,”

“You will want to know this,” Domani said and I didn’t like the way he said that.

“Who was it?” I asked.

“Maximus Vanucci. She visited his office,” he mumbled. I frowned at my advisor. Maximus Vanucci…the name seemed familiar. But where have I heard it?

“Who the hell is that?” I inquired.

“The billionaire business mogul everyone is talking about. He is the owner of Bellavanti.” I frowned at him. What was my wife doing at this guy’s office?

“What was she doing there?” I asked.

“No idea, but she was there for quite some time,” he said. “Thought you would like to know.”

“Show me this Maximus guy,” I hissed. Domani nodded and, after a moment, held out his phone for me. It was a picture of Maximus. Something inside me crawled with this sudden burst of irritation.

That was one fucking good-looking bastard. Bloody good looking.

“Dig into him,” I ordered, heading for my car. “I need to know everything there is to know.”

“Sì, capo.”

Gianna wasn’t in our bedroom when I got home, but I knew she was here. I changed quickly, throwing on just a pair of sweatpants—no T-shirt. I’m not sure why I skipped it as I went looking for her.

I didn't have to search for long. The faint sound of upbeat music led me to the gym. The door was half ajar, and sure enough, when I peeked inside, there she was.

And...oh fuck.