Chapter 6 Giuliana’s POV

The house was not the same as I had left it.

Seven years ago, I had walked out of the Leonetti estate as a disgraced daughter and exiled by whispers and betrayals. Now, I walked these marble floors as something far more dangerous—an outsider with the power to break them all.

Francesca had spent years ruling this house in my absence. She had been wearing the mask of the perfect Donna, pulling the strings behind my father’s decisions and whispering into my grandfather’s ear. But masks were just that—thin and fragile things. And I thought them useless. 

I had never been one to play pretend. For that, Francesca despised me. 

She made her first move at breakfast.

I was seated at the long dining table and reading through financial reports on my tablet while Giorgio sat beside me and stirred his espresso with the mannerism of a seasoned diplomat. Francesca looked at us and smiled. I could easily see that it was calculated because it didn’t reach her eyes.

"You must be exhausted from your trip," she said smoothly as she took a sip of her black coffee. "I took the liberty of arranging for you and Giorgio to stay in the guest wing not too long ago. I thought—"

"No."

The word was a quiet command and the weight of it made the air shift immediately.

Her fingers tensed against the porcelain coffee cup. "No?"

I didn’t look up. "My old suite will be fine. I had settled in it already." 

Francesca recovered quickly from her shock and her smile tightened. "That wing was supposed to be already occupied."

"Then they who are supposed to occupy it can find another room."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

“What?" Francesa managed to ask. 

I glanced up and met her gaze with the same dispassionate stare that had made men twice her power fold in boardrooms. "You seem to be under the impression that I need your permission to exist in my own home." I set my tablet down as I continued to stare her down "A mistake, I assume."

Her lips parted but before she could speak, Giorgio sighed and placed his espresso cup down with deliberate care. "Mother," he murmured with a tone that was filled with mild amusement. "It seems nonna Francesca forgets that power is not given but taken."

Francesca stiffened like a rod while gasps filled the air and eyes turned to the little boy by my side. 

The insult was subtle but the meaning was clear.

Francesca’s authority here had been built on convenience and in my absence. 

But I was back. And I wasn’t leaving until I destroyed what she had built and take the power back. 

Getting bored already, I stood up and smoothened out my silk blouse. "My things will be moved back to my suite before lunch. If they aren’t, I’ll assume there’s a staffing issue and resolve it accordingly."

It was more than a statement. It was a challenge and a warning.

I didn’t wait for a response or to see how Francesa would take it though. 

I had more important matters to attend to.

***

That evening, I went to the Lucchese household to have dinner with them as they had invited me. 

The evening air carried the crisp bite of autumn as I entered the grand dining hall. As Giorgio walked beside me, our steps were in perfect sync. 

The dining room was a spectacle of wealth—golden chandeliers and crystal glasses caught the candlelight and they and other items of luxury was only a display of power that had been carefully curated for those foolish enough to be impressed by such things.

At the center of it all, Teodoro Lucchese.

He sat with the arrogance of a man who believed himself untouchable. His suit was tailored to perfection and his dark eyes assessed me the way one might evaluate a prized possession as I came closer. 

As hr continued to study me, the boredom in his expression faded and was replaced by something far more predatory.

I wasn't surprised to see the look—I had always have that effect on men.

Teo Lucchese smirked and licked his lower lips as I took my seat at the table. "You’ve grown into quite the woman, Giuliana,” he said huskily. 

I lifted the wine glass that was in front of me on the table and swirled the deep red liquid that has been poured by a maid. "And you’ve grown into quite the cliché, Teodoro."

A few quiet chuckles from the others echoed around the table.

Teo’s smirk faltered in response. It was clear that he had not expected that. 

Good, I thought. I enjoyed when I took people by surprise. It was one of the reasons people feared me. 

Teo rested his forearms on the table as he leaned forward and said in a brisk tone that showed that it was time for business. "Let’s not waste time. You know why we’re here."

I arched a brow at that. "Do I?"

"Our marriage," he said smoothly as if the decision had already been made. "You’ll be my wife." He gave a brief glance at my son. “Giorgio will call me Papà."

Beside me, Giorgio exhaled through his nose and snorted. 

As for me, I smiled slowly. "That’s a rather bold assumption, I must say, Teo."

Teo’s smirk returned just then. "You think you have a choice?"

I leaned forward and mirrored his posture while my lips curved even into a fuller smile. "I know I do."

For the first time, uncertainty flickered in his gaze as he locked his eyes on me. 

And then, just as I was about to torture him further, something happened.

There was a sudden shift in atmosphere and a tension that coiled around the air like a living thing.

I didn’t have to look to know who had arrived.

There was only one person who usually had that effect in a room. 

It was the Fourth Capo.

Domenico Salvatore walked in without announcement and without fanfare. And yet, the power in the room simmered at his entrance.

I turned to watch as he, unlike Teo, moved with the kind of confidence that didn’t need to be loud to be known. He was dressed in an Armani suit that was tailored to his broad frame, his dark hair slightly tousled and his sharp eyes were missing nothing as he walked. 

Besides the time I had seen him briefly when I came down from the jet yesterday, I hadn’t seen him in years.

And I had never really forgotten him.

He stopped beside our tabl and his gaze flicked between Teo and me before it landed on Giorgio.

My son met his stare in an unflinching manner as silence rolled in the large room for a long moment.

Finally, Domenico broke it by humming, “smart boy," while amusement flashed in his dark eyes.

Giorgio inclined his head and when he smiled at Domenico, it came easy and looked boyish. “I choose my company wisely."

Domenico chuckled again and something cold slithered down my spine.

I didn’t like how he was looking at my son with familiarity…as if he saw something in Giorgio that no one else had.

I straightened my back and managed to say in a light voice. "Domenico. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

His gaze shifted to me then in a slow and measured way that sent shivers up my skin in a shocking manner. 

"Curiosity," he said as he stepped closer. "I keep wondering why you are back to stay."

I didn't say anything in response as the air between us crackled with the kind of tension that had nothing to do with the past and everything to do with the dangerous game of power.

Teo, as if he sensed what was going on between the two of us, shifted uncomfortably and glared at Domenico as he said, "This is a private dinner, Domenico."

Domenico smile was cold, amused and predatory when he turned to Teo as he said softly, "Then I suppose you should’ve locked the door."

I suppressed a smirk at that. I couldn't help it. 

Teo clenched his jaw. "You think you can interrupt my dinner and—"

Domenico cut him off with a voice that was filled with amusement. "I don’t think, Lucchese. I know."

Teo’s face darkened.

Trying to supress my own amusement, I took a slow sip of wine and watched the way Domenico settled into a seat across from me and looked completely at ease in a room filled with men who both feared and respected him.

After sitting, he turned to me and locked eyes unrelentingly on me. 

I knew what this was all about. It was a game. A clash of power.

And I wasn’t sure if Domenico Salvatore was an ally or another dangerous enemy.

But one thing was certain:

He wasn’t leaving my world anytime soon.