Page 11 of Merciless King
“You know how important this alliance is. We cannot afford any… distractions."
"I understand. I assure you, my focus is where it needs to be."
Vincenzo studies me for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. "See that it remains that way, Elio."
I tense, wanting to remind him that he’s in my house and precariously close to disrespecting me with his tone.
Matteo shakes his head at me. I bite my lip. For now.
“Have a good evening, Ava.” I give her a kiss on the cheek. “Vincenzo.” I shake his hand.
When they leave, I go to my office and pour a stiff drink. The future of the family. My future with Ava. It's all resting on my ability to put the past behind me and focus on the task at hand. But how can I when the woman who's haunted my dreams for the last eight years has suddenly reappeared in my life?
I let out a frustrated sigh, my mind racing with a thousand different thoughts and emotions. I need to get a handle on this, to regain control of the situation before it spirals out of my grasp.
Matteo materializes in the doorway, his brow furrowed with concern. "He’s right, you know. You seem off.”
Lana enters behind him.
I down my drink. “Long day, that’s all.”
“Doing what?” Matteo asks. He knows my schedule and therefore knows there wasn’t anything challenging on it.
“Just life.” I can’t tell them about Piper. They won’t understand.
“We can’t afford to mess this up,” Lana says.
I shrug. “We don’t need them.”
She glances at Matteo, her expression asking him to talk sense into me.
Matteo studies me. “Maybe not, but you’d be a fool to think you have the inside track to Caruso. You’re still young, mostly unproven. This alliance gives you more power. Besides, if you don’t marry her, he’ll send her off to Bianchi and she certainly deserves better than that old mother fucker.”
I arch a brow. “You care about what happens to Ava Rinella?”
He clears his throat. “Sure. She’s a nice kid.”
“You’re missing the point,” Lana interrupts. “We lost our parents, and Lazaro.” She refers to our brother, her twin. “This family is dwindling down to nothing, and I bet it’s not by accident.”
“We don’t know that Lazaro is dead,” I say, although I’m sure he is. There’s no way my impulsive man-child of a brother who is quick to draw but slow to listen wouldn’t be causing a stir if he were still alive. But since we’ve never found his body, Lana insists that he’s still alive somewhere. “And Mom and Dad were in a car accident.”
She glares at me. “No one suffers that sort of loss?—”
“Families like yours do,” Matteo interrupts.
“That’s my point,” she snaps. “Our numbers are dwindling, big brother. We need an alliance to make sure no one comes looking to get rid of you.”
It’s a possibility, but I’m not worried. Despite what Matteo says, I am proven and Caruso’s support protects me.
I need to reassure them both that I’m on board and moving forward with this marriage. I can’t bring my mouth to say the words. “I promise you, I’ll take care of this family. I won't let you down."
The weight of that promise settles heavily on my shoulders. In two weeks' time, I'll be standing at the altar, exchanging vows with Ava Rinella. It's what my parents wanted, what they had been planning since I was eighteen. At the time, I was pushing the loss of Piper away by jumping one hundred percent into the business. I had been eager to take on the mantle of leadership, to prove myself worthy of the D'Amato name.
Ava is a lovely girl, and I know she will make a dutiful wife. And yet… fuck. Why did Piper have to enter my life again? She’s the one I should be married to. Had she not disappeared, we'd be living in wedded bliss. Hell, we might have kids now. And I wouldn’t be standing here on the precipice of a marriage I don’t want.
“I hope so, Elio. You’re the foundation of this family.”
I nod, offering her a reassuring smile. "And I'll continue to be that. For you, for Lazaro, and for our parents. I know this alliance with the Rinellas is crucial. I won’t let anything mess that up."