Chapter 4 - The Shadow of the Syndicate
The private dining room of the Vieri estate was grand, overlooking the dark, churning waves of Lake Michigan under a stormy night sky. A spread of exquisite food sat untouched on the mahogany table, but neither Matteo nor I had touched our plates.
Theo had fallen asleep an hour ago in a magnificent, custom-built bedroom down the hall, tucked into silk sheets under the watchful eye of a trusted family nanny.
Now, it was just the two of us.
Matteo poured two glasses of amber scotch, sliding one across the table toward me. I didn't drink, but I kept my hands wrapped around the cool crystal glass, staring into the liquid.
"You think you're safe here," I said quietly, breaking the silence. "You think throwing a ring of armed men around this estate keeps the world out. But you and I both know how your father’s enemies operate, Matteo. The moment word gets out that you have a son—that we are back—every rival syndicate from New York to Palermo will crawl out of the woodwork."
Matteo took a slow sip of his scotch, his eyes never leaving my face. "Let them try."
"That's arrogant," I snapped, setting the glass down. "It's not just about you anymore. It's about Theo. If someone tries to use him to get to your shipping lanes or your territory..."
"No one is going to touch him," Matteo interrupted, his voice dropping into a cold, lethal register that left zero room for argument. "Do you think I’ve spent the last six years sitting idle, Mara? The men who threatened us back then? They’re gone. Cleaned out. The families that posed a risk have either sworn fealty or been buried three feet deep under federal indictments and private liquidations. This house is a fortress."
"And what about your board members?" I pressed. "Your associates? How are they going to react when they find out the ruthless, unmarried mafia kingpin they’ve been serving has a sudden heir from a waitress he met in a diner six years ago?"
Matteo let out a dark, humorless chuckle. He stood up from his chair, walked slowly around the table, and stopped right behind my chair. He placed his hands on the armrests, leaning down so his lips were near my ear.
"Let them talk," Matteo murmured, his breath warm against my skin. "Let them wonder, let them plot, let them whisper in the dark. The moment I introduce Theo to the inner council next week as my flesh and blood, they will bow, or they will bleed. There is no middle ground."
I shivered, feeling both the terrifying weight of his power and the magnetic pull of his presence. I turned my head slightly, looking up at him. "You haven't changed at all. Still think you can control every piece on the board."
"I can't control you," Matteo whispered, his voice softening, his hand gently cupping the back of my neck. "If I could control you, you wouldn't have vanished into the rain six years ago, leaving behind a burned car and a phantom."
"I had to," I whispered, closing my eyes as his thumb brushed against my skin. "Vance..."
At the name, Matteo instantly stiffened. The air in the room turned glacial.
"Dr. Alistair Vance," Matteo growled, his fingers tightening slightly on my neck. "The obstetrician who handled your prenatal care. The man who leaked your medical records to my rivals."
"He didn't just leak them," I said, opening my eyes, a cold terror washing back over me. "Vance was working for the Moretti family. He told me that if I didn't fake my death and disappear, they would harvest our baby to use as leverage against your shipping empire. That’s why I ran, Matteo. That’s why I took the car, set it ablaze in the ravine, and caught a Greyhound bus to Ohio with twenty dollars in my pocket."
Matteo’s face went completely bloodless. A terrifying, murderous rage flared in his dark eyes—a rage so absolute it made the room feel as though it were catching fire.
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"Vance," Matteo said, his voice a low, vibrating hiss. "Is still practicing medicine in a private clinic downtown under a federal medical board loophole."
"Not for long," I said fiercely, turning in my chair to face him. "Because now we have the leverage. And we're going to tear him down."
