Chapter 4 - The Romano UltimatumRosa felt the air leave her lungs. “What did he say?”
Alessandro walked toward the large window overlooking the grounds, his hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets. His dark eyes reflected the overcast, gray sky outside.
“He told me that I have twenty-four hours to publicly disavow Lily, remove you from the estate, and proceed with the wedding to Isabella as planned,” Alessandro said, his tone deceptively conversational. “Otherwise, he considers the ten-year truce between the Morettis and the Romanos officially void.”
“Alessandro, please,” Rosa scrambled off the bed, running to stand before him, her hands instinctively grabbing the lapels of his suit jacket. “You have to send us away! Put us on a plane to Europe, to South America, anywhere! You cannot start a syndicate war over a maid and a child!”
Alessandro looked down at her hands gripping his jacket. He didn't pull away. Instead, he raised his hand and covered hers, his grip warm, heavy, and absolute.
“Look at me, Rosa,” he commanded softly.
She looked up, her dark eyes wide with terror.
“For ten years, I have run this family like a business,” Alessandro said, his voice dropping into a deep, gravelly register. “I sacrificed my own desires, my own freedom, and my own happiness to keep peace between families who would shoot each other in the back for an extra block of territory. I agreed to marry a woman I despise just to keep the peace on the docks.”
He leaned down, his face inches from hers, his dark eyes burning with an intense, unyielding fire.
“I let you walk away four years ago because I thought I was protecting you from my world,” he continued, his thumb pressing gently into the back of her hand. “I let myself believe that keeping my distance was an act of mercy. I was a coward, Rosa. But I will be damned before I let a single Romano insult my daughter or make you kneel on marble floors ever again.”
“They will kill you, Alessandro,” she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. “The Romanos have three times as many soldiers in the city as you do.”
“They have soldiers,” Alessandro agreed, a terrifying, cold smile touching the corner of his lips. “But I have something Vincent Romano will never understand.”
“What?”
“I have something to lose.”
Before Rosa could process his words, a loud, violent crash echoed from the main driveway downstairs, followed immediately by the sharp, metallic sound of shouts and heavy vehicle doors slamming shut.
Alessandro didn't flinch. He didn't look surprised. He reached into his shoulder holster, unlatched his custom silver-plated Beretta, and slid a round into the chamber with a crisp, authoritative click.
“Stay in this room with Lily,” he ordered, his tone instantly shifting back to the ruthless Don. “Lock the double doors from the inside. Do not open them for anyone except me or Bruno. Do you understand?”
“Alessandro!” Rosa cried out, grabbing his arm.
He paused at the door, looking back over his shoulder at her. For a split second, the cold mob boss vanished, replaced by the man who had held her under the lamplight four years ago.
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“I missed four years of her life, Rosa,” he said softly. “I’m not missing another day.”
He stepped out into the hallway and slammed the heavy oak door shut behind him. Seconds later, the heavy brass lock clicked into place from the outside.
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