Forced To Be The Mafia King's Bride (by Oma Green) novel Chapter 182

Dante's POV

Gianna’s face filled my mind, her beauty, her smile, the passionate kiss we shared when, for a moment, I feared it would be our last. My wife had a pure heart, and even though she had promised to hand her father over to me, I wasn’t completely certain she would when the moment came. There was always the chance Lorenzo could manipulate her, twist her feelings, or make her forgive him, and I couldn’t risk leaving her caught in the middle.

Leaving her out of it was for the best. I didn’t want anything increasing the friction between us.

"No," I said finally. "She doesn't need to know. Not yet."

"She's aware you plan to kill him, right?" Caesar tilted his head.

I nodded. "She knows. That was the deal. She helps me find Lorenzo, I marry her and give her protection."

"And now?" He spread his hands. "You're just going to handle it without her?"

I leaned forward again, resting my elbows on my knees. "This way is safer. I don't need her involved. Lorenzo is dangerous. He could hurt her."

Caesar raised an eyebrow, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Hurt his own daughter?"

"You have no idea what kind of man he is." I clenched my fists. "He's the devil himself. He cares about no one but himself. When we ambushed him, he ran. Left Gianna behind without a second thought. She was his daughter, and he abandoned her to save his own skin. That's the kind of bastard we're dealing with."

Caesar leaned back farther, studying me with narrowed eyes. Several seconds passed in silence.

"What?" I asked, shifting under his gaze.

He smiled slowly. "When I heard you were marrying Lorenzo's daughter, I thought you'd lost your mind. Why her? After everything Lorenzo took from us? But then I thought about the man you are. I knew you had a plan, and it had to be revenge."

He paused, tilting his head. "But this? Keeping her safe? That's not part of a revenge plan, nephew."

My chest tightened. I looked away, unable to meet his eyes. I couldn't hurt Gianna. The thought of it made me sick.

"Revenge was the plan," I said quietly, staring at my hands. "Until I found out she was a victim as well. Then everything changed."

"So what now? You're in love with her?" Caesar laughed, slapping the desk. "You're in love with the daughter of the man who killed your first wife? Now that's a twist I didn't see coming."

"Uncle, it's not funny." I looked up at him, my jaw tight. "My life is complicated enough."

"Okay, okay. I get it." His expression turned serious. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. "I'm asking you directly. Do you love her that much?"

I thought about Gianna. About how she made me feel. About how I'd die before I let anything happen to her.

"I care about her deeply," I said, meeting his eyes. "I would protect her with my life."

Caesar's eyes widened. He sat back, rubbing his jaw. "You're willing to give up your life for her? You realize you have Ariel to think about, right? And you just gave me that answer without even blinking."

Guilt crashed over me. I dropped my head into my hands again. "Fuck. I know, I do."

"Your life is important, Dante." Caesar's voice was firm. He stood and walked around the desk, perching on the edge in front of me. "Ariel already lost her mother. You want her to lose her father too? I'm not telling you not to care about Gianna. But I'm telling you to think about your daughter. This world is too dangerous to leave her an orphan. I'd gladly take her in, but it would break her heart to lose both parents. Think about what Lorenzo took from you and Ariel. What he stole from your family. Your desire to make him pay, I understand it. But don't let it cost Ariel everything."

The words cut deep. My feelings for Gianna were real, but so was my responsibility to Ariel.

He moved to the bar cart near the window and poured two glasses of scotch. He handed me one, then settled back into his chair, swirling the liquid in his glass.

"Now," he leaned back and propped his feet on the desk, "I want to hear everything. How was the wedding? How did this love story between you and Gianna even happen?"

I took a sip of the scotch, letting it burn down my throat. "It's a long story."

"I've got time." He gestured with his glass. "And I want to know how that bastard Augusto reacted. He thought he'd take the kingship when Lorenzo disappeared, didn't he? How did he handle you marrying Lorenzo's daughter instead?"

I leaned back in my chair, stretching my legs out. "He wasn't happy. But marrying Gianna was smart. It united the clans. All the men who were loyal to Lorenzo are now loyal to me because of her."

Caesar nodded approvingly, tapping his glass against the armrest. "Very clever."

I wasn’t so sure it was clever. My thoughts were too tangled, my feelings too raw to judge.

Cesare raised his drink. "You are your father’s son. A true Deluca. Cheers."

We clinked glasses and drank. We talked a while longer, the scotch warming my chest, but my mind kept circling back to Lorenzo, to the meeting in two days.

Cesare must have sensed my mind drifting, so he tapped my shoulder. "Whatever it takes, we'll get him. I promise you that."

My eyes locked with his. "Whatever it takes. I'm putting a bullet in Lorenzo Giovanni's head."

This time, Lorenzo wouldn't escape.