Undressed By The Mafia God novel Chapter 348

Chapter 348: I Admit That

"All of this," he continued, "is my fault. I admit that." His gaze remained fixed on her, steady enough to make lying feel impossible. "What you resorted to, I take responsibility for. Love in the famiglia," he said, "for a Don or for a future Don, is a luxury. Something we do not believe we are entitled to. Something so rare to find that we dismiss it entirely."

His mouth curved faintly then. "So we made an excuse that it belongs to weaker, happier people."

Bianca swallowed. She had never heard him speak like this.

"When I arranged your marriage to Luca," he said, "when you were nothing but five years old, I did not think it through. I thought lightning could not strike the same place twice. I suppose I was wrong." He exhaled once. "Lightning did strike twice. And you became its victim."

"For that," he said, "I apologize."

"Don—" Bianca began.

"Let me finish." He raised a hand. "But," he said, "nothing excuses treason."

There was the real reason he had come. The apology was honesty before judgment.

"I stand here still believing you had nothing to do with the latest events," he said. "So I am asking you, Bianca—tell me the truth, and I can make all of it go away. Because," he added, "I take responsibility."

Her throat tightened. "I did nothing on purpose, Don," she said quickly. "I swear. How would I know Julian was planning all of this?"

"Luca seems to think you are the brains," Massimo said.

"Luca is blinded, by his obsession with his mistress, and he will do anything to get rid of me. Please," she said, taking one small step forward before checking herself. "I don’t know what else to say. My own father will not talk to me," and that was the line that finally cracked her voice.

"Your father," he said, "is a Don through and through."

Bianca looked away, swallowing hard.

"The faintest sniff of treason," Massimo continued, "and he has his hackles up." He paused, then added, "Remember what happened with your brother."

That made her snap her gaze back to him.

"Fratello didn’t do anything treasonous," she said immediately.

Some part of her had been waiting years to say it out loud to someone who might understand the difference.

"No," he said. "But he had no moral compass. He had no humanity," Massimo went on. "He was dangerous for the famiglia."

There was no point arguing with that. Her brother had never needed a reason to be cruel. He only needed opportunity.

Massimo took another measured breath. "Your father has always put the famiglia first," he said. "Always." His tone softened by a fraction. "And until there is proof that you are innocent," he said, "I’m sorry, but all you will get is a cold shoulder."

She leaned her head against the backrest and shut her eyes. Julian. That idiot. That snake.

That catastrophic, selfish, rotten excuse for a man.

Carol stood before them. This, apparently, was her first official grandmother duty. Get Veronica a ring.

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