The Double Life of My Pregnant Ex-Wife (Carmen and Marco) novel Chapter 37

The rain battered against the windows of the Venetti estate, casting a dull rhythm that seemed to echo Marco’s unraveling mind. Inside his office, Marco sat behind his massive desk, the room cloaked in shadows despite the faint light of a lamp burning beside him. The glass of whiskey in his hand sat untouched, the amber liquid barely rippling as he stared at the scattered documents before him.

The empire was cracking, and it was his fault.

The past few weeks had left Marco on edge, his decisions increasingly erratic. Men who had once been fiercely loyal now questioned him behind closed doors. Pietro had grown colder, and whispers among his advisors had turned sharper—suspicion rippling through his own ranks like a slow poison. Yet instead of facing it, Marco pushed harder.

“Where’s Pietro?” Marco’s voice cut through the room as Luca entered, the door creaking softly shut behind him.

Luca’s shoulders tensed, his usual calm facade strained. “He left the meeting early. Said he had other things to handle.”

“He walked out?” Marco’s tone dipped, sharp and dangerous.

“He disagreed with your plan,” Luca said bluntly, though his voice carried a note of caution. “We all did.”

Marco slammed his palm against the desk, the papers jumping beneath the force. “Then they’re all fools. The De Lucas are regrouping. We strike now, before they regain strength.”

“You’re chasing shadows, Marco.” Luca’s voice dropped, careful but firm. “You’re so focused on tearing them apart, but you’re not looking at what’s happening here—inside your walls.”

Marco shot up from his chair, eyes blazing. “You think I don’t know that?”

Luca didn’t flinch. “No, I think you’re refusing to see it. Your men are pulling away from you. Pietro, Sergio, the others—they’re questioning your leadership. And why wouldn’t they? Half the family’s operations are falling apart because you’re letting Arianna steer you.”

“Arianna saved us!” Marco shot back, his voice like a whip. “She was the only one who stayed when Carmen left!”

Luca stared at him for a long moment, his jaw tight. “And look where that’s gotten you.”

Marco glared at him, his chest rising and falling as anger rippled through him, but Luca didn’t wait for a response. He turned sharply and walked out, leaving Marco alone in the oppressive silence of the room.

Marco sank back into his chair, running a hand down his face. His mind was a storm—Carmen’s face, Arianna’s whispers, and the weight of decisions he couldn’t undo. The walls of his empire were crumbling, and all he could hear was Arianna’s voice, smooth and convincing, promising she would keep him standing.

But even as he sat there, something gnawed at him—doubt, quiet but unrelenting.

________________

Carmen sat in Sergio Montini’s study, her expression tight with focus as she spread a series of documents across the table. Luca’s contacts had come through—she had intercepted a stream of Arianna’s communications. Every coded message had been decrypted, every detail meticulously laid out before her.

“This is it,” she said, pointing to the largest sheet—a map of Venetti and De Luca territories, with a series of coordinated targets marked in red ink. “Arianna’s been feeding intel to a De Luca faction in exchange for their support. She’s preparing a joint strike against Marco.”

Sergio leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes scanning the pages with quiet intensity. “And you’re certain this is legitimate?”

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t,” Carmen replied firmly.

He looked up at her then, his expression unreadable. “If Marco won’t listen to you, what makes you think he’ll listen to me?”

“He trusts you more than he trusts me right now,” Carmen said, a bitter edge to her tone. “If you show him this—if you tell him the De Lucas are already aligning with Arianna—he’ll have no choice but to act.”

Sergio exhaled slowly, tapping a finger against the table. “And what if he doesn’t?”

Carmen met his gaze, her eyes hard. “Then we take her down ourselves.”