Chapter 4

...CHAPITRE 4...

...Dante’s POV...

Neither Francis nor Cecila said anything about my absence during dinner on Friday night. Vivian didn't mention our little discussion in her father's office, and I returned to New York, annoyed and on edge. I could have set the Lau residence on fire with a flick of a lighter. Alas, the authorities would have shown up at my doorstep. Moreover, fires are bad for business, and I have never stooped to murder. At least, not yet... Yet, some people urge me to cross that line every day, and unfortunately, one of them is my own blood.

- What's the rush ? asks Luca, yawning, slumped in the chair across from mine. I just landed, you could have given me time to sleep.

- According to the tabloids, you haven't slept in a month.

He parties all over the world. Mykonos one day, Ibiza the next... His last stop was in Monaco, where he lost fifty thousand dollars at poker.

- Exactly, he replies, yawning again. That's why I need sleep.

I grind my teeth and take a deep breath. Luca is five years younger than me, but he behaves as if he were twenty-one and not thirty-one. If he weren't my brother, I wouldn't hesitate to cut him off, especially after the mess I'm in because of him.

- Aren't you curious to know why I asked you to come ?

Luca shrugs, oblivious to the storm brewing beneath my apparent calm.

- Did you miss your little brother ?

- Not really, no, I reply, taking an envelope out of my drawer and placing it on the desk in front of him. Open it.

He studies me with a perplexed expression and complies. I don't take my eyes off him as he goes through the photos, first slowly, then more quickly as panic seizes him. A sinister satisfaction fills me when he finally looks up, pale as a sheet. At least he understands what's at stake.

- Do you know who the woman in these pictures is ? I ask.

I see his Adam's apple rise as he struggles to swallow.

- Maria Romano, I say, tapping the first photo. She is the niece of the New York mafia boss, Gabriele Romano. She is twenty-seven years old, she is a widow, and her uncle cherishes her like the apple of his eye. Her name should ring a bell for you, since you were sleeping with her before you left for Europe, as these photos prove.

My brother clenches his fists.

- How did you…

- You're asking the wrong question, Luca. The right question is rather which type of coffin you prefer, because that's what I'm going to have to buy if Romano finds out what you did !

The storm breaks in the middle of my sentence, fueled by several weeks of repressed anger and frustration. Luca huddles in his chair and I push mine back to stand up, trembling with rage at his irresponsibility.

- A mafia princess ? Are you kidding me ? I scold while sweeping my hand over the photos scattered around us.

I accidentally toss a glass paperweight that lands on the floor with a dull thud. Luca grimaces.

- You've done a lot of stupid things in your life, but this is really the last straw. Do you know what Romano will do to you if he finds out ? He will gut you like a pig, in the slowest and most painful way possible. Nothing will be able to save you, not even money. And if there's anything left of your corpse after they're done with you, they'll hang it over the highway as a warning !

The last guy who touched a Romano without the godfather's permission was found in his room, with his dick cut off and a bullet in his head. The poor guy had only kissed Romano's cousin on the cheek. And according to the rumor, the mafia boss didn't even like her. If he finds out that Luca slept with his beloved niece ? My brother will beg him to finish it. Luca turns greenish.

- You don't understand...

- What were you thinking, damn it ? How did you meet her, damn it ? The Romanos are known for sticking to their own. Gabriele always keeps an eye on his loved ones, and they rarely go out anywhere other than places controlled by his family.

- We met in a bar. We didn't talk for long, but we hit it off and exchanged numbers, explains Luca at lightning speed, as if he were afraid of being interrupted. She isn't monitored as much since she became a widow, but I swear I only found out who she was after sleeping with her. She told me her father worked in construction.

The vein on my temple swells and starts to throb.

- He is in the building.

Also in the night world, restaurants, and a dozen other shell companies that allow him to launder money. If it were anyone other than Romano, I would have put an end to Francis's blackmail by bribing them or finding a mutually beneficial agreement. But unlike some businessmen devoid of survival instincts to the point of getting entangled in the depths of the mafia, I never mess with them. Once you step into it, the only way out is in a coffin, and I would rather immolate myself than find myself in a position where I would have to answer to someone else. Francis desires what my last name can bring him. But Romano... he would take all my money and all my blood, even after having slaughtered my brother.

- I know it's complicated, but you don't understand, Luca replies with a tortured expression. I love her.  

-You love her, I repeat as a terrifying calm descends upon me.

- Yes, he admits, and his features relax. She is incredible. She is beautiful, intelligent...

- You love her, but you've spent the last two weeks sleeping with anything that moves.

- That's not true ! exclaims Luca, blushing. It was for appearances, to protect my reputation. I had to be absent for a while because her cousin ran away and her uncle was closely watching the whole family, but we were careful.

I have never been so close to killing a family member.

- Apparently, you weren't paying enough attention, I growl in such a menacing tone that he flinches again.

I take a deep breath and wait for my rage to pass before sitting down slowly, to keep myself from leaning over and strangling my own brother.

- Do you want to know how I got these photos, Luca ?

He opens his mouth and closes it immediately, shaking his head.

- Francis Lau showed up here fifteen days ago to throw them on my desk. He was in town when he saw you with Maria. He recognized both of you and had you followed. As soon as he got what he wanted, he came to see me to strike a deal, I explain with a Machiavellian smile. Do you want to guess the terms of this deal ?

Luca shakes his head once more.

- If I marry his daughter, he will keep the evidence to himself. Otherwise, he will send them to Romano, and you will die.

I have excellent security agents. They are perfectly trained, professional, and sufficiently flexible from an ethical standpoint to handle intruders in a way that will deter anyone from threatening me. However, there is a difference between the punishments my team inflicts and a war with the mafia !

Luca's eyes widen.

- Damn, he said, rubbing his face. Dante, I...

- Not another word. Here's what you're going to do, I start by shooting him a glare. You are going to immediately cut off all contact with Maria. I couldn't care less if she is your soulmate and you never find love again. From now on, she no longer exists for you. You will no longer see her, you will no longer speak to her, and you will no longer communicate with her in any way. If you do, I will cut you off financially and blacklist anyone who helps you financially.

Our grandfather was aware of Luca's spending habits and bequeathed me full control of the business as well as the family's finances. When I exclude someone, it means being blacklisted by everyone in our social circle, and even the fools who serve as Luca's friends wouldn't be stupid enough to take the risk.

- I am also cutting your monthly allowance in half until you prove to me that you are capable of making better choices.

- What ? exclaims Luca. You can't...

- Interrupt me one more time, and I'll suspend it entirely, I declare coldly.

Luca falls silent, but his face betrays his desire to rebel.

- You will earn the other half of your pension by working in one of our stores, where you will be treated like any other employee. No favoritism, not a drop of alcohol, no escapades while you're working, and no two-hour lunch breaks. If you let yourself go, I'll stop everything and you'll have to manage on your own. Understood ?

After a long silence, his lips purse and he finally nods.

- Fine. Now, get out of my office.

If I have to look at him for another minute, I might do something I will regret. He must sense the danger because he jumps up and rushes towards the door without a word.

- Hey... Luca ? I call out to him before he leaves. If I find out that you have broken my rules and contacted Maria again, I will kill you with my own hands.

I drive my fist into his stomach with a brutal and precise motion. My first blow of the evening. The adrenaline pulses through my veins as Kai grunts from the impact. Another would have stumbled and gasped for breath, but true to himself, Kai takes only a second before recovering.

- You look shaken, he says, countering with a left hook that I barely dodge. You look troubled, he said, countering with a left hook that I barely dodged. Tough day at the office ?

His tone is slightly cheerful despite the blow he just took.

- You could say that, yeah.

The sweat is running down my forehead and back as I release my frustration in the ring. I came straight to Club Valhalla after work. Most members prefer its spa, restaurants, or private bar, which means the boxing gym is hardly ever used by anyone other than Kai and me.

- I heard that the Santeri deal is going well, so it can't be that, Kai thought.

He is barely out of breath despite the aggressiveness of our first round.

- Maybe it's not the job. Maybe... it's related to your engagement with a certain heiress of high-end jewelry, he continues with a falsely inquisitive air.

He lets out a little grunt when I poke him in the ribs, but that doesn't stop him from laughing when he sees me frown.

- You know very well that trying to keep it a secret is useless, he said. The whole office is only talking about that.

- Your employees should spend more time working than gossiping. Maybe your circulation would be less low.

The announcement of my engagement is not scheduled in the "style" section of Lifestyle magazine until mid-September, but the "luxury fashion" and "lifestyle" pages are the jewels of the Young media empire. I would have been surprised if Kai hadn't known about the scoop before everyone else.

- I wouldn't have thought I'd see the day when you would get married, he continues, ignoring my remark. And to Vivian Lau, no less. How did you keep it a secret for so long ?

- We're not married yet, I reply while dodging a right hook. And I didn't keep it a secret, our engagement is an arrangement. I didn't invite her to the restaurant to seduce her.

The term engagement still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The idea of committing to someone for the rest of my days is about as appealing as crossing the ocean with blocks of concrete tied to my feet. I prefer work to people, most of whom do not enjoy going through contracts and meetings. Business is profitable, rational, and generally predictable. Human relationships are the exact opposite.

- I understand better, comments Kai. I should have guessed that mergers and acquisitions would be your priority, even in your personal life.

- Very funny.

His laughter evaporates when I land an uppercut to his jaw, but he gets his revenge by hitting me so hard that I lose my breath. Our conversation stops, replaced by grunts and curses as we continue to fight without holding back. Kai is one of the sweetest people I know, but he also has a fiercely competitive spirit. We started boxing together last year, and he quickly became my favorite partner to blow off steam with, because he never holds back. Who needs therapy when you can punch your friend every week ?

Hit, dodge, hit, dodge. Again and again, until we ended up even by nightfall, with many more bruises than when we arrived. But I got rid of most of my anger, and when I joined Kai in the locker room after my shower, I had enough clarity of mind to no longer freak out about my brother. I was really on the verge of cutting him off this afternoon after our discussion, but I didn't want to deal with the inevitable meltdown he was going to have.

- Do you feel better ? asks Kai, already dressed in his traditional white shirt, jacket, and round black metal glasses.

Any trace of the formidable opponent he is in the ring has vanished, replaced by the refinement he embodies in his daily life.

- Lightly, I reply while getting dressed and massaging my stiff jaw. You didn't miss me.

- That's why you called me, right ? You would have hated it if I had taken it easy.

- As much as you hate losing, I chuckle.

We leave the gym to take the elevator to the first floor. The Valhalla Club is an exclusive club, reserved for an elite, with branches in every corner of the globe. Its headquarters, based in New York, is the largest and the richest : it spans four floors and occupies an entire block in Manhattan.

- I met Vivian several times, declares Kai in a nonchalant tone as the doors open with a ding. She is very beautiful, intelligent, and charming. You could have ended up with someone much worse.

- Maybe you should marry her, I growl, irritated.

I don't care that Vivian is a top model who saves puppies in her free time. It's just someone I have to tolerate until I've destroyed all the photos. Alas, according to Christian's latest news, Francis has indeed saved digital and physical copies of the photos. If destroying those kept on a computer is child's play for Christian, it's not as simple for the paper prints, because we still don't know how many copies Francis holds. And I can't do anything until we're a hundred percent sure we've found all the evidence.

- If I could, I would, retorts Kai, whose gaze briefly darkens before becoming impassive again.

As the heir to the Young fortune, Kai's future is as predetermined as mine.

- All I'm saying is don't be a jerk, adds Kai, nodding to another club member, waiting for him to be far enough away to continue. It's not her fault she's stuck with a jerk like you.

If only he knew.

- You should worry a bit more about your private life and less about mine, I reply, raising my eyebrows after noticing his cufflinks.

Gold lions with amethyst eyes, the symbol of the Young family.

- Leonora Young is not going to wait for a grandchild indefinitely.

- Fortunately for her, she already has two thanks to my sister. And don't try to change the subject, he says as we cross the black marble entrance hall. I'm serious about Vivian. Be nice.

I clench my jaw, annoyed. Whether I like it or not, Vivian is my fiancée, and I'm starting to get fed up with hearing her name come out of Kai's mouth.

- Don't worry. I will treat her exactly as she deserves.

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