Chapter 5

The whispers traveled the length of the dining room until they reached Don Vittorio at the head of the table.

The old man's expression darkened.

Rocco immediately caught Gemma by the wrist and pulled her forward.

"Grandfather, you're misunderstanding this. Gemma works as a liaison for my crew. She handles messages and arrangements. Whatever people are saying, there's nothing here that threatens the alliance."

Vittorio stared at him.

"Rocco."

One word was enough to silence him.

"Do you remember the oath you swore before me when you first took your place at this table?"

Rocco's jaw tightened.

Vittorio's gaze shifted toward me.

His hand trembled against the table as he tried to rise, and I stepped forward at once to steady him.

"Don Vittorio, please. Your health comes first. Nothing happening in this room is worth making yourself ill."

His hand closed around mine.

"Adriana."

For a moment, the anger left his face, replaced by something far heavier.

"Your parents died on a road they never should have been on."

My fingers stiffened.

"That night, they went out because my son and his wife needed to be brought home safely. They answered a debt owed to the Falcone Family, and they never came back."

His voice roughened.

"You and Matteo were left without a mother or father because of it."

He looked toward Rocco.

"How am I supposed to face your dead parents if I stand here and watch my own grandson humiliate their daughter under my roof?"

Something tightened in my throat.

Before I could answer, Gemma burst into tears.

"I know what I am."

Everyone turned toward her.

She stood beside Rocco, shoulders trembling.

"I'm nobody. I came from nothing. I don't have a Family name like hers, and I know I'll never be worthy of a man like Rocco."

She looked at him through her tears.

"But I love him."

Her voice cracked.

"Is that a crime?"

No one answered.

Gemma pressed a hand to her chest.

"I told him I never wanted a title. I never asked him to marry me. I never asked to sit beside him as his wife."

Her tears fell faster.

"I only wanted to stay near him. I wanted to keep doing the work I've done for the crew all these years."

Then she looked at me.

"But Miss Valente comes home, and suddenly even that is too much."

Her voice rose.

"She already has everything. The name. The alliance. The place beside him."

Gemma's lips trembled.

"Does she really have to take away the one place I fought to earn too?"

The room went dead silent.

Not a fork moved against a plate.

Even the soldiers stationed along the walls seemed to stop breathing.

Don Vittorio's hand began to shake.

He pointed at Rocco.

"You brought this woman into my house."

His breathing grew heavier.

"You put Adriana's ring on her hand and then let her stand at my table accusing a Valente of stealing from her?"

"Grandfather..."

"Enough!"

The old Don struck his palm against the table.

His breath caught immediately afterward.

Sal Falcone was on his feet at once.

He crossed the room and struck Rocco across the face.

The sound cracked through the silence.

Rocco's head snapped to one side.

"Have you lost your goddamn mind?" Sal demanded.

Rocco slowly turned back.

A red mark was already rising across his cheek.

Sal pointed toward me.

"You will apologize to Adriana. Here. In front of everyone you humiliated her in front of."

His eyes hardened.

"Or you take your mistress and walk out of this house. If that's the woman you're choosing over the alliance, then you can build whatever future you want with her without the Falcone name behind you."

Rocco stared at his father.

Then at his grandfather.

Then at the capos watching him.

Humiliation burned across his face.

And finally, his eyes landed on me.

"Adriana."

There was something almost hateful in the way he said my name.

"Are you satisfied now?"

I went still.

Rocco tugged hard at his collar.

"You've got my grandfather ready to collapse. My father strikes me in front of my own men. Half this room is looking at me like I've betrayed the Family."

His voice rose.

"And somehow you're standing there like none of this has anything to do with you."

I stared at him.

He laughed bitterly.

"Your parents died helping this Family. We all know it."

My expression changed.

But he kept going.

"And you've carried that debt into every room you've entered ever since."

"Rocco," Sal warned.

Rocco ignored him.

"I told you I'd marry you."

His eyes burned into mine.

"I told you that no matter what happened with Gemma, you would still be my wife."

He stepped toward me.

"So why isn't that enough?"

His voice dropped.

"How far are you going to push me before I finally decide I don't want you anymore?"

The words seemed to split something open inside me.

For years, I'd wondered when Rocco had stopped loving me.

Only now did I understand.

Somewhere along the way, my love had stopped being something he treasured.

It had become something he believed he owned.

I smiled.

It hurt more than crying would have.

"It must have been exhausting."

Rocco frowned.

"Being tied to me."

"Adriana..."

"I never once used my parents' deaths to demand anything from you."

My voice remained calm.

"I never asked your grandfather to make you love me. I never asked your father to force you into this marriage."

I looked directly at him.

"You were the one who stood before me and swore that as long as you lived, no one would ever make me feel alone again."

My smile faded.

"But don't worry."

I slipped my hand into my evening bag.

"You won't have to keep that promise anymore."

Rocco's face changed.

I drew out the Falcone heirloom Don Vittorio had given me when our engagement was formally recognized, a sapphire set into an old gold clasp bearing the Family crest.

I walked to Vittorio and placed it gently on the table before him.

The old man's eyes dropped to it.

"Adriana..."

"Don Vittorio."

I straightened.

"I came here tonight because there are two matters that need to be settled before both Families."

Every eye in the room turned toward me.

"The first is my engagement to Rocco."

I looked at him one last time.

"It's over."

Rocco went rigid.

Gemma's face changed.

I continued before either of them could speak.

"The second concerns the assets my parents placed under Falcone management when our Families entered their joint accord."

This time, several of the older capos exchanged looks.

They knew exactly what I meant.

Years ago, my parents had transferred controlling interests in several Valente-owned logistics, port, and holding companies into a joint structure with the Falcones. Those companies had become the legitimate backbone supporting much of the Family's business.

And the Valente estate still held fifty-one percent of the voting rights.

Rocco's expression slowly changed.

I met Don Vittorio's eyes.

"My parents placed those assets under joint control because they believed our Families would one day become one."

I paused.

"That marriage will never happen."

The room was utterly silent.

"So effective tonight, I'm exercising the Valente estate's right to terminate the agreement."

My fingers rested beside the Falcone heirloom.

"The alliance ends here."

Then I looked at Rocco.

"And the Valente Family is taking back its controlling interest."