CHAPTER 40
Luca’s POV
“Where the hell are you, Casey?” I snarled on the phone, letting the venom drip from every syllable as I gripped the phone so tightly I thought it might shatter. The other end of the line was silent for a
moment too long, and my patience. snapped. “Answer me!”
When her voice finally came through, smooth and infuriatingly calm, it only added fuel to the fire burning inside me. She was acting like she did nothing wrong.
“Well, well, Luca Moretti. You sound upset,” Casey remarked with her tone. laced with mockery.
“Upset?” I spat, pacing the length of my office. The room felt suffocating, not from the air heavy with the scent of whiskey and smoke from the cigar burning in the ashtray but it was due to this bitch‘ s
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attitude and nonchalance to what she had
done to my Amara.
“Upset doesn’t even begin to cover it. You crossed a line, Casey. Attacking Amara? What the hell were you thinking?”
Her laughter grated against my nerves, sharp and condescending. “I was thinking about us, Luca. About what is best for you. That woman is a threat, and you know it. She always was.”
“You are delusional,” I snapped, slamming my free hand against the desk. “You think this is about protecting me? You are obsessed. You have always been
obsessed.”
Her voice hardened as she replied, the playful edge was replaced by something colder. “Don’t pretend you don‘ t understand, Luca. I did what I had to do because you are too blind to see what is in front of you. Amara was your weakness, and now she is Matteo‘ s problem. She doesn’t belong in your world anymore.
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My blood boiled at her audacity. “You don’t get to decide that! You don’t get to touch her, to decide who lives or dies. You are out of control, Casey.”
“You should be thanking me, she countered, and her arrogance infuriated me more. “I am cleaning up your mess, Luca. You will see soon enough.
I clenched my jaw so tightly it ached.
“Listen to me, Casey,” I said. “If you do not show up and face me, I will find you myself. And when I do, you will wish I never had.”
For a moment, there was a pause, and then she chuckled, sending a chill down my spine. She had gone mad. “You always were dramatic, Luca. But don’t worry, I
will finish what I started. Amara won‘ t be
a problem much longer.”
The line went dead before I could respond, and I hurled the phone across the room with a roar of frustration. It hit the wall
with a satisfying crack, but the momentary
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release did nothing to quell the storm raging inside me. I had to find her before she did something again.
But the chaos she had sown was not the
only storm I had to contend with. As much as I hated to admit it, her actions were just another thread unraveling the empire I had worked tirelessly to build. The Obsidian Syndicate was not just my legacy, it was my life. And now, piece by piece, it was slipping through my fingers.
It was crumbling.
“Don Moretti,” a voice broke through my spiraling thoughts. I looked up sharply to find Marco, one of my most trusted lieutenants, standing in the doorway. Hist face was set in a grim expression that immediately made my pulse quicken. What
now?
“What is it?” I barked, already knowing it would not be good news.
“We ve got a problem,” Marco said,
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stepping inside. “One of our key business partners pulled out of the deal this
morning. Said they could not be associated with… recent events.”
I slammed my fist against the desk. “What
‘recent events?”
Marco hesitated, and I could see the
discomfort in his eyes.
“Word‘ s gotten
out, boss. About the attack on Amara, your
ex–wife, and the Donna of the Vitalus Circle. They said it was too risky… They also learned about your previous relationship with Casey Tartt which… made them question some things.”
“Damn it,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “And what about the others? Are they still holding up their end of the deals?”
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