Chapter 34
The air in Marco’s office felt thick, and heavy with tension as the men gathered around the long table. Marco sat at the head, his sharp gaze sweeping over his advisors while Luca leaned quietly against the far wall, arms crossed. Carmen stood near the window, her back straight and chin lifted as she listened to Marco speak. She had refused to leave the room, despite the clear unease her presence caused.
“The De Lucas are regrouping,” Marco said, his voice cold and even. “We strike first. We take them out before they can make their next move.”
“Another war?” Luca said suddenly, his voice cutting through the quiet. “Is that what you’re saying?”
Pietro, one of Marco’s longest-serving advisors, shifted uncomfortably. “We’ve already lost men, Marco. Pushing now—”
“We don’t wait,” Marco interrupted sharply, his tone brooking no argument. “They’ll see hesitation as weakness.”
“And what if this is exactly what they want?” Carmen said, her voice clear and calm as she turned to face him.
The room fell silent. All eyes turned to her, the tension rising instantly like a drawn blade. Marco’s gaze darkened as it landed on her, but Carmen didn’t back down.
“You don’t know that this attack came from the De Lucas,” Carmen continued, stepping closer to the table. “You’re letting Arianna pull you into a fight you might not need.”
Marco’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t belong in this meeting.”
“I belong anywhere decisions are being made that will get people killed,” Carmen shot back.
A murmur rippled through the room, men exchanging wary glances. Luca pushed off the wall slightly, as if ready to intervene.
Marco leaned back in his chair, his expression hardening. “You don’t get to walk in here and start questioning my decisions, Carmen. You gave up that right when you ran.”
“I ran because I didn’t have a choice,” Carmen snapped, her voice rising. “And you know why. Arianna has been feeding you lies since the day I left, and you’re still letting her manipulate you.”
Marco’s jaw tightened, but his voice remained calm—too calm. “You expect me to take advice from you? From someone who hasn’t been here? Someone who’s been hiding with Vincent Rossi?”
Carmen froze, her breath catching as the accusation hit her. The room went deathly quiet again, the weight of his words sinking in like a knife.
“You think I don’t know what you were doing while you were gone?” Marco continued, his tone laced with venom. “The secrets, the lies—it’s all adding up, Carmen.”
“That’s not fair,” she said quietly, her face paling.
“Isn’t it?” Marco said, rising to his feet. His eyes bore into hers, cold and unyielding. “You talk about loyalty and betrayal, but you’re the one who disappeared. You’re the one who ran straight to my enemy.”
“I ran to survive!” Carmen shot back, her voice breaking with anger and hurt. “And if you’d stop listening to Arianna for five seconds, you’d realize that!”
“Enough,” Marco said sharply, slamming his hand on the table.
The men flinched, the sound like a gunshot in the heavy silence. Luca shifted on his feet, his gaze darting between Carmen and Marco as the air crackled with tension.
Carmen’s fists clenched at her sides, her voice quieter but no less fierce. “You’re going to destroy everything you’ve built because you refuse to see what’s right in front of you. Arianna isn’t your ally, Marco. She’s your enemy.”
Marco’s gaze turned icy. “And what does that make you, Carmen?”
Her heart dropped, the words cutting deeper than she thought possible. The room remained silent, the tension so thick it was suffocating. Without another word, Carmen turned on her heel and walked out, her heels clicking against the marble floor as she disappeared through the door.
The moment she was gone, the room seemed to exhale. Marco didn’t move, his jaw tight as he stared down at the papers on the table.
“She’s not wrong, you know,” Luca said quietly, breaking the silence.
Marco shot him a warning glare, but Luca didn’t back down.
“You need to figure out who you’re fighting, Marco,” Luca said, his voice steady. “Before it’s too late.”
________________
Carmen sat alone in the small sitting room she’d been given, the fire in the hearth crackling faintly. Her hands trembled as she stared into the flames, replaying Marco’s words over and over in her mind.
“What does that make you, Carmen?”
She swallowed hard, pressing a hand to her stomach as she tried to steady herself. She couldn’t keep this up—not with Arianna still twisting everything, not with Marco’s anger hanging over her like a dark cloud.
The door opened behind her, and she turned to see Marco standing there, his face set in hard lines. He didn’t speak for a long moment, his gaze fixed on her as if trying to see through her.
“What are you doing here?” Carmen asked softly, her voice weary.
Marco stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. “I need answers.”
Carmen exhaled, shaking her head. “You don’t want answers, Marco. You want someone to blame.”
“Maybe,” he said, his tone unreadable. “But you’re going to give them to me anyway.”
Carmen stared at him for a long moment, her anger simmering beneath the surface. “Fine,” she said quietly, rising to her feet. “You want the truth? I’ll give it to you.”
Marco didn’t move, his expression unreadable as she stepped closer, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and desperation.
“I left because I was pregnant,” she said, the words cutting through the silence like a blade.
Marco flinched, his eyes widening slightly. “What?”
“You heard me,” Carmen said, her voice breaking. “I was pregnant when I left, Marco. I didn’t tell you because I couldn’t trust you anymore. Arianna was in your ear, turning you against me, and I knew if I stayed, I’d be putting our child in danger.”
Marco stared at her, stunned into silence.
Carmen’s eyes glistened as she continued. “I ran because I had to. Because I couldn’t risk you choosing her lies over me.”
For a long moment, Marco said nothing. His expression was frozen, as though he were trying to process her words. But then, to her horror, his face darkened.
“Is that the truth, Carmen?” he asked coldly. “Or are you just trying to save yourself?”
Carmen’s heart dropped. “What are you talking about?”
Marco took a step closer, his voice low and dangerous. “How do I know the baby is mine?”
The question hit her like a punch to the gut, and she staggered back a step. “How dare you?”
“You ran to Vincent,” Marco said, his tone sharp and accusing. “You stayed with him for weeks. And now you expect me to believe this child is mine?”
Tears stung Carmen’s eyes as she stared at him, her anger and hurt spilling over. “You know me, Marco. You know me. I would never—”
“I don’t know you anymore,” he said harshly, his voice like a whip.
Carmen gasped softly, her chest aching as his words settled over her. “You’re wrong,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “And one day, you’re going to realize it.”
Marco didn’t respond. He turned and walked out of the room without another word, leaving her standing there, alone and broken.
The door clicked shut behind him, the sound echoing in the silence. Carmen sank into the nearest chair, tears spilling down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Arianna’s poison had worked. Marco didn’t see her anymore.
And she didn’t know how to bring him back.
