5. Matteo

5

MATTEO

" A hh shit," Enzo mutters under his breath as he readjusts his position, now sitting up tall in his seat, waiting for my signal to get rid of the old man.

"Let me explain before you go on the offense," Mancini says, holding up his hands, his bushy brows raised to his hairline.

"Please do." I lean back in my chair and continue to hold Mancini's gaze. If this bastard thinks he can pull one over on me, he has another thing coming. I'll fucking kill him now and figure out another plan to take down the Silvestris later.

"Matteo, you and I are not enemies. I'm here to help you, but I need your help in return."

I notice Enzo's knee bouncing out of the corner of my eye, but I stay focused on Mancini, trying to figure out what the hell he's talking about.

"There's a girl. A girl I need you to protect."

"Does she happen to go by the name Luxtyn Stockwell?" I mock .

The relaxed and confident Mancini that walked into my office not so long ago has disappeared and has been replaced with a much more serious, might I even say, concerned Mancini. His body tightens, the tension prominent in his demeanor. Whoever this girl is, she must be important, but what the hell does he expect me to do? I can't marry some insignificant no-name. And why the hell would I even care to help this girl?

"Luxtyn Stockwell is the daughter of an old friend of mine." He clears his throat and runs a hand over his goatee. "And possibly mine, as well."

"Oh fuck," Enzo mumbles. Right fucking there with you, brother.

With a sigh, Mancini continues. "I do not have confirmation that she is my blood. It's just a suspicion. One I believe to be accurate."

"So what the hell is the purpose of this?" Enzo spits out. His outburst is unprofessional, but I would also like to know the answer to his question.

Mancini slowly tilts his head toward Enzo and looks between the two of us before settling his eyes on me. Raising a brow, I encourage him to answer the question.

He lets out a long breath before speaking again. "The reason I wasn't able to meet the other night is because I met up with a woman I fell in love with over twenty years ago." He pauses, the frown on his face lengthening. "And I was informed yesterday that she disappeared."

"Excuse me?" Not exactly what I was expecting to hear. What the hell has he gotten himself into?

Releasing a long, drawn-out breath, Mancini stretches his neck from side to side, the joints cracking. I rest my elbows on my desk and clasp my hands together as I wait, eager to hear what he has to say .

"Before my marriage to Elena was arranged by our fathers, I fell in love with a woman. She wasn't from our world. She was innocent. Pure. Undeserving of the dark lives we lead, but that didn't keep me from falling in love with her."

Mancini stares at my desk, and a slight smile forms on his face while he speaks about her, giving him a sort of boyish charm.

"I ended things with her upon the announcement of Elena's and my engagement," he says, the smile falling off his face. "I knew if our fathers found out about her, they would have her killed."

Releasing a shaky breath, he continues. "She tried reaching out to me a few times, but I cut off ties with her completely. I didn't want to risk anything happening to her because of my own selfishness of wanting to see her again. I did, however, send one of my men." He nods to Fausto.

"One of my most trustworthy men. One I knew wasn't under my father's thumb or the influence of the Silvestris. I bought her a condo where she lived for a couple of years so I knew exactly where to send him."

He speaks of the Silvestris as if he doesn't like them, but that doesn't make sense. They've been in business together for over two decades. Why would he do that if he didn't want the alliance?

Mancini shifts as he glances down, switching which leg is crossed over the other. Once he brings his gaze back up to mine, the slight glisten in his eyes doesn't go unnoticed. He must've truly cared about this woman. Enough to get choked up, which is not what I was expecting.

"I told him to tell her whatever he needed to, to get her to move. I didn't care what it was, I just needed her to get out of New York City. . . and she did. I had Fausto keep tabs on her condo in case she ever decided to come back. Twenty-three years later, she's made her appearance again." He pauses, and his Adam's apple bobs when he swallows hard. "And I made the mistake of meeting up with her."

So, he blames himself for her disappearance.

"There are things you don't know, Matteo. Things I don't have time to explain. Things I can't explain. But I need you to do something I know you'd never expect to have to do. Something men in our world don't do easily."

"Spit it out, Mancini." I'm growing impatient, especially when whatever he has to say affects me.

"I need you to trust me."

Enzo bursts out laughing as my glare hardens on Mancini. "Well, he wasn't wrong when he prefaced that statement," he mutters before silencing himself again.

"Upon learning about Char's disappearance, I did some research. I know she has a daughter. A twenty-two-year-old daughter named Luxtyn Stockwell."

I shrug. "Could be a coincidence."

"I doubt that. The timing lines up perfectly. Char wasn't with anyone else while she was with me."

Smirking, I say, "Maybe you weren't cutting it for her, Mancini."

"The girl is mine, DiMaggio, and I need you to protect her." His hands form fists on the arm rests.

"Oh, hell, here we go," Enzo grumbles.

"The contract says?—"

"Oh, fuck the contract," Enzo belts out before turning his attention to me and lowering his voice. "This is a damn joke, Teo. We can figure something else out. We don't need Mancini."

There is no other choice. I have to marry a Mancini. Everything we've actively worked toward since I took over after our parents' murders is finally coming to fruition. This will not deter me.

Mancini's forehead creases as he fidgets with his fingers.

I peer into his sunken-in dark eyes, as if he's had no sleep in days. He really believes what he's saying is true, but why does she need protection, and why does he need it from me?

"I'm going to need physical evidence that this girl you speak of is yours."

"Teo," Enzo warns, as if that'll deter me from doing what I need to do for our family.

"Done," Mancini responds.

"And I need you to tell me why this supposed daughter of yours needs protecting, and who from."

Mancini takes a few moments to respond. "The Silvestris will come after her once they find out Luxtyn's name is on that contract, and when they do, they'll kill her, just like they planned on doing to you once you wed Giuliana if you didn't give them access to your port."

Ahh, so they were going to kill me. They're fucking naive if they didn't think we hadn't thought of that already. We would've been prepared. We will be prepared.

"So you expect me to believe after all these years of being in bed with the Silvestris, that you're just willing to throw them under the bus? All over a girl you don't even have confirmation of whether she's yours or not?"

"Yes."

"And why do you think I'd believe a damn word you're saying, Mancini?"

"Because I've failed my daughter and I've failed the love of my life thinking I was protecting them. The Silvestris can't have control anymore. None of us can let them have control anymore. I'm here to attempt to right my wrongs, and that starts with you. "

I take a moment to consider my options. I can either tell Mancini to fuck off and try and figure out another way to take down Silvestri, or I can sign my name on the line of this contract and get the justice my parents deserve.

This is the most rash decision I've ever made, but I know what I need to do. I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing this for my parents. For my family.

I pick up my black and gold Montblanc pen and sign my name on the line, sealing my fate, before sliding it over to Mancini.

Mancini's eyes widen as he takes in my signature, but he quickly signs above my name before sliding the document back to my side of the desk.

"So, tell me, Mancini. What exactly is it you need me to do?"