Chapter 54 What Wasn’t Said
Chapter 54 What Wasn’t Said
Dante:
The call lasted less than thirty seconds.
“Was the delivery made?” Dante asked.
“Yes.”
Nothing more, nothing less. Then the line disconnected.
I stared at the phone for a moment before hurling it across the room. It smashed against the stone wall and scattered into pieces. No traces should be found of what I had just done.
I walked toward the window overlooking the Vorn estate. Morning was still hours away. I had fought so hard to keep my mind at bay but my thoughts drifted somewhere he didn’t want them to.
Back to New York, back to Elena, and back to that night.
For years I had imagined what it would be like to kiss her. Years. I had imagined it when we were children running through the Vorn vineyards. I had imagined it when she left Italy and became Jasmine. I had imagined it while watching her from a distance, loving her in silence.
And when it finally happened… It wasn’t me she wanted. It wasn’t me she saw. It wasn’t my name she whispered.
It was Nikolai Morreti’s.
I closed his eyes briefly. Oh how I hated that name, and not because Nikolai Moretti was his enemy. But because Elena loved him. And there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
My eyes then opened slowly. Then another thought surfaced. The package I had delivered. I should have felt guilty. Instead, I felt restless.
Why had I warned Nikolai? Why? The man was supposed to be my enemy. The man was the reason Elena cried herself to sleep. The man she had declared war against. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. That Elena was aiming her anger in the wrong direction.
Just then, a sharp knock sounded somewhere down the hall. I ignored it. A few minutes later I left my room. Maybe talking to Elena would help. Maybe seeing her would clear my head. Or maybe I was just making excuses to be near her again.
I reached her bedroom door and knocked twice.
“Elena?”
There was no answer. I waited, not nothing. My expression darkened. And just as I turned away, I noticed someone approaching from farther down the corridor.
Pietro. The man walked casually, one hand tucked into his pocket. His eyes immediately landed on me. Then on Elena’s closed door, then back to me.
A slow smile appeared, and I instantly hated it.
“Rough night?” Pietro asked casually.
I stared at him.
“What?”
Pietro shrugged.
“You look disappointed.”
My jaw tightened. Pietro then leaned against the wall.
“You finally got what you’ve wanted for years and it didn’t go the way you expected.”
The words landed with uncomfortable accuracy, and my expression hardened immediately.
“What are you talking about?”
Pietro laughed softly.
“Please. I’m not blind.”
A dangerous silence followed. Then I took a step closer.
“Tell me something.”
Pietro’s smile faded slightly.
“What?”
I studied him carefully.
“What happened to Lucien?”
Pietro’s expression changed, slightly. But I noticed.
“What happened to him?” Pietro repeated.
“Yes.”
“You tell me.”
The hallway suddenly felt smaller. I folded my arms.
“You know exactly what I’m asking.”
Pietro’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you accusing me of something?”
The question arrived too quickly, almost defensively. And I immediately regretted asking. Because I had no proof. Only instincts.
After a moment, I exhaled.
“No.”
Pietro smirked.
“Good.”
His answer irritated me even more. I gave a curt nod and walked away before he said something stupid. Behind me, Pietro remained standing there watching, watching far too carefully.
A few hours later, morning came and the entire Vorn family sat around the massive dining table for breakfast.
Valentina sat near the head. Pietro beside her. Elena directly across, and me, farther down.
The staff moved quietly around them. Nobody seemed particularly interested in conversation. Except Valentina.
She smiled warmly at Elena.
“I’m proud of you.”
Elena looked up from her coffee as Valentina continued.
“You’ve accomplished more in a few weeks than most leaders do in years.”
Pietro nodded.
“The Godmother has become quite the legend.”
I nearly rolled my eyes. The praise felt fake.
Elena on the other hand, accepted it with a simple nod. She still didn’t trust either of them. Good, at least that hadn’t changed.
Throughout breakfast, I caught myself looking toward her repeatedly. Every single time, she avoided my gaze. That hurt more than I expected. Because I knew why. She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t embarrassed. She simply didn’t want to acknowledge what happened. Which somehow felt worse.
When breakfast eventually ended, everyone stood, and went about their way. Except me. Because I wasn’t letting this continue.
I followed her into the hallway.
“Elena.”
She kept walking.
“Elena.”
Finally I moved ahead of her and blocked her path. She stopped immediately, visibly annoyed.
“What?”
I suddenly forgot everything he wanted to say. The silence stretched awkwardly. Then I rubbed the back of my neck.
“About that night…”
Elena immediately looked away. I felt stupid. I hated feeling stupid.
“We should probably talk about it.”
“There isn’t much to talk about.”
Her voice was calm.
Then I swallowed.
“Maybe not.”
Another silence followed. Then I forced himself to continue.
“I think we should forget it happened.”
Elena blinked. Then she nodded.
“It’s already forgotten.”
Those three words hit harder than any punch. I still managed a small smile anyway.
“Good.”
But on the inside, it felt terrible. Because while she had forgotten it…I knew I never would.
Elena adjusted her clothes.“Was that all?”
Dante nodded.
“Yeah.”
She studied him for a second. Then her expression softened slightly, with something akin to pity. Which somehow felt even worse.
“I’m sorry, Dante.”
He forced a laugh.
“For what?”
She hesitated. Then simply shook her head.
“Nothing.”
A moment later she walked past me and continued down the hallway.
I remained where I stood. Watching her disappear around the corner. And I allowed myself to admit something I had always known.
I could spend the rest of my life loving Elena Vorn. And she would still choose Nikolai Moretti.
Even now. Even after everything. That was the part that hurt the most.