Chapter 45: Save Danilo
Bisnca
The weeks that followed were a balm to my soul. The suite, was once a beautiful prison, truly became a home. Alessandro was a man transformed, or perhaps, he was finally the man he had always been beneath the armor of his name and status. He was present. I loved the man he was becoming.He listened. He consulted me on everything, from the color of the nursery walls to the nuances of the new business agreement with my father. He was submitting and accepting the situation for what it was.
We had decided on a small, private wedding. A quiet ceremony at my family’s estate, with only our immediate families and a handful of true friends. No syndicate posturing, no political guest list. Just us. Planning it was a joy I hadn’t anticipated, a tangible act of building our future together. I was sprawled on the living room floor, swatches of fabric and floral arrangements scattered around me, when my phone buzzed with an unknown number .I let it ring again and caller ID showed me that it came from law enforcement. It could be a friend.
“Bianca? It’s Danilo.” The voice on the other end was young, strained, and slightly slurred. Alessandro’s younger brother. He's only ever been accepting and kind towards me
“Danilo? Is everything alright?” I asked, sitting up. I’d only met him a handful of times,a handsome, reckless boy of twenty, drowning in the shadow of his older brother.
“I, uh… I’m in a bit of a situation. I need… I need to be bailed out.” He sounded terrified.
“Bailed out? Where are you? What happened?”
“The 16th precinct. It was just a stupid fight at a club,they ran my name… everyone is talking about how my father lied to me and us and the whole world and how we are now dependent on your family. You're one of the good ones.Alessandro can’t know. Please. He’ll skin me alive. He’s always telling me to be invisible, to not cause trouble.” The plea was desperate, pathetic.
My mind raced. Alessandro was in a critical meeting with my father and the lawyers, finalizing the new alliance. This was the last thing he needed. Danilo was a loose cannon, but he was family. The thought of him sitting in a cell, terrified of his brother’s wrath, tugged at something protective in me. This was a chance, perhaps, to build a bridge. To show that I wasn’t just Alessandro’s wife to be , but a part of his family, someone who could be trusted.
“Okay,” I said, my decision made. “Okay, stay calm. Don’t say anything to anyone. I’ll be there. Just… give me an hour.”
I called Marco the one person I could trust to be discreet and who had the knowledge to handle this. I didn’t give him details, just said a family matter required a lawyer and bail money at the 16th precinct, and that Alessandro was not to be informed.To his credit, asked no questions. “It will be handled, Signora Bianca.”
An hour and a half later, a shamefaced Danilo was sliding into the back of my car. He reeked of cheap whiskey and fear. “Thank you,” he mumbled, not meeting my eyes. “You have no idea… he would have killed me B.”
“He wouldn’t have,” I said, my voice softer than I felt. “ he would have been disappointed, that’s often worse. What happened, Danilo?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he muttered, staring out the window. “Just some guy. He said something about my brother. I lost my temper. I'm not telling you everything that you need to know now and I do know that you've never judged me and that; my brother trust you he doesn't trust easily and you change him in ways that make me want to be proud to call him my brother”
I drove him to his apartment, a sleek, sterile high-rise that felt as empty as he looked. “Get some sleep. Clean yourself up. You will have to tell me what happened at some stage.We’ll figure this out. ”
“You’re not going to tell him?” he asked, hope flaring in his bloodshot eyes.
I took a deep breath. I knew this was a mistake, the relief on his face was so profound. “Not tonight, no ,this can’t happen again. You can’t put me in this position, Danilo. Understood?”
“Understood. I swear. Thank you, Bianca. Really. He thinks I'm just trouble. Im not.I see why he loves you.Jeniffer doesn't stand a chance n”
I drove home, my knuckles white on the steering wheel. I had done the compassionate thing. The sisterly thing. But a cold knot of dread was already forming in my stomach. Secrets were the poison that had almost destroyed us. And I had just planted a new one.