Chapter 120 Forced Alliance
GIOVANNI’S POV
I stared at the barrel of the gun pointed to my head and I froze, half-sitting, half-standing.
"Don't," he said, his voice deadly calm. "Don't you dare sit in my house like you're a welcomed guest."
Enzo moved and the other guard too but I raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
"Where the hell is my daughter?" Robert's hand was steady, his finger on the trigger. “I heard from some very reliable source that you’re turning the entire city upside down to find her.”
"Sir." Enzo started.
"I'm not talking to you." Robert's eyes never left mine. "I'm talking to the man who was supposed to protect her. So I'll ask one more time… where is Arya?"
This was a mistake. Coming here was a terrible, terrible mistake.
But I had already committed and with a gun pointed at my head, I didn't have many options.
"I don't know," I said honestly, slowly raising my hands to show I wasn't a threat. "That's why I'm here. I'm trying to find her."
"Trying to find her?" Robert's laugh was bitter, dangerous. "You lost my daughter, and now you came here to her? You have some nerve-"
"She's pregnant." The words dropped into the room like a bomb.
Robert's eyes widened then they narrowed into slits. What?"
"She's pregnant with my child and she's been missing for two months." I met his eyes, letting him see my desperation. "So yes, I'm here asking for your help because we need to find her.”
The gun didn't waver, but something changed in Robert's expression.
"Start talking," he said. "Tell me everything and if I smell you're lying, this conversation ends with your brains on my floor."
I believed him… and as I told him everything. Including how I locked his daughter in a dungeon and the shameful act of forcing myself on her.
Robert's expression grew darker with each word, but the gun never wavered.
"You locked my daughter in a dungeon," he said, his voice deadly quiet. "Based on circumstantial evidence and your own paranoia."
My jaw twitched. "I had reason to believe-"
"You had photographs of her meeting with Marco. That's it." Robert's jaw clenched. "Marco has been part of our family since he was a boy. If Arya met with him, it was because she needed someone from home."
I glared at him and shot back. "The timing-"
"Could have been a coincidence." Robert finally lowered the gun slightly, though he didn't put it away. "But you didn't investigate. You just assumed the worst and punished her for it."
I couldn’t talk because that was exactly what was haunting me in all these months. That my negligence had cost me a lot.
“I know I was wrong. That's why I'm here.” I said softly.
Robert stared at me for a long moment, then slowly lowered the gun completely. "When did she leave?"
"Two months ago. Maybe longer… I don't know exactly when she found out about the pregnancy."
"And you've found nothing?" He asked and I shook my head.
Robert moved to a desk in the corner and pulled out a folder. "I've been looking too. Since the disappearance was made known, I had people keep searching for her but…”
"So you don't know where she is either."
"No." He said with a sigh. “She's either very good at hiding, or someone is helping her."
"Marco," I said immediately.
"Marco has been here," Robert said sharply. " If he knew where she was, he would have told me."
Before heI respond, the door opened.
Marco walked in, a tablet in his hand. "Sir, I have the updated reports from the-"
He stopped dead when he saw me.
"You," he breathed, and the hatred in his voice was palpable. "What the hell is he doing here?"
"Marco." Robert's tone was warning. "Giovanni is here to help find Arya."
"Help?" Marco's laugh was bitter. "He's the reason she's missing!"
I stood, my hands clenched into fists. "You're the reason she was in danger in the first place.”
He scoffed. "You’re still found the blame game, De Santis. The months you spent away didn’t do you any good, I see.”
I growled and stepped forward but he didn’t even flinch.
"Enough!" Robert bellowed. "Both of you, stand down."
Marco turned to his employer. "Sir, you can't seriously be considering working with him.”
"I'm aware of what he did." Robert's tone was icy. "I'm also aware that we have the same goal of finding Arya and making sure she’s."
Marco's jaw worked, his hands clenched. "And what happens when we find her? He just takes her back and locks her up again?"
"I wouldn't." I snapped.
"Wouldn't you?" Marco challenged. "You didn't believe her before. Why would this time be different?"
"Because I know the truth now!" The words tore out of me. "I know she was innocent and I destroyed the best thing that ever happened to me because I was too blind to see what was right in front of me."
Silence fell over the room.Marco stared at me, his expression conflicted. Robert watched us both carefully.
"Even if I believed you," Marco said finally, "ñArya deserves better than you. She deserves someone who trusts her.”
I looked away, my jaw clenched so tightly that my teeth hurt. When I looked at him, I observed him carefully.
"Do you know where she is?" I asked directly. "Tell me the truth”
Marco met my eyes without blinking. "No. I don't know where she is."
For some reason, I felt he wasn’t telling the whole truth.
Robert moved between us. "Regardless of past grievances, we're joining forces to find Arya.” He placed a hand on Marco and squeezed. “You know Arya better than anyone. Together, we have a better chance of finding her."
"And when we do?" Marco demanded. "What then? He gets to take her back to his estate as a prisoner?"
"No," Robert said firmly. "When we find her, she decides what happens next. But first, we need to actually find her."
He extended his hand to me. "We'll have terms of protection in place for Arya. But for now, finding my daughter is the priority. Agreed?"
I stared at his outstretched hand for a moment. Enzo's presence beside me was supportive in waiting for my decision.
I thought about Arya, alone and pregnant somewhere in this city. My heart clenched.
"Agreed," I said, and clasped his hand.
Marco watched from the sidelines, his expression dark with disapproval but he didn't argue.
Because deep down, he wanted the same thing we all did.
To find Arya and bring her home.