Chapter 101 THE PUBLIC GAMBLE
Chapter 101 THE PUBLIC GAMBLE
••Luciana••
Staying within the suffocating walls of the Orlov estate was no longer an option.
Every corner of that house felt like a courtroom where I had already been found guilty. The silence was a poison, and if I sat there any longer, waiting for a phone to ring that he had clearly silenced forever, I would lose my mind.
I didn't care about my pride anymore. I didn't even care if he didn't love me anymore. I just couldn't live in the shadow of his hatred.
Matteo called me that morning, his voice thick with worry. He had been my lifeline during these two weeks of exile, though every conversation we had was a reminder of the mistake we had made together.
"Luci, don't do this," Matteo pleaded after I told him my plan. "Going out and hunting him down in public? That’s not the best way to handle this. You’ll make him look weak, and Roman hates looking weak more than anything."
"I don't have a choice, Matteo," I said, my voice steady for the first time in days. "He’s erased me. I’m a ghost to him. I have to make him see me. I have to make him hear me, even if it’s just for five minutes."
Matteo sighed, a long, defeated sound. He knew once I had set my mind, there was no turning back. "Fine. There’s a high-level council meeting today at the Palazzo Vecchio. It’s a summit for the families in the alliance. Roman will be there. It’s high security, Luci. Very high."
"I’ll find a way," I promised.
"The meeting should break around four. If you’re going to do this, be careful. The press won't be there, but every powerful set of eyes in the underworld will be."
I hung up and went to the mirror. I spent an hour on my face, covering the dark circles under my eyes and the hollowness of my cheeks. I dressed in a sharp, black tailored suit that looks too simple. I couldn’t care about my look at this time.
"Roman," I whispered to my reflection, "you have to forgive me."
——-
The Palazzo was crawling with black SUVs and men with earpieces. I arrived early, parking a few blocks away and walking the rest of the distance. I found his car easily, the armored obsidian sedan was unmistakable.
I positioned myself nearby, leaning against a silver Audi that didn't belong to me. I slid my oversized black sunglasses into place, shielding my eyes from the afternoon sun and the wandering gazes of the security details.
Hours bled into one another. My legs ached, and my stomach twisted into knots, but I didn't move.
Finally, the heavy oak doors of the Palazzo swung open.
The air shifted immediately. A parade of men in expensive wool coats and silk ties began to file out. These were the kings of the shadows, men who decided the fate of cities over espresso. I scanned the crowd, my heart jumping into my throat every time a tall man appeared.
Then, I saw him.
Roman walked out flanked by Theo and two other guards. He looked magnificent and terrifying.
He was mid-conversation with an older boss, his expression cold and professional. There was no trace of the man who had brought me almond croissants. This was the Prince of the Orlovs, the man who held the alliance together with iron fists.
Calm down, I told myself. Wait until he’s closer. Don’t let the guards intercept you.
I waited until he was twenty feet from his car.
Then, I moved.
I stepped out from behind the Audi, moving directly into his path. Roman didn't stop at first; he continued walking as if I were a pebble on the sidewalk.
"Roman, wait!" I cried, scurrying to keep up with his long, purposeful strides. "Please, just listen to me for one minute."
He didn't answer. He didn't even turn his head. He reached the door of his sedan, his hand hovering over the handle. Theo looked at me, his eyes full of a warning I chose to ignore. I knew if I let him get into that car, he would be gone for another two weeks or forever.
I did the only thing I could think of. I let out a sharp, jagged wail, a sound of pure, unbridled grief that echoed off the stone walls of the Palazzo.
It worked. Several heads turned. A few bosses paused by their own cars, their eyebrows raised at the spectacle. Roman froze, his shoulders tensing under his coat. He knew exactly what I was doing. I was creating a scene in front of his these men.
I reached out and grabbed his hand, my fingers digging into his palm. I ripped my sunglasses off, letting him see my red, swollen eyes and the raw desperation on my face.
Roman’s jaw tightened. He leaned in, his voice a low, lethal hiss. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Before I could answer, he grabbed my arm and practically threw me into the back seat of the sedan, sliding in right after me. He slammed the door, sealing us in the leather-scented silence of the car.
"You came here to disgrace me? Is that it?" he roared, his eyes flashing with a fury that made me shrink back against the seat.
"You think making a scene in front of the council is the way to my heart, Luciana?"
"You haven't been responding to me!" I shouted back, the tears finally overflowing. "You haven't answered a single call! You haven't read a single message! What did you expect me to do? Just sit in that house and wait for you to decide I’m dead?"
"You got what you wanted," he snapped, turning his face away from me. "You wanted the truth, and you got it. So what else is there to say?"
"I'm sorry, Roman," I sobbed, reaching for his hand. "I’m so, so sorry. I was a fool. I let Marco get into my head because I was hurting, but I know now... I know what you did for me."
He kept quiet, staring out the tinted window at the passing city. I didn't care that he was silent. I held onto his hand with both of mine, my hot tears falling onto his skin. He didn't pull away this time, but he didn't squeeze back either. His hand felt like a piece of cold marble.
Finally, he spoke, but he didn't look at me.
"Take her home," he ordered the Theo. Then, he looked at the door. "I’ll get out here. I have other business."
"No!" I lunged forward, clutching his coat. "Don't leave, Roman. Please. Tell me you’ve forgiven me. Tell me we can try."
He finally spared me a glance. It wasn't full of hate, it was full of something much worse. Exhaustion.
He looked at me like I was a problem he no longer had the energy to solve.
He didn't say a word. He simply pried my fingers off his sleeve, opened the door, and stepped out into the busy street.
I scrambled to the door, ready to jump out after him, but a firm hand on the shoulder stopped me. It was Theo who was behind the wheels.
"I’d advise you don't, Luci," he said softly. "It won't help. Not today."
The car began to move, pulling away from the curb. I watched through the rear window as Roman’s silhouette grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the crowd.
I slumped back into the seat and wept uncontrollably, the sound muffled by the plush interior of the car. I had gotten his attention, but at what cost? I had forced his hand, but his heart was still a thousand miles away.
I had brought this on myself. Roman had never been this cold, this distant. As the city blurred past, I realized that I might have finally succeeded in doing what Marco couldn't.
I had truly broken us.