Tell Me What?
The hall was quiet.
Too quiet.
Alessandro stood in front of Gabriele’s hotel room door, dressed in a fresh black T-shirt and dark jeans. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, his jaw tight. It was just past 5 a.m., and the storm inside him was only getting louder with every passing second.
He hesitated—just for a second—then knocked.
No answer.
He knocked again, firmer this time.
Footsteps. Then the door swung open.
Gabriele stood there in sweatpants and a hoodie, his brown hair was messy, his grey eyes heavy with exhaustion, and his face etched with clear disappointment.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Gabriele muttered, rubbing his eyes. “Alessandro… it’s five in the fucking morning.”
“I know.”
“I’m tired. I’m not in the mood. Adriano and the others are going to be here soon—”
“We need to talk. Now.”
Gabriele exhaled through his nose, jaw clenching. “Seriously? You think this is the time?”
Alessandro didn’t answer. He pushed past Gabriele into the room.
Gabriele scoffed and shut the door behind them. “Unbelievable.”
The silence hung thick between them. Alessandro stood in the center of the room, arms crossed now, tense. Gabriele remained by the door, arms at his sides, but his stare was razor-sharp.
“Say what you came to say,” Gabriele muttered.
Alessandro nodded slowly. “About earlier—”
“Don’t,” Gabriele cut in. “Don’t start with that ‘It’s not what it looks like’ bullshit again. I’m too fucking tired for lies.”
“It’s not a lie.”
Gabriele’s voice raised an octave. “You think I’m blind? I walked in and saw you and Diamond—naked in bed. At four-fucking-thirty in the morning.”
Alessandro’s throat tightened, but he stood his ground. “It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t something I set out to do. It just… happened.”
“Oh please,” Gabriele barked, stepping forward. “Do you hear yourself? ‘It just happened?’ What are you, a fucking teenager? You’re telling me you tripped and fell into her pussy?”
Alessandro’s brows furrowed. “That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying? That you couldn’t help yourself? That she got into your head?”
“Yes,” Alessandro snapped, finally breaking. “She did. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, Gabriele. I tried. I tried, okay? I fought it. I know it’s wrong but it wasn’t just about sex. It was something else.”
Gabriele stepped back like the words physically hit him. His voice dropped low, strained. “You’ve barely even made up with Adriano. You spent months at each other’s throats. And now that things are finally starting to calm down between the both of you, you just had to go and fuck his girlfriend?”
Alessandro looked away.
“All this time,” Gabriele continued, his voice louder, cracking, “I’ve been the one trying to keep you both from killing each other. Every goddamn time. And now all that? All of it? Down the drain… because you couldn’t keep your dick in your fucking pants.”
Alessandro’s chest rose and fell faster now, guilt and shame warping into frustration. “Don’t twist it like that—”
Gabriele stepped in, jabbing a finger at him. “I don’t have to twist a goddamn thing! You did what you did. You chose this. You made that bed. Literally. And don’t pretend this was some act of fate.”
Alessandro’s mouth opened to protest, but Gabriele wasn’t done.
“This isn’t just about you and her. You know what Adriano’s going to think when he finds out?”
Alessandro’s voice was low now. “He’s gonna feel betrayed.”
“No,” Gabriele hissed. “He’s gonna think he was right all along.”
Alessandro blinked, unsure.
Gabriele's voice dropped to a lethal calm. “Don’t you remember what he’s always said? That you can’t stand to see him happy. That deep down, no matter how much you pretend, you always want what he has. Always need to be the one in control. Always need to win.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then why,” Gabriele snapped, stepping closer, “Why did you sleep with Diamond?”
Silence.
Alessandro’s lips parted slightly, but nothing came out.
And that silence said everything.
Gabriele chuckled bitterly, dragging his hand down his face. “Right. Just like I thought.”
Alessandro’s expression faltered. For the first time in a long time, he looked lost.
Gabriele shook his head. “You know, Papà always complains about Adriano’s recklessness. His defiance. His temper. But he never sees you. You, the perfect son. Calm. Responsible. Untouchable.”
Gabriele walked over to the small table near the window, picked up a glass of water, and stared out the window at the still-sleeping London skyline.
“What do you think happens,” he asked quietly, “when this mission fails? When we’re exposed or someone catches on? When the auction goes sideways and we’re left with nothing but a bullet in our heads and our mother’s ruby necklace left in the hands of our enemies?”
He turned around slowly.
“And what do you think happens when Papà finds out that you were the one who lit the match?”
Alessandro swallowed hard. His heart pounded so loud in his ears it drowned out the city below.
“None of that will happen,” he said slowly. “Not if you don’t say anything. At least not now.”
He stepped toward Gabriele. “You’re not stupid. You wouldn’t blow something like this up in the middle of it. You know what’s at stake.”
Gabriele was quiet.
“I’ll take the heat for it. After it’s all over, you can tell Adriano. I’ll deal with whatever comes after. But not now.”
Still, Gabriele said nothing.
Alessandro placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“Please.”
Gabriele stared at him. His silence lasted too long.
Then he sighed.
“I was never going to tell Adriano.”
Alessandro blinked. “You weren’t?”
Gabriele shook his head. “No. I hate it when you two fight. I hate seeing you at each other’s throats. I hate being the one trying to hold both ends of a sinking ship together.”
He looked away.
“This family… we’ve always been a fucking storm. But now? We need each other more than ever. So no. I wasn’t going to tell him.”
Relief washed over Alessandro like a wave. His shoulders dropped. “Thank you.”
Gabriele looked at him, but there was no warmth in his voice.
“Don’t thank me. You think I’m doing this for you? I’m doing this because I still believe, deep down, that this family is worth salvaging. That's the reason why I'm not gonna tell Adriano.”
Before Alessandro could respond, a third voice cut through the room like a knife.
“Tell me what?”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys👋🏻 It's Amore. I'm writing this cause I want to start interacting with my readers more, to know how they're enjoying the story so far, their favorite characters and all that. It would mean a lot to me (and also motivate me) if y'all dropped a comment every now and then. Also I wanna let you guys know that the release schedule for this book from now onwards is gonna be at least 2–3 chapters per day until the book is completed. So you don't have to be worried about frequent updates 😁. Finally, I want to announce that I have a book that's coming out very soon. It's a fantasy novel about a Forbidden Romance between an Angel and a Demon, so please look forward to that♥️. Goodbye and stay tuned!