Chapter 119 Enemy of my Enemy
GIOVANNI’S POV
"Still nothing?"
Enzo stood in my office doorway, a tablet in hand and exhaustion etched into every line of his face.
We have both been running on three hours of sleep for the past week.
"Nothing concrete," he said, stepping inside and closing the door. "We've expanded the search radius to cover the entire metropolitan area. We checked every hospital, clinic, women's shelter within a hundred kilometers."
"And?" I leaned forward, desperate for anything.
He shook his head. "A few possible sightings, but they all led nowhere. One woman at a clinic in the south district matched Arya's general description, but the dates don't line up, she'd been going there for months before Arya even left."
He scrolled through his notes aa he spoke. "We've checked every hostel, every budget hotel. We even sent people to the train stations, bus terminals and called in favors with half the police force."
I bobbed my head slowly, absorbing every information. "What about the clubs? Strip joints? Places where women might work under the table?"
Enzo's expression flickered with something like pity. "We checked every single one and showed her picture around but no one's seen her."
I stood abruptly, my chair rolling back and hitting the wall. "Then we're not looking hard enough. Expand the search. Go beyond the city if you have to-"
"Gio." Enzo called. "We've done everything humanly possible. If she doesn't want to be found then I think-“
"She's pregnant!" The words tore out of me. "She's pregnant with my child and she's out there alone.”
I couldn't voice all the terrible scenarios that played in my head every night when I tried to sleep.
What if she tried to terminate the pregnancy and something went wrong? What if she went into premature labor with no one to help her?
What if she was struggling to eat, to find shelter, to stay safe?
"We'll keep looking," Enzo promised. "I've got teams working around the clock. But Gio..."
He hesitated, shifting his weight. "There's something else. An option we haven't explored yet."
"What?" I stared at him, my eyes narrowing.
He scratched the back of his head. "I don't think you're going to like it."
"I don't like anything about this situation. Just tell me." I said with a dismissive wave of my hand.
Enzo took a breath. "We could ask Robert Vitale for help."
I took a step back, blinking in mortification. "No."
He sighed. "Hear me out-“
"Absolutely fucking not. That man murdered my family.” I growled, my hands curling into fist. LYou expect me to go crawling to him for help?"
"For information about his daughter," Enzo corrected. "Think about it, Gio. If anyone knows where Arya is, it's her father.”
I shook my head. "He would have used her against me by now if he had her."
"Would he?" Enzo challenged. "What if he's keeping her safe until he can figure out how to leverage the situation.”
I paced to the window, staring out at the grounds without really seeing them. The idea of sitting across from Robert Vitale and asking that monster for anything, made my skin crawl.
But Enzo was right about one thing… if anyone might know where Arya was, it would be her father.
"He'll know about the pregnancy," I said quietly. "If we ask about her, he'll want to know why we're so desperate to find her."
"So we tell him or we don't. Either way, we're running out of options." Enzo moved to stand beside me. "I know what this costs you. But for your child? Isn't it worth swallowing your pride?"
My hands clenched into fists. Everything in me recoiled from the idea. Robert Vitale had taken everything from me but he might be the only one who could lead me to Arya and our baby.
"Set it up," I said finally, the words tasting like ash. "Arrange a meeting."
Two hours later, I was in the back of the car with Enzo, dressed in my best suit like I was going to a business meeting instead of walking into the den of my family's murderer.
"You don't have to do this," Enzo said as we approached the Vitale estate. "We can turn around.”
"No." I straightened my tie with hands that wanted to shake. "You were right. This is the fastest way to get answers."
The Vitale mansion loomed ahead, guards flanked the gates, their hands already moving to their weapons as our car approached.
The driver rolled down his window. "Giovanni De Santis to see Robert Vitale. He's expecting him."
The guard's eyes widened slightly. "Wait here."
He spoke into his radio while his partner kept his hand on his holstered gun. The hostility was palpable, and I couldn't blame them.
The last time our families had direct contact, it had ended in bloodshed. After what felt like an eternity, the gates swung open.
The driveway seemed to stretch forever. Guards watched our progress from various positions, and I counted at least six armed men visible from the car alone.
We pulled up to the main entrance, where more guards waited. They searched us both thoroughly before allowing us inside.
A butler led us through a long corridor, finally stopping at a set of double doors.
"Mr. Vitale will see you now."
The doors opened onto a grand living room with expensive furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking manicured gardens.
And there, standing by the fireplace, was Robert Vitale himself.
He looked older than I remembered from the few times I saw him, there was more gray in his hair, and deeper lines around his eyes.
A young girlstood near the doorway to another room, her eyes wide. I knew instantly who she was… Christabel.
The moment she saw me looking at her, she darted away, disappearing into the other room.
I scanned the rest of the space, some desperate part of me hoping to see Arya. But the room was empty except for Robert and his guards.
"Mr. Vitale," I said, moving to take a seat on one of the couches.
I had barely lowered myself when I heard the distinctive click of a gun being cocked. Robert had a pistol in his hand, aimed directly at my head.