Chapter 54 The Lesser of Two Betrayals
Matteo
The minute I stepped into my office, I shut the door behind me and let out a sigh of relief.
Valentina had played it perfectly.
That breakfast ambush—Luca squirming under Alessio’s spotlight, Arianna’s fake glow cracking under scrutiny, the bruises on Valentina’s arm like a ticking bomb no one saw coming—it could’ve all unraveled. But she didn’t flinch. Didn’t falter.
Even if it started by accident, the way she ran with it? That wasn’t luck.
That was skill.
And God help me, I was getting addicted to it.
I walked to my desk, flicked open the laptop, and inserted the thumb drive Paolo had handed me last night. The moment the video came up on screen—Luca’s voice snarling threats, Valentina’s body stiff with silent fury—I clenched my jaw.
I already knew what was on it. I’d watched it twice last night. But now I needed to figure out what the hell to do about it.
The door opened behind me.
Alessio stepped in like he owned the room—because in many ways, he did.
“Catching up on the honeymoon backlog?” he asked lightly.
I minimized the screen without making it too obvious. “Something like that.”
He moved closer. “Mind if I take a look?”
I hesitated just long enough to make it seem like I had something to hide—because that’s what he was expecting. Then I sighed and clicked the video back open, sliding the screen toward him.
He leaned in.
Watched.
Didn’t say a word until the footage ended.
Then he straightened slowly, the lines around his mouth deepening like a chisel had just carved them deeper.
“You weren’t going to tell me?”
I stood straighter. “I just found out last night. Valentina didn’t even tell me what happened—she just said to watch the tapes. I was still deciding what to do with it.”
His brows shot up. “Deciding? Matteo—he threatened your wife.”
“I know.”
“And forced himself on a staff member?”
“I know.”
“So what the hell are you ‘deciding’?”
“How to make it count.”
Alessio was quiet for a beat. Then he shook his head, muttering, “Unbelievable.”
He started pacing the room.
“He’ll be punished,” he said finally. “Cut him off for a month. No funding. No business privileges. Let him see how fast doors close when he’s not riding this family’s name.”
I nodded. It was a solid punishment—measured but brutal in the way only financial exile could be.
Alessio paused near the window, arms crossed. “Is there anything else I should know?”
I hesitated.
This part had to be fed slowly.
“They didn’t come to the island just to say hello,” I said. “They thought the marriage wasn’t real. They wanted proof.”
He laughed once, low and sharp. “That’s ridiculous. No one is that good of an actor.”
I forced a smile. “Right.”
If only he knew, old man.
But he was watching me now, sharp eyes drilling through the cracks. “You have proof that’s what they were doing there?”
I sighed, fake reluctant. “I didn’t want to be a snitch. But…”
He turned. “Boy. If you know something and you don’t tell me, that makes you complicit. So spit it out.”
I nodded slowly. “Valentina went down to the kitchen for water the first night. She overheard them talking. She recorded it.”
Alessio blinked. “She recorded it?”
“She’s been around long enough to know how to cover herself.”
“Well? What the hell are you waiting for? Show me.”
I clicked over to the second file. “Just know—it’s graphic. She’d die if she knew I was playing it for you.”
I hit play.
The recording crackled, then Arianna’s voice rang out—shrill, furious, unmistakable. Accusing Luca of not following through with his promises if she pretended they were in love and got married. About the baby. About everything.
Alessio listened with his mouth slightly open, as if the words were acid.
When it ended, he just stood there. Silent.
Then—
“That bastard.”
He rubbed a hand over his mouth, seething. “Arianna is only pregnant to fulfill the inheritance stipulation. This was all a setup. A ploy in case you didn’t marry. To swoop in and claim what wasn’t his.”
His gaze sharpened. “Does she know you’re onto them?”
“No.”
“Good. Let her think she still has a chance.”
He turned to leave, then paused at the door.
“Matteo.”
I looked up.
“You picked a smart one.”
“I know.”
But as the door closed behind him, I sat back in my chair and stared at the screen.
Smart didn’t even begin to cover it.
Valentina had become something I didn’t expect.
Not just a threat.
Not just a pawn.
She was becoming the queen on this board.
And I wasn’t sure anymore which side she was playing for.
Rosco knocked once and let himself in.
“Boss,” he said with a respectful nod before stepping inside. “Figured you’d be catching up. I’ve got a rundown for you—highlights only, unless you want the full quarterly.”
“Stick to what matters,” I said, still staring at the paused screen where Luca’s smug face froze mid-smirk. “It’s been a long week.”
Rosco took the seat across from my desk and dropped a slim folder on the edge. “The docks are running smooth. New customs officers were greased without incident. Shipping routes are on schedule, no hits from Interpol or the feds. A couple grumblings from the Russians about payment timelines, but nothing urgent.”
“Push the Russians back a week,” I muttered. “Tell them we had a wedding to throw.”
Rosco smirked. “Already handled.”
I nodded, but didn’t reach for the folder. “You trust Luca?”
The question made him pause. He didn’t answer right away. Just leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.
“Trust him to watch his own back,” Rosco said eventually. “Trust him to act like he’s owed something. But trust him with the empire?” He gave a short laugh. “Hell no.”
“He brought Arianna to the island,” I said. “Claimed it was just a surprise vacation. Said it was a coincidence.”
Rosco raised a brow. “Didn’t look like a coincidence from what I saw.”
“It wasn’t.” I clicked a few keys and dragged the surveillance window back to life. “They came to dig. To sniff around and test how real this marriage is. Because if Alessio doesn’t pass the torch to me… it goes to him.”
Rosco’s face darkened. “You’re sure?”
“She admitted it. Arianna. First night on the island, Valentina overheard them fighting. She recorded it. Arianna mentioned their fake marriage in the argument. A contract to position themselves as the fallback heirs if I failed.”
Rosco let out a low whistle. “Shit.”
“Exactly.”
“And Alessio?”
“He’s seen the footage. He was pissed. Said he’d cut Luca off for a month—no access to accounts, no board privileges, no meetings. Said that should make an impression.”
Rosco tilted his head. “Will it?”
I frowned. “It’ll bruise him. But Luca doesn’t play short games. He’s planning something. And I need to be ten steps ahead.”