#39 - Family is Better

#39 - Family is Better
Caterina Bellini

The situation was shifting every second. When I arrived, my only concern was saving my best friend and keeping this scene from becoming a crime scene.

Now, I barely recognized myself, holding a gun with conviction and rage, ready to fire at any moment if necessary to defend myself or Victoria from the corrupt interests of Nathalia and Adrian.

The strong smell of paint made me dizzy, but I remained standing, determined to end that nightmare with my own hands and face whatever judgment came afterward.

Then Luca arrived, catching me off guard. He was alone, without Vincenzo, and I felt a small spark of hope at seeing him, even if it was too late. It was better this way. Luca knew how dangerous this could get, and his duty was to keep Vincenzo Leone safe and serve him as Capo.

My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would tear through my chest.

Luca searched for my face among the people in that room, giving me reassurance with just a nod. I lowered the gun and watched how everything would unfold, certain that I wasn’t acting alone anymore.

Adrian looked shaken, trying to hide how affected he was by the blow Victoria had just dealt him, choking him until his face turned red. The Don of the Monti-Bellini Family, the man who thought himself invincible behind his fine shell, now looked like a spoiled, furious child.

He straightened his suit, fixing the gelled hair that somehow stayed perfectly in place.

Victoria was barely holding back laughter, restrained by the guard and that butcher of an interrogator.

“What do you think you’re doing here, Luca Bendetti?” Adrian spat, his voice hoarse from the chokehold, the shame bleeding through his anger. “This is an invasion of territory! The house of a Don isn’t a public place, and you’re breaking the rules.”

Luca entered without haste, walking slowly as if he were a guest at that circus. His dark eyes locked on Adrian like a hunter analyzing his prey. When they stood face to face, the air thickened. The contempt between them was almost tangible. His commanding presence revealed a side of him I hadn’t seen before, and in that moment, I understood why Luca was Vincenzo Leone’s right hand.

“You can report me for trespassing if you like, Don Adrian,” Luca said, and the way he hissed Don dripped with sarcasm. “But I’d have to report you as well.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow, dismissing Luca’s words with a forced smirk.

“I mean,” Luca continued, “Victoria Marino is here, imprisoned like a criminal, without a member of the Council present. That also violates the rules between allied Families, doesn’t it?”

Victoria looked at him, then at me, her eyes saying what words couldn’t.

“I have the authority to deal with a traitor as she deserves,” Adrian shouted, raising his voice. “I have solid proof that she betrayed the Family and leaked critical information that cost us lives and territory.”

Luca raised his hand slowly, interrupting him with a gesture so calm it was infuriating.

“If you want a fair trial, Don Monti,” Luca said with quiet confidence, the tone of a seasoned politician, “then take it to the Council. What you’re doing here is the work of a butcher. And the Council won’t take kindly to hearing about this. Victoria isn’t just a friend of the Family. She’s a Public Relations Strategist essential to my Boss’s network in North America.”

I looked at him, shocked, then at Victoria, who whispered a barely audible sorry.

All this time she’d been working with that and hadn’t told me?

The tension was unbearable, but I had to keep my composure and back up Luca’s statement.

“Luca’s right,” I said. “And the Council will like even less knowing that Victor, your so-called witness, is connected to the Ferrari Family, to Nathalia, your mistress, by the way. That’s a massive conflict of interest. You forged evidence, used your lapdog to execute the plan, and now you’re destroying your own Family, Adrian.”

He looked at me with that damned stare I knew so well, searching for a way to turn the tables. But fear flickered behind his arrogance, and Luca saw it too.

“I think we understand each other, then,” Luca said, his tone final. “There will be no reports, and everything will be forgotten. But Victoria and Caterina come with me. Now. Don Leone is expecting them in safety.”

My heart raced. This was my chance to end it all and go back to Vincenzo’s arms.

“Victoria, maybe,” Adrian replied with a faint, bitter smile. “But Caterina is my wife. The Donna of the Monti Family. She stays.”

I knew he wouldn’t give in easily.

Luca took a step forward, and I caught a glimpse of what was coming. A confrontation here meant war. I couldn’t let that happen. It would ruin everything and destroy any chance I had of reclaiming the Bellini name.

I placed my hand on Luca’s chest, stopping him and maintaining a look of respect. “Victoria goes with you. She’s innocent. Take her, Luca.”

I walked to Adrian’s side. I knew I had to give him an illusion of control, something to calm his pride.

“This gets you out of trouble with the Council,” I whispered near his ear. “If you release Victoria now, they’ll think it was a mistake, not a setup. You’ll walk away clean.”

He looked at me, surprised, almost confused. He hadn’t expected me to defend him.

Nathalia, in the corner, snorted like a bull. When she tried to speak, Adrian snapped, “Shut up, Nathalia! Not now.”

She fell silent immediately, though her eyes burned with hatred toward me.

Luca gave me one last look. I saw the tension in his face, and I nodded. It would be fine, somehow. He understood without me saying a word and left with Victoria, who cried when she realized I was staying behind. One of Adrian’s men, reluctantly, removed her handcuffs before they left.

And then the iron gate closed, leaving only Adrian and me.

“You didn’t win, Adrian. Victoria’s safe. You lost.”

My voice came out firm, though I trembled inside. Adrian approached slowly, his expression calm, almost satisfied. His hand brushed my cheek, and I felt disgust rise in my throat.

“Don’t say that,” he murmured near my ear. “I did win, Caterina. You’re home again. That’s all that matters.”

My stomach turned.

“You did all this just to bring me back,” I said, feeling my disgust burn into rage.

“I did,” he replied without hesitation. “I did it all for you, Caterina. Now you’re mine again. My wife. My other half. My future. My love.”

Love? What love?

In that moment, I understood. Hell had taken me back, and hell wore the face of the man who claimed to love me. But now, staring into those empty eyes, I knew that man no longer existed.

He was just a stranger, and I was his prisoner.