Chapter 188: He Will Be Fine

Draco’s POV

No one answered.

Not a single voice.

That told me everything I needed to know.

I glanced around the table once, catching a few looks, a couple of shoulders shifting, but nothing solid. Everyone had been busy, moving pieces, getting people out, handling what needed to be handled. It wasn’t negligence. It was timing.

Still, that didn’t sit right with me.

I looked down at Bella, my hand resting against her side. “Let’s go check,” I said.

She nodded immediately.

We stood, pushing away from the table as the room carried on behind us, voices and movement continuing without pause. The hallway outside was quieter, the sound of breakfast fading as we moved further from it, replaced with that steady stillness that settled in the upper part of the mansion.

We went to Matteo first.

I pushed the door open without knocking, stepping inside with Bella just behind me. The room was dimmer than the hallway, the curtains drawn just enough to keep the light from hitting too hard.

Matteo was awake.

His head shifted slowly toward us, like even that took effort, his body staying mostly still as his eyes landed on me.

“Well,” I said, a smirk pulling at my mouth as I stepped further in, “it’s nice of you to finally decide to wake up.”

His lips twitched slightly. “Hey, boss,” he muttered.

His voice was rough.

Not surprising.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, crossing the room and stopping beside the bed.

He didn’t even try to fake it.

He shook his head just slightly. “Like shit,” he said bluntly. “My chest feels like it’s been caved in, and my head, don’t even get me started.”

Bella moved closer, her expression softer as she looked down at him.

“Have you had anything for the pain this morning?” I asked.

He shook his head again.

I exhaled lightly and reached over to the table beside him, grabbing the bottle Federico had left. I checked it quickly, then pulled one out and handed it to him along with a glass of water.

“Take it,” I said.

He didn’t argue. He swallowed it down, grimacing slightly before leaning his head back against the pillow with a quiet breath.

“That better kick in fast,” he muttered.

“It will,” I said. “Just give it some time. It shouldn't be long at all.” I told him.

We stood there for a few minutes, letting him settle, talking lightly, nothing heavy, nothing that would push him too far. Just enough to ground him, to make sure he was still with us the way he needed to be.

The door opened behind us.

Renzo walked in with Sara, both of them stepping in without hesitation.

Matteo’s eyes shifted toward him immediately. “About time you decided to come check on me,” Matteo said, a smirk pulling at his mouth despite everything.

Renzo stopped just inside the room, crossing his arms as he looked at him.

“Boy,” he said flatly, “I’ve been in here more than anyone else.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Matteo shot back.

Renzo stepped closer, pointing at him. “Don’t you ever do something that stupid again.”

Matteo’s smirk didn’t fade.

“That wasn’t your bullet,” Renzo added, his tone tightening just enough to carry weight.

Matteo let out a quiet laugh, wincing slightly as it pulled at his chest. “It was yours,” he said. “And then boss was gonna take it.”

I raised a brow at that.

He didn’t care.

“I couldn’t let either of you,” he continued, shrugging as much as he could manage. “I was already shot once, so I figured what the hell. Might as well make it count.”

Sara shook her head slightly, a small smile pulling at her lips despite the situation.

“You’re an idiot,” she said softly.

“Yeah,” Matteo replied easily. “But I’m your favorite idiot.” he winked in her direction.

“That’s debatable,” she shot back.

Renzo huffed under his breath, but there was something lighter in it now. “You had us worried,” he said as he shook his head.

“For a while,” I added sternly.

Matteo looked between us, his expression shifting just slightly, something more serious settling in for a second.

“Well,” he said, exhaling slowly, “I’m still here, so I guess you guess are stuck with me.”

“That you are,” I replied.

He glanced at Bella then, his expression softening a little more. “Didn’t think I’d wake up to this many people staring at me,” he said.

“You should feel honored,” Bella said lightly. “We don’t just show up for anyone.”

He smirked again. “I feel special.”

“You should,” I said dryly.

The room settled after that, not heavy, not tense, just steady.

Matteo was awake. He wasn't perfect. But he was alive. He was out of any danger. To me that was a win.

Which meant he was going to be just fine.