Chapter 159 *
Lorenzo had seen him exactly twice before. Both times at major family meetings. The kind where all five families gathered to discuss territory and business arrangements.
Damon never said much at those meetings. He didn't have to. Everyone knew who he was. What he controlled.
The underground king of New York.
And apparently, Scarlett's husband.
Oh fuck.
Damon's eyes found Lorenzo. He walked over with purposeful strides. Sat down across from him without asking permission.
"Lorenzo Romano." Damon's voice was cold. "You beat up my household staff this morning."
Lorenzo's mouth went dry. "I can explain—"
"Don't." Damon leaned back in his chair. "Arthur already explained. You thought he was sleeping with your sister. You attacked him. Threatened him. Offered him money to leave town."
He tilted his head slightly. "Did I miss anything?"
"I thought—"
"You thought wrong." Damon's expression didn't change. "Arthur has worked for me for fifteen years. He's a professional. And he was doing his job. Which was driving my wife to school."
Wife.
The word hit Lorenzo like a punch to the gut.
"You married Scarlett."
"I did."
"Does your grandfather know?" The question came out before Lorenzo could stop it.
Damon's eyes narrowed. "Why wouldn't he?"
"Because she's—" Lorenzo caught himself. "She's not from your world. She grew up in Montana. She doesn't have connections or—"
"She's brilliant." Damon cut him off. "She's smart, brave, and capable. She's more qualified to be part of my family than most people born into it."
Lorenzo felt his face flush. "I didn't mean—"
"Yes, you did." Damon's voice got quieter. Which somehow made it more threatening. "You meant she's not good enough. That she doesn't belong."
He leaned forward. "Let me make something very clear. Scarlett is exactly where she belongs. With me. In my home. Under my protection."
Lorenzo swallowed hard. "I was just trying to look out for her."
"By assuming she was some old man's mistress?"
"My mother saw her getting out of Arthur's car. She said—"
"Your mother," Damon interrupted, "She has no right to speculate about my wife's life."
The contempt in his voice was unmistakable.
Lorenzo opened his mouth. Closed it. He had no defense for that.
"When she left home," Lorenzo said quietly, "we thought she was pregnant. I was worried about her. About how she was surviving."
Damon's expression didn't change. "She was never pregnant. It was a misdiagnosis."
Lorenzo's head snapped up. "What?"
"The doctor made a mistake." Damon's tone was flat. "She wasn't carrying a child when she left your family."
"Then why did you marry her?" The question came out sharper than Lorenzo intended.
Damon's eyes locked onto his. "Because I love her."
The words hung in the air between them.
Lorenzo stared. "You love her?"
"Yes." Damon's voice was matter-of-fact. "Scarlett is the smartest, most incredible woman I've ever met. I want to spend my life with her."
Lorenzo felt like he'd been punched again. "You're serious."
"Completely."
Lorenzo leaned back in his chair. His mind was spinning.
He'd assumed this was about a pregnancy. About obligation. About some kind of arrangement.
But Damon Wolfe was sitting here telling him it was love.
"She's my sister." Lorenzo's voice came out rough. "My real sister. And I was so blind I didn't see how special she was until it was too late."
He laughed. It sounded bitter even to his own ears. "I actually thought Zelda was better than her. How stupid was that?"
Damon didn't respond. Just watched him with those cold blue eyes.
Lorenzo thought about the money he'd been transferring to Scarlett. He'd thought he was helping her.
Now it seemed like a joke. What was his money compared to what the Wolfe family could provide?
"I've been trying to make it up to her." Lorenzo rubbed his face. "Sending her money. Making sure she had resources."
Damon's mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "With what? Your allowance?"
The condescension was so casual it almost didn't register at first.
Then it hit him. Lorenzo's face burned.
"I know it's not much compared to—"
"It's insulting." Damon cut him off. "You think money fixes what your family did to her? The abuse? The neglect? The fact that you all chose a stranger over your own blood?"
Lorenzo flinched. "I know I can't—"
Damon checked his watch. "You have ten minutes. Say whatever you came here to say. Then leave Scarlett alone."
"I just want to help her."
"She doesn't need your help." Damon's voice was final. "She has me. She has resources. She has protection. What she doesn't need is her biological family showing up to cause more problems."
Lorenzo felt something in his chest crack. "She's still my sister."
"Then act like it." Damon stood up. "Stop treating her like a charity case. Stop assuming the worst about her. And definitely stop beating up people who work for me."
He adjusted his cuff. "If you actually care about Scarlett, respect her choices. Respect her life. And stay out of her way."
Damon turned to leave.
"Wait." Lorenzo stood up too. "I need to ask you something."
Damon paused. Didn't turn around. "What?"
"Can you help me find evidence of something?" Lorenzo's hands clenched into fists. "I think my father's mistress was behind Scarlett's kidnapping. When she was three years old."
Now Damon turned. Slowly.
"What did you say?"
"Miranda Kestrel." Lorenzo's voice was steady. "She's been my father's mistress for over twenty years. She had Zelda. And I think she orchestrated Scarlett's kidnapping to eliminate the competition."
Damon's eyes went dark. Not just cold anymore. There was something lethal in them now.
"I've been trying to find proof for months," Lorenzo continued. "But she covered her tracks too well. I thought maybe with your resources—"
"I don't need you to tell me to investigate." Damon's voice was quiet. Dangerous. "I already know what happened to Scarlett. Every detail. Every person involved."
Lorenzo's breath caught. "You know?"
"Yes." Damon took a step closer. "And I will deal with every single person who hurt her. In my own time. In my own way."
The promise in his voice made Lorenzo's skin crawl.
"That includes," Damon continued, "the woman you're talking about. And anyone else who played a role."
He looked at Lorenzo directly. "You want to help? Then stay out of my way. Don't investigate. Don't ask questions. Don't do anything that might alert the people I'm hunting."
Lorenzo nodded slowly. "Okay."
"Good." Damon turned away again. "And Lorenzo?"
"Yeah?"
"If you ever touch Arthur again, I'll break every bone in your hand." Damon's tone was conversational. "Am I clear?"
"Crystal."
Damon walked out without another word.
Lorenzo stood there for a long moment. His hands were shaking.
He'd realized something important.
Scarlett didn't need the Romano family anymore. She'd found something better.
Based on Damon's expression when he mentioned Miranda?
His father's mistress was living on borrowed time.