Chapter 67: New Era II

Chapter 67: New Era II
Luca

I let out a final grunt as my fist slammed into the punching bag one last time. The sound echoed in the private gym, sharp and hollow. My chest heaved as I reached for my water bottle, tilting it back and chugging until my throat burned. I dropped onto the bench with a heavy exhale, sweat dripping down my back, and began unwrapping the tape from my knuckles, slow and methodical. Like it might keep the frustration at bay.

The elevator dinged.

I didn’t look up right away. I didn’t need to. The energy shifted before the doors even fully opened. Heavy. Commanding. I peeled another layer of tape off as I saw Haden step into the room. Of course.

I’d been waiting for this.

Word must’ve gotten out that I was spiraling, lashing out, shutting down, making enemies out of allies. And I knew how that looked. I knew what it meant. But knowing didn’t stop the burn inside me. It didn’t make me calm like him.

Haden stood across from me, hands buried in his pockets, that unreadable look carved into his face. Silent. Just watching.

It got under my skin fast.

I yanked the last strip of tape off and tossed it aside before finally lifting my head to meet his gaze. Still nothing. Just that steady, unwavering stare. For a second, I wondered if he came here ready to swing, to knock some damn sense into me. But he didn’t move.

Didn’t flinch.

Just waited.

“Who sent you?” I snapped, bitter heat rising in my throat. “Tony? Enzo? No… Morgan, through Ella, right?”

Haden didn’t blink. “All of the above.”

I scoffed and stood, wiping my face with the back of my forearm before stalking over to my duffle. I slung it over my shoulder in one fluid motion. The weight didn’t bother me, nothing physical did. It was everything else that was too damn heavy lately.

“You come here to scold me, Don?” I threw the title at him like a curse.

Something flickered in Haden’s eyes. Not anger. Not quite. But something old. Something familiar. He stepped closer, slow and measured, and when he spoke, his voice was low, dangerously so.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous.”

It wasn’t a threat. Not exactly. But I knew that tone. I remembered it from before the suits and the crown. From back when we bled side by side. It wasn’t a warning I could brush off.

And I didn’t want to.

“You’re damn right I’m jealous,” I shot back, louder now. “You got to choose all this. I didn’t! I was just thrown in and told to accept it.”

The words came out like bullets. No filter. No plan. Just truth, ugly and raw.

“I never wanted to be any type of Capo,” I went on. “I only agreed because it was you and me. Because we were supposed to run this thing together. I could still be with my woman, still be a father, still have something that was mine. Now? I barely have time to see her, or my babygirl.”

My chest rose and fell, breaths ragged. Haden didn’t interrupt. He didn’t look away.

“I have to trust fucking Russell to watch over her,” I said, spitting his name like poison. “And I swear, man… he wants Morgan.”

That last line hung in the air.

Heavy.

Haden’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t speak. And in that silence, I realized how far gone I really was. How close I was to either breaking everything or burning it down just to feel in control again.

Haden’s lips twitched slightly, but the smile never fully formed. That half-response only made me more irritated. I stared harder, jaw tightening, waiting for something, anything, more than that unreadable calm he always wore like armor.

“Out of everything you just said,” he finally said, voice steady, “it’s the last sentence that has you the most bothered. Why’d you choose Russell if you don’t trust him?”

“Because I know he will take a bullet for my girls. But Morgan literally laughs at every fucking thing he says.”

That time, Haden did laugh, short and dry, the kind of laugh that said you sound ridiculous, but I get it. He placed a hand on my shoulder, grounding me with that simple gesture.

“You are stressed and that’s understandable. Give it time, you’ll get into a rhythm. Russell isn’t stupid. But if you really don’t trust him, switch him. I can tell you, Ella laughs at everything Tony says. It’s annoying as hell, but I wouldn’t want anyone else looking over her.”

His words helped. Slightly. My muscles loosened just a bit. I trusted Morgan, I really did, it was just… watching her smile at another man made me feel fucking insane. And Russell? I knew that man. Knew the way his energy shifted around beautiful women. He was slick. Charming. Too charming.

“It’s not just that, Haden,” I admitted, the edge still in my voice. “I’m trying to understand why a lot of shit happened. From what it sounds like, you were destined to be Don. Why would Grandpa make you head of us? Matt could’ve been over us, he wanted it.”

Haden’s eyes hardened.

That flicker in his expression told me I was nearing a dangerous line. But I couldn’t stop. It was all spilling out now.

“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t disagree with anything you did, Haden. I just feel like Grandpa could’ve prevented all of it. He pinned his grandsons against each other, so much so that it ended in death. Ella would’ve never had to go through what she did if it wasn’t for Grandpa being hellbent on you running this operation.”

He closed his eyes briefly and inhaled, slow and deliberate, before opening them again. When our gazes met, his face was unreadable. Cold. Controlled.

“It’s simple. Grandpa did it because he wants the Russo name to be added to the head families. That couldn’t happen with Matt. It’s because of who my grandmother is. No more, no less.”

I blinked, caught off guard by how easily he said it. How final it sounded.

“And you knew?” I asked, my voice low.

“No. But Nonna did. She’s updated me on a lot. My advice to you, Luca? Run this the way you want. Not the way Grandpa wants. The truth of the matter is, the Russos will still stay as they are, held in high regard as the powerhouse they are.”

His words settled in slowly, but the weight of them hit hard. I wasn’t just angry anymore. I was resentful. Toward Grandpa. Toward the legacy we were supposed to be proud of. I didn’t understand how he could orchestrate something so cruel. His own grandsons, our blood, brutally murdered by his other grandsons. What kind of man creates that kind of war in his own house?

“Do you regret it?” I asked. I needed to hear the truth. I needed to know if he carried that weight like I did.

“I’ll never regret it because of what they did to my Ella. Matt wasn't remorseful. He liked the pain he caused her. But I blame Grandpa. He could’ve ended it. Just like he could’ve kept Ella away from that fight. He makes dangerous decisions, which is why I’m telling you to run this how you want.”

There was no hesitation in his voice. No trace of uncertainty. That’s what made it real.

“Have you talked to him?” I asked quietly.

“No. Don’t really plan on it. He’s not Capo anymore. I have no business with him.”

I nodded slowly, the tension in my chest loosening with reluctant acceptance. Haden was different now. Not colder, just more resolute. Sharper. Hardened in ways I couldn’t fully understand yet.

But I respected it.

He wasn’t looking for approval anymore. He wasn’t waiting for anyone else’s permission. His crown wasn’t just a title, it was in the way he spoke now, the way he moved. He carried the weight, and he carried it alone.

Maybe I needed to start doing the same.

We were in a new era now.

And Grandpa? He was going to have to live with it.

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Haden

“Sweet pea, why aren’t you responding to Daddy?” my mom asked as she stepped into my office and gracefully took the seat across from me.

Her voice was soft, concerned in that way only a mother’s could be. But I knew better. This wasn’t just a visit. He’d sent her.

I leaned back in my chair, gaze steady, face blank as I met her eyes. Of course he did. He was resorting to guilt now. Sending the one other person, besides Ella I couldn’t snap at.

“There’s nothing we need to talk about,” I said plainly, my voice cool and clipped.

Her brows drew together as she studied me carefully, trying to read beyond the stonewall I’d become.

“Are you upset with him?” she asked, more gently this time.

“I’m not upset. I just see him for who he is.”

Her posture shifted, a slight lean back in the chair, wary now. “What does that mean?”

“It means Grandpa can’t be trusted,” I said, voice sharpening just enough to draw a line. “He’s put my Ella in enough danger. He won’t have the chance to do it again.”

The words sat in the air like a weight. Final. Unforgiving.

My mom didn’t speak at first. She just looked at me, a flicker of sadness passing through her expression. Then, slowly, she nodded.

“He won’t like this,” she murmured.

“He made his bed.”

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Morgan

“There’s the two beautiful ladies!”

I smirked as I turned toward the voice. Russell walked into the kitchen with easy confidence, a teddy bear in one hand and a bouquet of fresh flowers in the other. His smile, paired with those deep dimples, made it hard not to smile back, at least a little.

He handed me the flowers without a word and then knelt to Logan’s level, offering her the stuffed bear. She giggled and grabbed it immediately, giving him a big, toothless grin like he’d just handed her the moon.

“Thank you,” I said softly, touched despite myself.

He shrugged like it was nothing. “No biggie. I just saw you were upset the other day, so I figured flowers always help.”

I turned away before he could see the flush creeping up my neck, walking over to place the bouquet in a nearby vase. The scent of fresh lilies hit me just as the doorbell rang.

And just like that, my smile returned.

I didn’t need to ask who it was. I could recognize that voice anywhere. A moment later, Ella strolled into the kitchen entryway like a breeze, Her hair was straightened and thrown up in a messy bun, but she still looked effortlessly put together. That navy-green maxi dress clung to her in all the right places, drawing attention to the swell of her belly.

She wore pregnancy like a goddess, flawless, glowing.

“You’re the only woman I know to carry twins so flawlessly. You’re literally all belly,” I said, watching her kneel beside Logan and smother her face with kisses. Logan shrieked with laughter, her bear forgotten in the joy of Ella’s attention.

Ella smiled up at me, eyes crinkling with warmth.

“Please, I’m ready for the Haden spawns to get out of me,” she joked, easing herself into a chair with a playful groan.

I laughed just as Tony and Russell re-entered the kitchen. Russell offered us both a smile, but I noticed how his gaze lingered on Ella’s face a second too long.

Tony noticed it too, his brow ticked up, sharp and assessing. But neither of us said a word.

“Those flowers are beautiful,” Ella said, gesturing behind me. “Luca coming around?”

I glanced over my shoulder at them, the vibrant petals now too bright in the center of the kitchen. Her question made something tight coil in my chest. I turned back to her, shaking my head slowly.

“No. Russell got these for me,” I admitted, the words sitting heavy on my tongue.

“Of course,” Tony muttered under his breath. Ella’s eyebrows lifted.

“Really? How… nice.” Her tone was polite, but I knew her too well. I could see her wheels turning behind that calm expression.

“I just figured they would help cheer her up,” Russell chimed in, ever the charmer.

Ella didn’t take her eyes off me. “Tony, can you two give us a moment?”

“You got it, little one,” Tony said, clapping a hand around Russell’s shoulder and guiding him out of the kitchen without another word.

Silence settled for a second before Ella spoke again, firm, no room for misinterpretation.

“You need to get rid of those.”

“What? Why?” I asked, confused by her sudden shift.

Ella sighed, rolling her eyes in that way only she could, half-exasperated, half-protective.

“You don’t like angry Luca. Get rid of the flowers.”

“These are harmless,” I argued, frowning.

“No. They are not.” Her voice didn’t rise, but it sharpened. Her gaze flicked toward the bouquet before landing on me again.

Without another word, she stood up, crossed the room, and pulled the flowers from the vase. Then, with zero hesitation, she tossed them into the trash bin.

“Ella!” I gasped.

“Morgan, don’t be foolish!” she snapped, arms crossing over her chest.

“Russell shouldn’t be bringing you any kind of gifts. Unless it’s your birthday, and you and I both know it certainly is not.”

I bristled. “Tony brings you gifts all the time.”

“No. Tony brings me food. The only time he has ever brought me a gift was on my birthday, and that was after he asked Haden. You think Russell asked Luca?”

I dropped my gaze, heat crawling up the back of my neck. Of course he didn’t ask. But... it stung to realize I couldn’t even remember the last time Luca brought me flowers.

“You’re lonely. I get it. And Russell is charming and insanely handsome. But he works for Luca. You don’t cross certain lines, Morg. Russell is teetering on them.”

I looked away, jaw clenched. She wasn’t wrong. Russell was striking, tall, maybe 6’2”, with a strong, lean build. Not quite as imposing as Luca, but still powerful in his own way. Tattoos wrapped his arms and peeked from under his shirt, and the teardrop inked beneath his eye always caught the light at the worst moments. His dark curls were perpetually tousled, giving him a devil-may-care kind of edge. And those warm brown eyes...

I wasn’t blind. I knew he was handsome. But I’d never thought of him like that. Not seriously. Not with intention. Ella was making me feel guilty for something I hadn’t even acted on.

“Ella, I don’t want Russell,” I said, trying to sound certain. “Besides, I’m sure he’s just that way with pretty women.”

“That may be true,” she said, eyes still sharp, “but you want to be careful, Morg. Crossing lines like that could get him very much killed.”