Chapter 51 LI.
ALESSANDRO'S POV.
Minutes later, I was standing in the hallway of Rowan's apartment complex, my fists bruising as I desperately hammered against his door. I screamed his name until my throat burned, but no one answered. The silence from the other side was deafening. There was no sound of footsteps, no turning of a lock—nothing.
"Rowan!" I roared, throwing my weight against the wood. "Rowan, it’s me! Open the fucking door!"
I screamed because I refused to believe what my heart and mind were already whispering to me. It wasn't possible. Rowan couldn't just be gone. I fought back the rising tide of panic, telling myself that we were okay just this morning. We were more than okay.
"Excuse me," a woman’s voice called out from behind me.
I whipped my head around to find a woman in her forties watching me with a mix of curiosity and annoyance. "Who are you looking for? You’re causing a scene and disturbing the other tenants with all this noise."
I turned fully to face her, my chest heaving. "I’m looking for Rowan Bricks. He lives here, but he won’t answer the door. I need to see him."
Her brows arched in realization. "Oh, you mean that handsome gentleman who’s always in a suit? He packed up and moved out this morning. He even handed me the keys himself." She shook her head, sounding puzzled. "It was so unexpected. I was surprised, honestly; he still had a few months left before his lease expired, but he left just like that. He didn't even ask for his deposit back."
I stopped listening. The world around me began to dim, the edges of my vision turning black. My breathing became labored, each shallow lungful of air feeling like lead. My heart grew heavy, sinking into the pit of my stomach.
He left.
The world collapsed before my eyes. I slumped against the cold doorframe, eventually sliding down until I was sitting on the floor. Tears blurred my vision as the reality set in.
He was gone.
All the plans I had made for our future—the life I had envisioned for us—were wasted, destroyed in a single morning. A bitter thought crossed my mind: I must have been delusional to think he truly loved me. Maybe he never did.
But I couldn't accept that. Rowan had proved his love to me a thousand times over, in ways both big and small. He had shown me I was his world, just as he was mine. So, if he truly loved me, why wouldn't he tell me he was leaving? Why would he abandon me as if my feelings meant nothing?
A sudden, sharp thought pierced through my grief, and I straightened up.
What if Rowan didn't leave of his own free will? What if he was forced? Images of my grandfather’s cold eyes and Alessandra’s bitter face flashed in my mind. Had they conspired to take him from me? Had they hidden him away?
Anger, hot and volatile, consumed me. I stood up, my joints stiff, and stomped past the neighbor. She watched me with a look of startled sympathy, but I didn't care.
I better be wrong. Grandfather and Alessandra better not have had a hand in this. If they took him from me, I swear to God I will make their lives a living hell until he is returned.
They were playing with fire, and they had no idea how badly they were about to get burned.
I stormed into the Ricci estate like a madman, blinded by a singular, focused rage. I was seeing red. The mere idea that my own family would go this far to break Rowan again made my blood boil. What was so wrong with choosing happiness? Why couldn't they just let us be?
I found Alessandra in the living room. I didn't hesitate; I marched straight toward the couch where she was sitting and let out a guttural snarl.
"Where is Rowan?"
She looked up at me, her face a mask of feigned confusion. I wasn't buying it. I knew she had done something to push him away. Rowan was already drowning in guilt over our relationship; it wouldn't have taken much for her to tip him over the edge.
"How the hell do you expect me to know where Rowan is?" she snapped back, her voice dripping with venom. "Last I checked, you were the one fucking him behind my back."
"Don't play dumb with me!" I screamed, the volume of my voice making her flinch. "Tell me what you said to him! What the fuck did you and Grandfather do?"
"Stop throwing accusations at me, brother!" Alessandra screamed, standing up to face me squarely. "I have no idea who told you what, but I don't know what the hell you’re talking about!"
"I don't believe you!" I roared. "I thought you, of all people, would understand what it means to love someone. You claim to love him, but you took away his happiness. Yes, we betrayed you, but we are in love! He wants me, not you. Why can't you just accept that? If you were actually a good sister, you’d stop being such a bitch and try to understand!"
The force of her slap caught me off guard. My head snapped to the side, the sting on my cheek finally bringing a cold clarity to my rage. I realized then that I had let my anger go too far.
Tears welled in Alessandra’s eyes. "I loved him first, Alessandro! You were the one who came out of nowhere and stole him! And now you expect me to just be okay with you two going behind my back? You’re a selfish bastard!"
She turned on her heel and stomped upstairs, leaving me standing in the silence of the living room. For a moment, guilt washed over me. Maybe she really didn't know. Maybe I shouldn't have insulted her.
"You were wrong to accuse your sister like that, Alessandro."
I turned toward the entrance. My grandfather stood there, his expression devoid of any emotion.
"She knows nothing of Rowan's departure," he said calmly. "I was the one solely behind it. And I told him not to tell you where he was going, if he truly had any respect left for me as his mentor."
If this man hadn't been my grandfather, I would have punched him with every ounce of strength I possessed. I had always disliked him, but in this moment, I truly hated him.
“So, because you raised him, you think you have the right to dictate his life? To make him live like a loyal dog who only follows your orders?” I gritted my teeth, stepping toward him. “Just because you took him in doesn't mean you own him. He’s not your puppet!”
Unfazed, he replied, “I love Rowan as much as I love you and Alessandra. But he is a rift in this family, and he has to be removed.”
I scoffed in disbelief. “Is that how you settle things? By tearing apart the happiness of the people you claim to love?”
“With Rowan around, Alessandra would never be happy, and she would never forgive you.”
“Then you should have made it clear you loved her more than Rowan or me! This started because you forced him into a relationship he never wanted! You started this mess! If anyone should go away, it’s you!”
His jaw clenched, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. He knew I was right.
“Listen, Alessandro—”
“No!” I snapped. “I’m done listening to your bullshit! Just tell me where he is!”
“Forget him. Focus on your job as president of Ricci Enterprises.”
“I only agreed to that because Rowan convinced me! I did it so I could be with him!” I snorted, my voice dropping to a dangerous low. “You think I would give a shit about your company with him gone?”
Grandfather’s eyes hardened. “Don’t be immature. You don't need Rowan.”
I took a deep, shaky breath to steady myself. Then, I took a final step forward until I was inches from his face, staring him down without a hint of fear.
“I don't need your company either, Grandfather,” I whispered, my voice cold as ice. “You’ve already made me the president. I have the power now. So hear me well: Tell me where Rowan is, or I swear to God, I will burn everything you’ve worked so hard for to the ground. I will make sure Ricci Enterprise collapses into nothing.”
I didn't wait for his answer. I turned and walked toward my room, leaving him standing there in the middle of the hall.
I fucking dared him to test me. If he didn't return Rowan to me, I would destroy his legacy piece by piece.