My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 577

Chapter 577

I blinked.

Of all the things I expected him to say, that wasn’t one of them.

A quiet laugh escaped me, “I wasn’t aware we were being judged aesthetically.”

“You are.”

“And?”

“You improve each other.”

I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms, “That’s surprisingly sentimental.”

“I have one sentimental observation every five years.”

“I’ll mark today’s date.”

The tightness in my chest eased only a little. The files on Toricelli Island were still empty. Leone was still breathing. Ciro was still missing.

And the only thing that kept me sane was that Gianna was still waiting for me at home.

The office door slammed open hard enough to rattle the glass wall behind me.

Vincenzo.

He walked in without waiting to be invited, his face carved from stone, his shoulders rigid. Adriano followed a step behind him, one hand shoved into his pocket, looking far less concerned than the man leading the charge.

Luca quietly moved away from my desk, giving Vincenzo room without saying a word.

Vincenzo walked straight toward my desk. He planted both hands on my desk and looked directly at me, “Are you challenging me? Is that what breakfast was?” he asked. “Some kind of statement?”

I sighed, “No.”

His jaw flexed, “Because that’s exactly how it looked.”

I folded my hands together on my desk, “It wasn’t intended that way.”

His laugh held no humor, “Intentions don’t mean much when everyone at the table watches you hand our mother’s necklace to Salvatore’s stepdaughter.”

Silence.

“You can.”

“You’re right, I can but I won’t.”

His jaw tightened, “That wasn’t a suggestion, that’s an order.”

“I know.”

“Then act accordingly.”

I held his gaze, “I respect you more than anyone in this family, Vince. You’ve earned that. But this isn’t a decision anyone else gets to make for me. I won’t take the necklace back,” I said calmly, “And I won’t end something that neither she nor I want to end. If that’s considered disobeying an order…” I met his eyes without looking away,” then this will be the first one I refuse.”

Vincenzo stared at me for several seconds, “You’re done filling that girl’s head with promises. You stop pretending this has a future. The only way Gianna becomes a Capone… is by signing adoption papers. She’s becoming our sister.”

My answer came before he finished speaking, “You don’t get to decide that.”

“I’ve already decided,” his expression darkened, “And you should be fucking ashamed of yourself. You found a young woman who was vulnerable because she moved into a new home. You’re smart, Raphael, I fucking know that by now you’ve figured out about her disabilities. You knew her mother is dying. You knew she was desperate for something solid to hold onto. And instead of protecting her as family…” he glared straight into my eyes, “…you blurred every fucking line between the two of you.”

I stayed quiet.

“You gave her hope. You gave her our mother’s necklace. You let her believe there was a future where none exists, “his jaw tightened, as he shook his head, “You are older than her. You are smarter than her. You know exactly what emotional dependency looks like. That’s beneath you, Raphael.”