My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 682

Chapter 682

I looked away, “They’re my family.”

“So am I.”

“You are,” I swallowed, “But loving you doesn’t mean I have to stop loving them.”

Silence settled between us.

Dad let out a slow breath, “I’m a Don, Gianna. I don’t solve every problem with bullets. That’s what insecure little men do.”

He looked toward the line of Capone soldiers standing watch over the cemetery.

eyes

“Wars are expensive. They waste soldiers. They create widows. They leave children without fathers,” his returned to mine, “If I can achieve the same result without firing a single shot. Why would I choose the louder option?”

I searched his face carefully, “So you won’t hurt them?”

He held my gaze, then gave a quiet, almost amused shake of his head, “The cleanest victory is the one where nobody realizes they’ve already lost until it’s over.”

I raised an eyebrow, “So you’re promising me?”

He nodded, “I’m promising you this. I won’t waste lives where a conversation, a favor, a debt, or time itself can accomplish more. There are many ways to move a mountain, principessa. The least intelligent man reaches for dynamite first. I’ve never liked unnecessary noise.”

Raphael

The restaurant had been emptied two hours before any of us arrived, there were no customers, no waiters wandering between tables, only trusted staff.

Every entrance had armed men posted outside. Every window had already been checked. Even the kitchen had been swept twice.

That alone told me Giovanni Toricelli had planned this meeting carefully.

He wasn’t here to lose control, neither were we. I sat at Vincenzo’s right. Adriano occupied the chair to his left, looking relaxed enough that anyone watching would mistake him for the least dangerous man in the room.

Across the table sat Don Giovanni Toricelli. His cane rested against his chair. He looked calm, way too calm to be sitting in our territory.

It was a negotiation.

Vincenzo broke the silence first, “You chose a restaurant. I’m curious. Were you worried we’d kill you in our house? Considering we’ve shown nothing but respect since you arrived in Chicago.”

He looked first at Vincenzo.

Then at me.

Then Adriano.

“I’ve exhausted every respectful avenue available to me. I asked. I waited. I compromised. I accepted conditions I normally wouldn’t but… I will not spend the rest of my life asking permission to see my own daughter.”

Vincenzo didn’t blink. Neither did I.

Giovanni continued, “I don’t want a war. I don’t want blood on the streets. I have no interest in burying good soldiers over a family matter. And the last thing I want is to create unnecessary problems with La Famiglia in New York.”

His eyes hardened.

“But I also won’t walk away. So I’m here one final time. Let Gianna come to Philadelphia. No fighting, no games, no unnecessary displays of strength. She spends time with me. She returns to Chicago if she chooses..Everyone keeps their men. Everyone keeps their dignity.”

He paused, again looking at all of us.

“If we can agree to that, this meeting ends peacefully.”