Page 58 of Beneath the Shadows

My disgust for him grows. The restaurant is the last place Alessia should be. He uses the downstairs as his personal whorehouse where he fucks Lena as often as possible. Forcing his wife into that environment is sickening.

But I can't show it.

"That makes sense," I manage to say, each word tasting bitter.

"Excellent," he says, leaning back. "I knew I could count on you."

“I’ll always have your back.”

Vigo launches into a ramble about responsibilities and expectations, but I barely hear him. My thoughts are consumed with his downfall. His arrogance will be his undoing.

"I want to throw a party," he says suddenly, clapping his hands.

"For what?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"To celebrate your promotion, of course," he says, oozing condescension.

"If that’s what you want," I say, standing to leave. "I’ve got some leads I need to follow up on."

"Fine." He waves me off dismissively. "Plan something for Friday night at the restaurant."

I pause at the door, my hand on the knob. "You want me to plan my own party?"

He looks up from his phone, incredulous. "You don’t think I’m doing it, do you?"

"Of course not," I say smoothly. "I’ll take care of it."

"Good," he mutters, already returning to his texts.

It isn’t until I get outside that I’m able take a deep breath. Looking up at the sky, I whisper, "I won’t let your death go unpunished, Dad.”

Dante appears at my side. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah," I say, glancing between him and Alessia. "Did you get any good shots today?"

Alessia’s face lights up. "I think so. The park was so full of life. I didn’t want to come home."

"You were at the park the whole time?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

She nods slowly. "I must’ve dragged Dante around a million times."

I turn my gaze to Dante, who just shrugs, unaware that I already know about Alessia's activities. "And how was the gallery?" I ask, gauging her reaction.

Panic flashes across her face. "Don’t worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Relief washes over her. "Thank you, Anton."

Hearing her call meAntonagain stirs something in me. She hasn’t called me that since we were teenagers, before Valentino’s influence tainted everything. For a moment, the memory lingers, dark and bitter, but I bury it quickly. The poison's still here, and I can’t let it spread any further.

"You’d better go inside before he starts looking for you."

She’s taken enough chances today. The last thing she needs is for Vigo to see her speaking to us and decide he needs to teach her another lesson.

"Thanks again, Dante," she says, shooting him a grateful smile before slipping into the house.

"How’d you know about the gallery?" Dante asks, his voice low.

"I’ve taken her a few times.”

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