Page 59 of Heir of Darkness

Valerio could only roll his eyes. He didn’t think she felt that way anymore, or at least he hoped she didn’t. “I’m not telling you anything.”

“You’re no fun. Like at all.”

Valerio sighed. “We’ve been communicating and it’s been good for us.”

Dante looked at him suspiciously. “Nah, it’s something else.”

“I’m not going to gossip about my relationship with you.”

“Oh, so it’s officially a relationship.”

“I’m marrying the girl,” he said. “Of course it’s a relationship.”

“I should have known something changed. You’ve been nicer than usual,” Dante told him, propping open the window. He grabbed the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, sticking one in his mouth and lighting it.

Valerio grabbed it, throwing it out his own window. “No smoking in here.”

“Never mind, I take that back,” he said. He stuck the box back in his pocket, crossing his arms. That was until he saw the small ring box on the dashboard. His eyes widened. “You gave her the ring?”

Valerio nodded slowly. “I did.”

“And she accepted it?”

“She did.”

“So she’s really in this then?” Dante asked, looking over at his older brother. “She’s actually giving you a chance?”

“I’m pretty sure she is,” he said, letting out a long breath. Finally, it seemed that she had accepted it. Or at the very least she stopped hating him enough to attempt to give him a chance.

“So you’ll be showing off your fiancée at your party?” Dante asked. “Perfect timing.”

“Yeah, the fucking PG party that you’re going to throw,” Valerio said. He drove wildly through the streets, trying to get to his father’s house for the random meeting he’d called.

“She’s just jealous; that’s why she’s so against it,” Dante told him.

Valerio turned to look at him. “Wow, who would have thought that she wouldn’t want her fiancé having half-naked women dancing around at his birthday party.”

“Whatever. It kinda sucks that you’re engaged now,” Dante said. “You were so much more fun before.”

“No, I wasn’t. And I was always engaged to her,” he said. They pulled up at their father’s mansion, stopping at the guard stand where their identity was checked before the gates opened for them. Valerio drove in, parking right in front of the door.

He turned off the car, getting out. Dante followed after him, muttering something he couldn’t hear and didn’t care to. He loved his younger brother, but Dante had the annoying quality where he always poked and pried more than he wanted. Everyone knew Valerio was a private person, but Dante was oneof two people who could truly get him to open up against his will. And now, Luna was the second.

They walked the familiar halls they grew up in, but instead of family portraits that once lined the white walls, random artwork replaced them. It made the space feel completely foreign even after spending seventeen years of his life in this house. Was it his mother dying that left this foreign feeling or finally leaving for Italy that drove the final nail in the coffin?

They made their way up the stairs, walking down the long hallway to get to their father’s study. His loud voice echoed through the halls as he screamed at someone he most likely believed had betrayed him.

His father was that type of person; fragile with his loyalty. He shot first and asked questions second. If he even smelt an inkling of betrayal or traitorous behavior around him, he eradicated it. But never head on. Everyone knew Cesare Vitali’s specialty was a bullet to the back. If anyone turned their back on him, he paid them the same respect.

The one thing he could admire about his father was his strong sense of loyalty, but his specialty always screamed cowardly. Valerio never shied away from looking someone in the eyes when he took their life away. He wanted his face to be the last thing a traitor saw before they went straight to hell.

Valerio knocked on the door, waiting to hear his father bark the usual “What?” When it came, he pushed the door open, walking into the room with Dante following.

Cesare Vitali eyed his sons for a long moment before he turned to look at the man that sat in front of him. All it took was a flick of his wrist to have the man stumble out of the door. Valerio could only stare at the man running out in pity, before he took a seat on one of the chairs in front of the grand mahogany desk. Dante closed the door, taking the seat right beside Valerio.The leather of the chair whined under his weight, leaving the room in silence.

Valerio was the one to break it. “Why have you called us here?”

Cesare took his seat finally. He stretched the time, making sure he was in control of the situation as much as possible. He finally leaned back in his seat, representing a calm demeanor, but there was an edge in his eyes. “I received a copy of the contract. I didn’t realize you re-signed it.”

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