Page 21 of Blood Heir

“So what?” I mutter, though I can already feel the familiar anger bubbling in my chest.

Cassian leans forward slightly, his grin widening. “The Fioretta you want only had eyes for you. And you’re mad that’s gone.”

I clench my fist, the muscles in my arm tightening with an almost violent force. But instead of answering, I reach for the lamp on my desk. Without a second thought, I hurl it toward Cassian, the ceramic base sailing through the air, heading straight for his head.

Cassian ducks, laughing, as the lamp crashes into the wall behind him, the pieces scattering in all directions.

“You’re insane!” I shout, but my voice is thick with frustration and rage.

Cassian straightens, still grinning, and I can see that he’s not intimidated in the slightest. His eyes are dancing with amusement. “Is that the best you’ve got?” he teases, completely unbothered by the near miss.

“I don’t have time for this,” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose. My head is starting to pound. I can feel the weight of the day crashing into me, and I just want to get this over with.

Talk to me seriously, I think.

But Cassian won’t stop pushing my buttons.

“Update me on the ports,” I order, my voice coming out strained, desperate for a change of topic. “And get the hell out of my office before I kill you.”

Cassian stands, his cigar still hanging loosely from his mouth, and gives me a lazy salute. “Sure thing, Boss.”

I try to ignore the twinkle in his eyes.

“The shipment from the port won’t pass through until the routes get the go-ahead from Fioretta herself,” he says, his voicelow but confident. “We’re in a standoff, and they’re not gonna move until she gives the green light.”

Cassian’s expression is grim. “D’Angelis had it locked down, and it’s Fioretta’s to command. No one moves without her say-so. They’ve always listened to her. She’s the boss when it comes to the docks.”

I close my eyes for a brief second, frustration bubbling up from the pit of my stomach.

“Halt everything,” I say through gritted teeth, the words coming out sharp, cutting through the air. “Stop the shipments until I can figure out how to get Fioretta to hand me control of the port.”

Cassian’s lips curl into a smirk. “They won’t accept anyone but Fioretta. She’s the one who runs the show down there. We can’t force them to listen to anyone else. Hell, we don’t even know if she’ll listen to you.”

I groan, my fingers tightening into fists at my sides. “I’ll figure it out,” I snap.

My mind races through every possible plan, every angle to get her to trust me enough to relinquish control. There has to be a way. There always is.

Cassian stands up, stretching out his limbs with a grunt, clearly unbothered by my tension. “Fioretta loved you unrequited for so long,” he says, flicking the ash off his cigar and watching it float to the floor. His grin widens, mischievous. “Maybe this is nature’s way of balancing it out, huh?”

I narrow my eyes, not in the mood for his jokes. My anger simmers beneath the surface, a wave of heat rising as I stare at him. “I’ll kill you,” I growl, the words slipping out before I can stop them.

Cassian raises his hands in mock surrender, still grinning. “Alright, alright,” he chuckles, his voice light but tinged with amusement. He turns to leave the room, still smoking the cigar, the smoke curling in the air like a signal of his arrogance. “I’ll leave you to it, Boss. You’re on your own for this one.”

^^^^

Nightfall has settled over the villa, the shadows creeping along the floors as I walk through the hall toward my wing. The house is quiet, save for the distant hum of the night settling in.

As I approach my door, I hear it. The cursing, loud and clear, bouncing off the walls. The sound grates on my nerves before I even reach the door. I stop, my hand frozen just before I touch the handle.

I asked for her to be locked up in my room, but I had almost forgotten she would be this…volatile. It’s the first time since everything started that I’m unsure of how to handle her. The woman she is now—so loud, so unpredictable—is a challenge I hadn’t prepared for.

I push the door open slowly, and what I see makes my stomach tighten.

Fioretta is tied to the table in the center of the room, her hands bound, the cuffs digging into her skin. The welts are already forming, red and angry from the struggle. She’s pulling at the chains like an animal caught in a trap, her breaths coming in quick bursts. Her face is flushed, her eyes wide with frustration, her body jerking as she tries to free herself.

And then she sees me.

“You evil, bad, bad man!” Her voice is sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. “What kind of animal locks their wife up like this?”

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