Page 164 of Mine Again
I let out a harsh breath, the old frustration twisting inside me.
“And your father… he dictated the terms. I hated bending to him, but he made it clear we could only marry once the De Marcos were dethroned. With me on the run and no leverage to fight back, I had no choice but to agree.”
She nods, but I see the sadness creeping back into her face.
“Did my father really believe he and his allies could topple a century-old bloodline? That’s insane.”
“Still, insane succeeded, didn’t it?” I reply.
“Only because Mateo didn’t want to be Don. He was tired of fighting battles that weren’t his.”
“The result is the same, though. The power has shifted.”
Silence follows. She’s mulling over everything, the gears turning in her head.
“Did you help him?” she asks. “My father, I mean. Did you help bring down the De Marcos?”
I sigh. This was a point of tension between me and her father for nearly five years.
“He wanted me to. And there were moments I was tempted. I missed you so damn much. I wanted a way back to you, badly. But I couldn’t do it.”
I sit up a little, adjusting my posture so I can face her.
“I swore an oath of loyalty to the De Marcos when I had their family crest tattooed on my shoulder at eighteen… like my father and his father before him.
“But unlike my father, oaths and promises mean something to me. They’re not just tradition; they’re a foundation. That system may have exiled me, but it never wronged me.
"The rules were always clear. My father broke them, and the consequences followed. That didn’t mean I would betray my oath, just as I could never break my promise to you.”
Isa watches me, silent now.
“I kept looking for another way. A different angle to work around your father’s terms.”
She frowns. “What angle?”
“I kept tabs on Uberto. As I mentioned, I helped him out once. Through that, I managed to install firmware that gave me limited access to their internal systems. Nothing visible, nothing traceable, but enough to keep me informed.”
I study her expression. She’s curious now, but wary.
“When Gualtiero De Marco’s girl ran, I saw the communication threads. His digital footprint was frantic. He was trying everything to find her.”
Isa nods. “It shocked everyone that she got away. But it wasn’t a secret she wanted nothing to do with the mafia life. And who can blame her? She was never exposed to it.”
“True. But what caught my attention wasn’t that she left. It was what Gualtiero did next.”
“What do you mean?”
“He himself moved money into offshore accounts. Secured new identities. Bought transport in key locations. Private planes. Unregistered vehicles. He wasn’t just searching. He was planning to disappear.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “Are you saying Don De Marco isn’t really dead? He got shot. Mari was at the hospital. She saw him.”
“He was definitely shot. There were complications. But ask yourself, Isa… was there an open-casket funeral?”
She stares at me, stunned.
“You mean… we were all grieving a lie?” she asks, her voice tight. “And Mateo knew?”
“If he did, he would have been sworn to silence. And if Mari knows, she’d be under the same burden. So don’t blame her. She wouldn’t have had a choice.”
