Page 30 of His Enemy's Daughter
The accuracy of his read lands like a punch.
“Fine.” I meet his gaze directly. “Yes. I care about her. Happy?”
“Not particularly.” But there’s understanding in his voice. “Because caring about someone in this life—our life—means accepting they might die for being associated with you. It means living with that fear every day. And it means sometimes making choices that hurt because keeping them safe matters more than keeping them close.”
“Speaking from experience?”
“Always.” His expression softens slightly. “Loriana changed everything for me. Made me want things I never thought possible. But it also made me vulnerable in ways I’d never been before. Every threat against the family is a threat against her. Every decision I make has to factor in her safety and Alessandro’s. Love—real love—is the most dangerous thing we can do.”
“I’m not in love with Regina Picarelli,” I insist. “I barely know her. It’s an attraction. Desire. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a woman. My body is simply reacting to that.”
“You know enough to risk approaching her. Enough to trust her intelligence. Enough to worry about her safety.” Simeone refills both our glasses. “The question is whether you know enough to walk away if that’s what protects her.”
“I don’t know if I can walk away.” The confession tastes like failure. “We need her intelligence to dismantle Sabino’s operations. And she needs our help to escape before he forces her into marriage. Walking away means abandoning her to a life she doesn’t want.”
“Then don’t walk away.” His advice surprises me. “But set boundaries. Make it clear what’s partnership and what’s personal attraction. Keep those lines visible even when they’re hard to maintain.”
“You make it sound simple.”
“It’s not simple—it’s necessary.” He echoes my earlier words to Regina. “You haven’t been out of prison long, Mauricio. You’re still learning to navigate a world that moved on without you. Don’t add romantic complications to an already complicated situation until you’re certain you can handle them.”
“And if I’m never certain?”
“Then you stay in the gray area between wanting and having.” His smile is tinged with sympathy. “Trust me—it’s better than the alternative.”
We drink in silence, two men who’ve sacrificed too much and want too little, trying to figure out how to survive in a world that doesn’t forgive weakness.
After I finish yet another glass, I look up to find Simeone watching me with knowing eyes.
“What?” I ask defensively.
“Nothing.” But his smile suggests otherwise. “Just recognizing the look of a man who’s already more involved than he wants to admit.”
“Shut up.”
“Never.” He refills our glasses, then raises his in mock salute. “Welcome back to the world of the living,fratello. Try not to let it kill you.”
I return the gesture, drinking to survival and complications and women with green eyes who make me want things I’ve learned not to want.
Outside, the estate lights paint everything in false security. Inside, my chest is tight with something that might be fear or anticipation or both.
9
Regina
“Congratulations,figlia mia. You’re going to marry Lorenzo Di Noto.”
The words land like bullets, each syllable finding its mark with surgical precision. I’m standing in Father’s study, but this directive freezes the blood in my veins.
Lorenzo Di Noto. The heir who cornered me at the gala, who looked at me like property he was already calculating how to control.
“Father, I—” My voice cracks before I can stop it.
“His family has to take care of some business, so the wedding will take place in six weeks.” He doesn’t look up from the documents he’s signing. “His family controls the western territories. The alliance will strengthen our position considerably.”
Six weeks. Forty-two days until I become property.
“Father, please.” The desperation leaks through despite years of training. “Lorenzo Di Noto told me educated women make difficult wives. That if you could control me, he could too. He sees me as furniture—”
