Chapter Four- Cracks in the Walls- Dante
1021 Words
Seraphina Russo was becoming a problem.
Not because she was dangerous.
Because she wasn’t.
That was exactly the issue.
I stood in the underground office beneath the estate while Matteo explained shipment routes across the table in front of me, but my focus had long disappeared.
Instead, my mind kept replaying the look on Seraphina’s face earlier in the library.
Fear.
Honesty.
And something else I didn’t want to name.
“You’re not listening,” Matteo said finally.
I looked up slowly.
“I heard you.”
“No, you didn’t.”
His irritation barely registered.
Matteo had worked beside me long enough to recognize when my attention drifted. Unfortunately for me, that had been happening more often lately.
Ever since the wedding.
Ever since Seraphina.
“The ports in Naples are compromised,” he repeated carefully. “We need to move the shipments before the Ricci family notices.”
“I’ll handle it tomorrow.”
Matteo narrowed his eyes slightly.
“You mean after you finish staring at your wife through security cameras?”
My gaze darkened instantly.
The room became silent.
Most men would’ve panicked after saying something like that to me.
Matteo only sighed.
“That’s exactly my point.”
I leaned back slowly in my chair, expression unreadable.
“She’s a Russo.”
“And yet you haven’t touched her.”
The observation irritated me more than it should have.
Because he was right.
Weeks into the marriage, and I still hadn’t crossed that line with Seraphina.
Not because I didn’t want to.
Christ.
That was becoming the problem.
Every time she looked at me with those bright blue eyes full of anger and fear, something twisted violently inside me. Something dangerous.
Something I hadn’t felt in years.
Desire mixed with guilt.
Weakness.
“She’s useful alive,” I said coldly.
Matteo gave me a look that clearly said he didn’t believe me.
Before he could respond, another man entered the office hurriedly.
“Boss.”
I turned toward him immediately.
“What?”
The guard hesitated.
“One of the men cornered Mrs. Moretti in the west hallway.”
My body went completely still.
The room temperature seemed to drop instantly.
“Which man?”
“Luca.”
Rage hit me so fast it almost felt physical.
I stood abruptly, the chair scraping harshly against the floor.
“Where is he now?”
“In the courtyard.”
I was already walking before he finished speaking.
The guards moved out of my way instantly as I crossed the estate halls. Every step felt heavier with fury.
Luca was one of the newer soldiers. Loyal enough, but stupid. And stupidity inside my empire usually ended in blood.
The moment I entered the courtyard, silence spread immediately.
Rain drizzled lightly from the dark sky while several men stood nearby watching nervously.
Luca’s face paled when he saw me approaching.
Good.
Fear kept men alive.
“Boss,” he started quickly. “I wasn’t—”
My fist slammed into his jaw before he could finish.
He crashed hard against the ground.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
I grabbed Luca by the collar and hauled him upward violently.
“You touched her?”
Blood spilled from his mouth instantly.
“It was harmless—”
Another punch.
Harder.
“She belongs to me,” I said coldly. “You disrespect her, you disrespect me.”
Fear filled his eyes completely now.
Good.
I released him roughly, letting him collapse back onto the wet ground.
“If I ever hear your name near her again,” I said quietly, “they’ll never find your body.”
The courtyard remained deadly silent.
Everyone understood I meant every word.
I turned away without another glance.
But the anger inside me hadn’t faded.
Not even close.
By the time I reached the second floor hallway, I already knew where Seraphina would be.
Her room.
Two guards stood outside the door immediately straightening when they saw me.
“She’s inside,” one of them said carefully.
I opened the door without knocking.
Seraphina stood near the balcony windows wearing a silk robe, her long black hair falling loosely down her back. She turned sharply at the sound of the door opening.
The second she saw me, tension filled her body.
Then I noticed it.
The bruise forming faintly around her wrist.
Something inside me snapped.
“What happened?”
Her expression hardened instantly.
“Nothing.”
I stepped closer slowly.
“Who touched you?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
The words came out harsher than intended.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Like she hadn’t expected that answer.
I moved closer until I stood directly in front of her. My gaze remained fixed on the bruise while rage simmered beneath my skin again.
“Did he hurt you?”
Seraphina looked away first.
“He grabbed me.”
The image alone nearly pushed me toward violence again.
I reached for her wrist carefully.
Immediately, her breathing changed.
But she didn’t pull away.
My thumb brushed lightly over the bruise.
Her skin was soft.
Too soft for this world.
“He won’t touch you again,” I said quietly.
Seraphina stared at me silently for a moment before speaking.
“Why do you care?”
I looked up slowly.
“Because you’re my wife.”
“That’s not the real reason.”
Her voice softened unexpectedly.
And somehow… that softness hit harder than anger ever could.
I released her wrist immediately.
Dangerous.
Everything about this woman was becoming dangerous.
“You should sleep,” I muttered.
I turned toward the door quickly before this conversation became something worse.
But her voice stopped me.
“You killed someone tonight, didn’t you?”
I paused.
Silence stretched heavily between us.
Then I answered honestly.
“Not tonight.”
When I looked back at her, something unexpected flickered across her face.
Not fear, understanding.
And somehow… that terrified me more than anything else.
Because the walls between us were beginning to c***k.
And if they broke completely..
Neither of us would survive the fallout.
- Writer
