(Alessandro’s POV)
The ride back to the Citadel was a silent, grim affair. The victory at the club was a cold, clinical thing, a necessary step on a bloody path. We had the snake. Now, it was time to descend into the darkness and charm it into singing.
I bypassed the private elevator to my penthouse, heading instead for the secure entrance that led to the Citadel’s heart—and its dungeons. But before the interrogation could begin, there was one thing I had to do. I took a separate elevator up, the quiet ascent a journey between the two halves of my world: the brutal reality of my business and the fragile sanctuary I had found with Isabella.
She was waiting for me in the study, a lone figure surrounded by the ghosts of our fathers’ ledgers. The moment I entered, she was on her feet, her e
