We were Born to Die

Chapter 20

"Look, Daniella. If you're here to convince me to change my mind about going on that mission with Enrico, you're wasting your time," I declared, my voice firm and resolute.

She met my gaze, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she began to speak. "You remember when I told you about how I was..." She paused, a heavy sigh escaping her lips before she continued, "...how Carmine DiCaprio saved me and took me in? I owe him my life, just like Enrico owes his. But that doesn't mean he can just dictate what I do or involve me in his schemes," she asserted, her eyes locking onto mine, her piercing blue gaze meeting my hazel one with unwavering intensity.

"He's not a bad person, you know," she insisted, her tone pleading, as if she desperately wanted me to understand. "He's just... different."

I couldn't help but scoff at her defense. "Different, huh? More like manipulative," I retorted, my words laced with bitterness and resentment. I had seen Enrico's influence firsthand, and I knew the hold he had over people like Daniella.

"He's been through a lot," Daniella countered, her voice softening as she spoke. "His childhood was... complicated."

I shook my head, refusing to accept her excuses. "Whatever he's been through doesn't give him the right to control others," I argued, my frustration bubbling to the surface.

But Daniella persisted, her gaze pleading with me to reconsider. "You don't understand, he's not like that because he wants to be. He's... damaged," she confessed, her words heavy with emotion. "I can't say more, it's not my place. But please, just give him a chance."

Her hopeful expression tugged at my heartstrings, and for a moment, I found myself wavering. But then I remembered the cold, calculating look in Enrico's eyes, the way he manipulated those around him without remorse. No, I couldn't let myself be swayed by Daniella's words. Enrico might have saved her life, but that didn't give him the right to control mine. With a heavy sigh, I shook my head, my resolve hardening once more. "I'm sorry, Daniella. But I can't do it. I won't be another pawn in his game," I declared, my voice firm despite the doubts gnawing at my heart.

The night stretched endlessly before me, each passing moment weighed down by the burden of my thoughts. Enrico occupied every corner of my mind, his presence both alluring and terrifying. He was a monster, a devil cloaked in the guise of a man, and yet my heart betrayed me, whispering secrets of desire I dared not acknowledge.

For hours, I tossed and turned in my bed, the sheets twisted around my restless form as if mirroring the turmoil within. Enrico's image danced in the shadows of my room, his piercing gaze haunting my every thought. I knew the danger he posed, the darkness that lurked beneath his charming facade, but still, I couldn't shake the feeling of longing that consumed me.

With each passing minute, my resolve wavered, the lines between right and wrong blurring into a tangled mess of confusion. Was it possible to love a man like Enrico, to find solace in the arms of a devil? The question echoed in the recesses of my mind, unanswered and unyielding.

Finally, unable to bear the suffocating weight of my thoughts any longer, I rose from my bed with a sense of purpose. Perhaps a drink would offer some respite, a temporary reprieve from the torment of my own mind. Silently, I crept down the stairs, the darkness of the night enveloping me like a shroud.

But as I reached the bottom step, my heart stuttered in my chest at the sight before me. There, in the dimly lit bar, sat Matteo, my brother, his disheveled appearance a testament to the inner turmoil that plagued us both. His hair was mussed, his tie askew, and his eyes clouded with the weight of the world.

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips despite the heaviness in my heart as I took the seat beside him. "Again," I murmured, my voice a soft whisper in the silence of the room.

Matteo glanced up at me, his expression a mix of surprise and resignation. "You again," he replied, his words tinged with a weary acceptance of our shared fate.

I reached for the bottle he held out to me, the cool glass offering a small measure of comfort against the turmoil raging within. "What is it now?" I asked, my voice laced with a mixture of concern and curiosity.

Matteo let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping with the weight of his burdens. "Work," he muttered, his words heavy with frustration. "It's all messed up. Our dealers, they're leaving us stranded for someone else."

I watched as he took a long swallow from the bottle, his Adam's apple bobbing with the motion. "And this new guy," I ventured, my voice barely above a whisper as I dared to broach the subject that had been looming between us for days.

Matteo shook his head, his gaze fixed on some distant point beyond the confines of the room. "He's someone new in the business," he explained, his words tinged with a note of uncertainty. "Working anonymously, like a shadow in the night."

"But what about you and Daniella?" he asked, his voice suddenly tinged with a hint of curiosity. It was a question I had been dreading, the elephant in the room that neither of us dared to acknowledge.

I felt a knot form in the pit of my stomach as I struggled to find the words to explain the turmoil that had consumed me since the moment Enrico had entered my life. "It's complicated," I replied at last, my voice barely above a whisper as I wrestled with the conflicting emotions that threatened to consume me.

The air in the room was thick with tension as Matteo's words hung in the air like a heavy fog. My heart raced, and I could feel the weight of his gaze boring into me, searching for the truth hidden beneath my facade. His concern was palpable, his eyes piercing through my defenses as if they could unravel every secret I held.

"You seem more than that," Matteo's voice broke the silence, sending shivers down my spine. The words cut through the air, slicing through the tense atmosphere like a knife through butter. Matteo's gaze bore into mine, probing, searching for answers I wasn't sure I could give. My brother's question hung in the air, heavy and pregnant with suspicion, and I felt a lump form in my throat as I struggled to find the right words to dispel his doubts.

"No. No, it's not like that," I managed to croak out, my voice trembling slightly as I tried to compose myself. But Matteo's stare remained unwavering, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.

"Are you and Daniella in some kind of..." Matteo's voice trailed off, his words hanging in the air like a dark cloud threatening to burst. He hesitated, as if carefully choosing his next words, before finally settling on a question that made my heart race with fear. "Are you both blackmailed and got into some work that you are forced to do?"

I couldn't help but laugh, the sound coming out strained and hollow as I struggled to mask the panic bubbling up inside me. "You do know what you're talking about, Mat," I replied, forcing a smile onto my lips even as my heart hammered against my chest. "Because you seem totally drunk to me. Me and Daniella blackmailed. Who would dare to do that, like everyone knows about Falconetti brothers so no one would dare to. And besides, Daniella and I, we're not dumb."

But Matteo didn't look convinced, his brow furrowed in deep thought as he mulled over my words. "I guess I'm too drunk," he finally admitted, his voice heavy with resignation as he rose from his seat. He reached for his blazer, clutching it tightly in his hand as he leaned in to press a kiss against my forehead. "Don't drink too much," he murmured softly, his breath warm against my skin. "And be ready on time, you and I are going to spend tomorrow together."

His words hung in the air, leaving me stunned and breathless as I watched him leave, the bottle of wine forgotten on the table beside me.