5

I watch my older brother walk away and curse the Mennetti family. They've always caused problems for my father. Our family businesses are in constant competition, but clearly it's become more than that. A power struggle is happening and now people are in danger of getting shot down like in some gangster movie. A chill runs through me as I lift my phone up and pull up a search engine.

Until now, the Mennetti family has never really interested me. They were just always the bad guys to avoid and fear. Like the monster under the bed. You never saw it, but you knew it was down there irking, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

I type "Nolan Mennetti, Chicago," into the search bar and a ton of hits pop up. Ignoring the articles, I hit the images button, wanting to see what Nolan Mennetti looks like. Wanting to see the man who's now clinging to life in the hospital and whose family is out for my family's blood.

Nolan Mennetti looks to be in his early 50s with a head of thick, dark hair and ice-blue eyes. I suppose he's handsome for an older man, but there's no missing the ruthlessness in his eyes.

Another chill shoots down my spine and I tilt my head, studying his image, then enlarging it. Something seems vaguely familiar about him, but I've never met the man. Never even saw him until this very moment.

Swiping through the pictures, I pause on one of him and his wife at a charity event. Maeve Mennetti has strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She's very pretty and looks elegant and approachable unlike her husband.

I flick to the next photo and frown. It almost looks like...

I slap a hand over my mouth. "No. It can't be."

Holding my breath, unable to reconcile the image on my phone with the name beneath his picture, my mouth drops open. Shock assaults me as I re-read the caption again: "Connor Mennetti, businessman Nolan Mennetti's oldest son, attends the opera with his date, Shelby Walsh."

Holy shit. Squeezing my eyes shut, it hits me like a punch to the gut: Connor Mennetti is the man I went home with last night. The man I gave my virginity to and whose family hates mine with a passion. So much so that Connor himself declared war on us.

"Oh, my God. This...this can't be happening."

My world begins spinning, madly out of control, and I grab the edge of the table as dizziness sweeps over me.

Maybe you're wrong, a little voice whispers.

Enlarging the picture on my phone, I stare into my enemy's bright cobalt eyes. It's him...Gideon.

No doubt about it. I feel sick and lay a hand over my stomach. What did I do? Out of all the men in that bar last night, how in the hell did I choose Connor Mennetti? It's like a cruel joke. A morbid twist of fate.

But then I remember how sweet he was to me. How he took his time with me last night and made sure to be a gentle and considerate lover. How he wiped the blood from between my thighs and held me for hours afterward.

How can this be the same man? It doesn't make sense.

And it scares the hell out of me because I don't hate him. Not even close. If anything, I'm falling for the enemy.

—

Over the next few days, I stay home and nearly drive myself crazy trying to understand how Gideon could be Connor. The more time I think about it, the more I remember. He was just as cagey as I was about revealing personal information. We both shortened our names, and we didn't reveal a last name or occupation. He'd merely said he worked in the family business.

If that isn't the understatement of the year then I don't know what is.

A part of me wants to visit Antonio and ask him questions about what happened, but I don't dare. My father and Gio both gave strict orders to stay in the main part of the family brownstone, so I do what they say and spend my days mulling over the absolute insanity of the secret I'm keeping.

Obviously, Connor had no idea who I was, or he probably would've stabbed me with something a little sharper than his cock.

Hopefully, he'll never find out.

Just as that morbid thought passes through my head, my father appears.

"Trisha, a photographer will be coming to the house next Friday. You and Antonio will have engagement photos taken and it will be announced in the newspaper."

My heart sinks. With everything that's been happening, I was hoping my dad had forgotten or would at least postpone the engagement. No such luck.

"Yes. Father."

I know how much stress he's been under, and I don't want to aggravate him. But I am curious about what's happening.

"How is Nolan Mennetti?" I ask carefully.

"A huge pain in my ass like he's always been."

"I mean, is he still alive?"

"Yes," he grits out. "But probably not for long."

I can hear the worry in his voice, though.

"Are they going to come after us?" I ask quietly.

"You don't need to worry about that, my good girl. Just stay home for now and I will make sure everything is taken care of and that you, your mother and siblings are protected. Okay?"

I nod, but I'm still concerned. Especially for Gio who has been working more and more with my dad. If he becomes a main target and something happens...I can't even think about it. Even though I'm closer to Solana and Luca, I love Gio and would be devastated if anything happened to him.