Chapter 59

Dominic POV

They left Russia earlier than expected.

The final meeting with Alek had been brief and thankfully cordial, if somewhat cold. No voices were raised. No threats exchanged. Just two powerful men parting ways with a quiet understanding that things could have gone very differently, and that maybe, deep down, they both knew it was all for the best.

Alek had looked disappointed, sure, but there had also been something else in his eyes when he shook Dominic’s hand. Respect, maybe or at the very least, acknowledgment. Dominic had stood firm in his decision not to hand over Gianna and Alek hadn’t pressed the issue since.

That alone was a small miracle.

As soon as they boarded the jet, he told Romero that before returning home, they would be making a pit stop.

Romero raised an eyebrow. “Pit stop? To where?”

“I figured since I stole the twins without any warning and plan on keeping them in the States until further notice… I should pay their family a visit.” Dominic told him casually, staring out the window as the plane broke through clouds and leveled off in altitude.

Romero blinked. “To Italy? I’m surprised you’re bothering with visiting distant relatives.”

“They are my mother’s extended family. I used to be close with them when she was still alive.”

Romero stared at him for a long moment. “I remember that. I’m simply surprised you want to keep up some sort of relationship with them. You never mentioned wanting to before this.”

“Does it matter?” Dominic smirked faintly. “Grab us a drink, will you? It’s a long flight.”

They landed just before dusk, the sun casting long golden streaks across the rolling mountains off in the distance.

The small village that was the twins’ hometown was nestled between large hills. The streets were narrow, the houses made of warm stone and faded-colored shutters. It smelled like herbs and woodsmoke as they made their way through the streets. All of this felt strangely familiar, like a memory Dominic hadn’t dared to touch in years.

Which made sense—e hadn’t set foot in this place since his mother’s passing. Not because he wasn’t welcome, but because coming back had always felt too raw.

The twins’ mother, Rosalina, met them at the gate of a modest countryside villa with open arms, laughter in her voice and flour on her apron when she greeted them both.

“Oh, caro! It is so good to see you. My, my, how much you’ve grown!”

She cupped his face like he was a boy again, pinching his cheeks in a way only she was allowed to do without losing her hand.

Romero was quickly whisked away before he could protest, dragged off by three of the older aunties into the kitchen with cries of, “You used to help with the dough, don’t lie to me!” and “You think you're too grown now, Romero? Ha! Roll these meatballs!”

Dominic couldn’t help the faint smile that tugged at his lips as he watched it all unfold.

He’d forgotten that this was what family looked like.

It had him wondering how Aurora would eventually fit into all of it.

He followed Rosalina out to the back patio where they sat beneath a trellis covered in jasmine and wisteria, the flowers swaying gently in the breeze as they relaxed with a bottle of pinot shared between them.

“So,” Rosalina said after pouring them both a glass of it. “You steal my boys and then come here to visit. Why can’t you come when you are supposed to, caro?”

Dominic huffed. “I’m busy.”

“Busy overthrowing your father’s regime?”

He arched an eyebrow at her, surprised she was even bringing it up in the first place. She only shrugged in return. “Don’t look at me like that. I am not judging. Only saying. You need to eat more if you plan on running this family.”

That had him snorting.

Leave it to his auntie to be worried about his stomach rather than how many bullets would soon be flying his way once he actually went through with toppling over what his father built.

“I am glad you took the boys with you. They have missed you, you know.”

“They’ll make good additions to my inner circle. As long as they stop trying to go behind my back and disregard orders I specifically give them.”

She laughed softly. “They’ve always been like that. Stubborn, full of fire.”

He nodded. Unfortunately, he knew that all too well. His cousins meant well but there was a time and a place when it came to disobedience. Aurora was among one of the very things he had no tolerance for when it came to not doing as instructed.

At the very least, not taking her back to that god forsaken estate.

“So. Tell me about the girl.”

Dominic stiffened, glancing over at her while sipping from his glass. “What girl?”

She smacked his arm lightly—another thing only his family would be able to get away with without a gun being pressed to their forehead in response. “Don’t be stupid. I’m talking about your fiancée.”

“How did you…?”

“I may live in the hills, but I’m not cut off from the world. Luca called. Said you’ve got yourself a bride.”

Dominic hesitated, just for a moment before saying, “Her name is Aurora.”

Rosalina’s eyes practically sparkled. “And?”

“She’s the daughter of an ally. She came into my life in a bit of a… complicated way. We’ve decided to marry in a few weeks.”

She laughed again. “Good. Only the complicated ones are worth marrying. Keeps things lively. Much more fun that way.”

“You sound like my mother when you talk like that.”

Her expression softened instantly. “Speaking of your mother…”

She stood abruptly, disappearing into the house before he could follow her. A few minutes later, she returned carrying a small wooden box cupped gently in her hands. Rosalina set it down on the table between them, opening the top of it slowly.

Inside was a ring he didn’t recognize. A thin band made of white gold, braided with delicate vines etched into the metal. At its center rested a marquise-cut sapphire surrounded by diamonds. It was elegant and timeless.

He stared at it for a long moment before slowly lifting a brow. “What is this?”

“A family heirloom. Passed down to the women in our family. It was a gift from your grandmother to your mother. She was supposed to pass it down to your future wife. Unfortunately, she never got the chance to.”

That stunned him. He remembered hearing about this ring from stories his mother would tell him. Her life in Italy and the family she wanted to take him to meet when she was allowed to leave. He’d only been able to come here a handful of times, all of which his mother had to beg his father to even consider.

Thinking back on the humiliation his mother had been put through in order to see her own family sparked a rage inside him like no other.

He wished she could have escaped and made it back here before she was killed.

“I thought it was buried with her,” he finally managed to say.

Rosalina shook her head. “No. Your father wanted to keep it but the ring wasn’t his to take. It is only supposed to be passed down from matriarch to matriarch in our family. Your mother gave it to me for safekeeping when she left for the States. She unfortunately never got a chance to take it back.”

Dominic couldn’t speak.

He reached out slowly, almost hesitantly, as if touching it might break something inside of him. The second his fingers brushed over the cool metal, a wave of emotion crashed through him—grief, longing, guilt, love.

His mother’s voice flickered in his memory. The way she used to sing to herself while folding laundry. The way she ran her fingers through his hair when he was sick. The way she cried as she begged for her life the last night he ever saw her alive.

He swallowed hard.

“Thank you,” he said. “For keeping it safe all these years.”

Rosalina reached across the table and placed her hand over his. “Of course I did. I knew it would find its way back to you when the time was right.”

“I think she would’ve liked Aurora.” He said after another long pause.

“I’m sure she would,” Rosalina agreed. “And I think she’d be proud of you. For taking care of your father in the only way he deserved. Dying like a dog.”

Dominic looks down at the heirloom once more, the sapphire catching the last rays of sunlight.

“I never thought I’d feel this,” he admitted quietly. “That I’d ever… want this. A wife… something more than just revenge.”

Rosalina smiled. “Perhaps it is enough fighting for now,” she says. “Maybe it’s time to build something else instead.”

He slowly shut the lid and slid the box into his coat pocket.

“I’ll give it to her,” he promised. “And I’ll make sure she knows what it means.”

Rosalina leaned back with a satisfied smile, sipping her wine again. “Good. Now go save Romero from the aunties. I think they’ve trapped him in the pantry.”

Dominic chuckled, standing slowly. He pressed a kiss to her temple before heading inside.