After I Fall

Ch 4: Lex

I've been around Caterina for over thirteen hours now, and I know she is thinking about something she shouldn't. When we got off the jet in Italy, I observed her and noticed she was trying to memorize the route from the airport to my villa. If she thinks I'm going to let her run away before I have a chance to take down her family, she thought wrong. It's been over six years since Freya took her own life, and the guys and I have devised the perfect plan to take down the Marchetti family. All the pieces are falling into place except for one. Caterina. Either she will make this harder or easier on me. I hope it will be the latter.

Matteo's words still play in my head. Butter her up.

Caterina doesn't look like a woman who wants to be buttered up.

She looks like an angel, but I can tell that she's got a little demon in her.

A woman who owns eight guns and sends people's heads back in cute little gift boxes to their families and Dons needs no buttering up. What she needs is someone who can tame that demon, or better yet, an equal who can match the demon inside of her. I'm not called Lucifer for no reason. I will give it a week for her to settle in before figuring out which way to proceed with her.

I have to fly out to Germany tonight, so she should feel at ease in the villa with me gone.

Give her time.

I hear a light gasp coming from Caterina as we approach the villa. The same reaction many people have when they see it for the first time. As you arrive at Villa Valentino, the stunning vistas of the Gulf of Naples and the iconic Mount Vesuvius are immediately captivating. My villa is part of a private compound consisting of five independent villas, ensuring ultimate privacy and exclusivity for our family. The architectural design of each one is a true masterpiece, with Mediterranean influences that blend seamlessly with the surrounding natural beauty. When we were young, my parents thought it was a great idea to build this compound. A place all five of us could grow old in. Now there are only four of us.

"It's beautiful." She whispers as the car stops.

I hum in acknowledgment, getting out.

I stand by the open door waiting for her to get out, but to my surprise, she walks from around the car—so much of me being a gentleman. Caterina stops a few feet away from me, a gentle breeze has Caterina smoothing down her hair instantly. Could she be trying to make a great first impression on my brothers?

"I'll give you a tour of the villa," I gesture for her to walk ahead and she shakes her head rolling her eyes. "No one is going to harm you." She still doesn't budge. "You have my word."

"The word of a Valentino doesn't mean shit to me."

I open my mouth and close it. Now isn't the time, Lex. I enter my villa, greeted by luxurious interiors that perfectly blend elegance and comfort. As we tour the villa, I slow down my pace, allowing Caterina to take in its beauty. Her brown eyes sparkle with excitement and warmth as we move from room to room, but when they land on me they go cold. One day in the future, I will ask her why she has so much hatred towards us Valentinos, but not today.

"And this is our room," I say as we step inside.

"Our?"

"That is what I said, our."

"No."

"Coniglietta, that isn't up for discussion nor negotiating. My house, my rules."

"You have at least five bedrooms here. Why can't I have one of them? We're not having sex. We will never have sex."

"No one said anything about me fucking you. We will sleep together. That is all."

When we left America, the plan was to give her the furthest room from me, but her behavior once we landed changed everything. She wants to escape. I can see it in her body language, and I feel the hatred she has towards my family and me. Two huge fucking red flags. The Marchetti's will never hurt my family again, and I will make sure of it.