DONICO
Two days. Two fucking days, and Reina hadn’t co back ho.
I stared at the papers in front of . Everything was in place but it ant nothing. Not the contracts, not the files, not the numbers that should have commanded .
My blood thudded, a low heat crawling up my arms. My fingers itched, as if they wanted to reach for her, to hold her, to do sothing... anything.
I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.
And yet... Reina. She consud every corner of my mind. My chest tightened, my head buzzed, and for a mont I had to close my eyes, swallow hard, just to stop myself from losing control.
Where the hell was she right now? What was she doing? Did she hate ? Did she even think about , or had I crossed a line she’d never forgive?
I slamd my pen against the desk. The sound resonated around the room, startling my secretary. She froze in the doorway, trembling as she clutched the stack of papers she’d co to submit.
Her hands shook so badly, I could hear the rustle of the pages as if they were alive and were ready to make a run for the door.
I didn’t even look at her. I couldn’t. My focus was elsewhere. The thought of Reina—her hair falling over her face, the way she’d slapped , the way she’d scread—tornted . Every second without knowing where I stood in her heart felt like a knife twisting deeper.
"Sit down," I said finally, my voice low, cold, and controlled, though my body trembled from the restraint. "Leave the reports here. I’ll handle it."
She nodded, barely breathing, her eyes wide and fearful. The tension in the room made it almost impossible to ignore her presence.
Every employee knew better than to make a sound around lately. The last ti soone had co into my office without absolute certainty of my mood... they’d been lucky to walk out unscathed.
I closed my eyes and drew in a slow breath, trying to force myself to focus. I picked up one of the contracts, skimd the lines, but the words blurred. All I could see was her face, her lips pressed to mine, her hands trembling against when I had pinned her.
I needed information. Sothing, anything, to distract .
I reached for my phone. Placing a call to Luca.
The mont the line connected, I didn’t bother with unnecessary questions, I drove straight to the point.
"Where is she?" I demanded.
Luca’s voice was steady, professional, but there was a tension I could hear in his tone. "Still at her apartnt, boss. She hasn’t left. Not once."
I slamd my hand against the desk, making the secretary jump again. She barely dared breathe, and I didn’t care. My mind was spinning. "Not once? In two days?"
"Yes, sir. Two full days. She hasn’t seen anyone. Not to her friend’s, not clubbing, not for a walk. No visitors. Nothing."
I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. My fingers dug into the edge of the desk. "School?"
"She hasn’t gone," Luca replied. "Not a single class. Boss, if you want, I can go in to check on her, make sure she’s—"
"Don’t," I cut him off, my voice sharper than intended. "I’ll deal with it myself."
"But, boss—"
"Don’t argue. I don’t want anyone there. I need to know she’s fine,that’s your task. Don’t go near her, she must not know you’re there. Don’t overstep." My jaw clenched. "Just... keep watching. From a distance. That’s all."
"Yes, sir."
I hung up, but the sense of helplessness didn’t leave . My mind ran wild with worst-case scenarios. Two days locked inside her apartnt... skipping everything... what the hell was she thinking?
Was she punishing ? Or herself? Was she hurting herself in ways I couldn’t see? In ways I couldn’t be able to comfort her?
Nina, my secretary returned quietly, shoving the next stack of papers toward . Her hands trembled so much she nearly dropped them.
"Mr. Gravano... sir... these are for the reports for today," she whispered. "And the updated schedule... you... you haven’t been—"
I didn’t look at her. I didn’t want to. Every second I spent focusing on mundane work was a second I could have spent thinking about her.
"Leave it on my desk," I said. My voice had gone icy. "And... stay out of my way today."
She nodded, stiff, pale. She backed out slowly, fear radiating off her like heat. She had seen the storm that could ignite inside , even without words, and she knew it was dangerous to be near.
I sank back into my chair, running a hand through my hair, trying to calm the wildfire inside . It didn’t work. Nothing worked. Every second without her was a weight pressing down on my chest.
My mind went back to two days ago, I thought of the ring. The slap. The scream. The way she had run from . I couldn’t help but regret everything I had done that day that had led to this mont.
I shouldn’t have done it, perhaps I shouldn’t have gotten the ring in the first place. I should have waited a little longer, let her fall in love with until she wouldn’t be able to live without .
A knock ca on the door, jolting out of my thoughts.
"Enter."
Calestino stepped in, looking as calm as ever. He shut the door behind him and took a few steps closer.
"I have the information on the car," he said. His eyes were steady. "The one that followed Reina the other night."
I straightened, every nerve alert. My chest tightened. Every muscle tensed. My fingers dug into the edge of the desk as though it could anchor against the storm of fear and desire inside .
"Go on," I said, voice low, dangerous.
Calestino nodded. "We tracked it. It was registered under a shell company, but we traced the GPS. It’s still active. Whoever’s driving it is—"
I cut him off, standing so fast the chair scraped across the floor. My heart hamred. "Who? Give na!"
"Not yet clear, boss. I don’t have a na yet." Calestino said evenly. "But they were watching her. They’re still watching her. Whoever it is, it’s not random. They know who she is. They know what she ans to the family."
I clenched my fists until my knuckles cracked. My chest felt tight, suffocating. The thought of soone threatening her—soone tracking her—made my stomach twist.
Reina is in danger. I should go to her, drag her back ho to a place she’d be safe. I can’t leave her alone on her own. Not now.
"Find out everything," I said. "Every move. Every connection. I don’t care what it takes. Reina is not safe until I we identify whoever is after her and eliminate the threat. I want her protected, do you understand ?" I barked, pacing the empty space between my desk and the wall. "And Calestino... I want to see this person. Tonight."
"Yes, boss."
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