“Matteo—”
“Get this, Great Man. You can’t stop it. I won’t let you. Viola loves me and I love her. There’s nothing you can do to change that.”
Rage flashed like sparks of explosives in his blood. His brother’s rejection of the sprite tore into his soul. Without thinking, he strode over and grabbed Matteo’s tux, slamming him against the door. “Liar,” he roared.
His fratello glared right back at him. “Here we are again. This seems to be your new modus operandi. Instead of cold commands, you’ve turned into a raving lunatic.”
Marc’s breath rasped in his chest, catching and cutting across the emotions emptying into his head and heart. The feelings swelled, overwhelming his tongue.
“Nothing to say?” His younger brother stared at him, his dark gaze direct and discerning. Whatever he saw, it stilled him. “No demands? No directions?”
“No.” He couldn’t hold the gaze. He was too raw inside. Too new at giving.
He felt his brother’s instant withdrawal.
But he couldn’t force himself to answer it. Show all of himself.
He let go.
“What have you done to my brother?” Matteo’s voice turned cool and mocking. “Has your body been taken over by an alien?”
“No.” He stepped away and forced himself to glance over. His throat closed when he saw the expression on Matteo’s face—one of contempt and scorn.
He deserved it. For years, he’d pushed his brother away. Ever since Juliana, he’d focused solely on his mission. To make more money than any other man. To amass more power. He’d avoided contact, it would have distracted him. He’d thought throwing money at the kid would be enough. Yet it hadn’t been, had it? Money was nothing compared to time and love.
He dropped his head and closed his eyes. “I know I don’t deserve a second chance with you. I understand.”
“Good. Like I told you, it’s too late.”
“Right.” He looked at his fratello. “But I can do one thing for you. One thing that will start to atone for my actions.”
Matteo stood silent before him.
“I can give you Darcy.”
A scowl crossed his younger brother’s face. “See. There’s another sin you have to answer for. What the hell do you think you’re doing messing with my—”
The hard rap at the door cut him off. They both stiffened.
“La Rocca.” Dante Casartelli’s deep voice shot through the closed door like a cold missile. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Go away.” Marc shot back with brutal inflection. “This isn’t your fight.”
“However, this is my sister.” The man’s words were edged with menace. “I will not allow you to hurt her.”
“Merda. I don’t have time for this.” Matteo turned to open the door, but Marc’s hand slammed down, stopping him.
“Marcus.” If it were possible, Casartelli’s voice had grown deeper and darker. “Come out right now or the deal is off.”
“To hell with you,” Marc yelled. “And the wedding.”
“So be it.” The deadly words were followed by the slap of the man’s shoes on the stone floor as he paced off.
His brother whipped around, pure hatred contorting his face. “You can’t stop this wedding and neither can Dante Casartelli,” he snarled. “No matter what, I’m marrying Viola.”
“You don’t have to. I’m not asking you to do it anymore.”
Matteo sneered. “What about the deal, though? What about your all-important deal with the Casartellis?”
“I am calling it off.”
The words clearly stunned his brother. He slumped on the door, his face blank. “What?”
“You heard me.” He stepped back, after noting Matteo was no longer making an attempt to leave.
“I heard. I don’t believe though.”
“Believe it.” He glared. “Believe it.”
A hushed silence surrounded them. The buzzing of the crowd penetrated, yet it didn’t cut through the breathless connection between them.
“You’d give it all up?” Matteo finally said. “Everything you’ve worked on for months?”
“Si.”
Shock ran across his fratello’s face. “But you told me it was ultra-important. That it would ensure the survival of Rocca for years.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” He waved the objection away. Weariness abruptly clawed inside him. The only thing he wanted to do was get this done with and find a place to hide. “The business doesn’t matter anymore.”
“The business doesn’t matter anymore,” Matteo stated the words as if he were speaking a foreign language.