Shattered Loyalties

Serena's POV

The mansion felt colder that night, the walls pressing in as an unsettling tension settled in the air. Lorenzo had been acting different all day—distant, calculating. I had learned to recognize the warning signs. Something was coming. Something dangerous.

I was curled up on the chaise lounge in the study, pretending to read, when the door burst open. Lorenzo stormed in, his presence dark, suffocating. His jaw was locked, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. My stomach twisted. I had seen him angry before, but this was something else. This was fury barely contained.

"Get up." His voice was clipped, commanding. There was no room for argument.

I hesitated for a moment before setting the book down and rising to my feet. "Lorenzo, what—"

"Don't," he snapped, stepping closer, his eyes burning into mine. "Not tonight."

I swallowed hard, searching his face for answers. "What happened?"

His lips curled in something that wasn't quite a smirk, but it held none of his usual amusement. "I should be asking you that."

Confusion shot through me. "What?"

Lorenzo exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair before stepping even closer. "You think I wouldn't find out?" His voice dropped, dangerous and quiet. "You think I wouldn't know?"

A chill ran down my spine. "I don't know what you're talking about."

His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist in a firm but not painful grip. "You met with someone today. Someone from the Mancini family."

My breath caught. "No, I didn't."

His eyes darkened. "Don't lie to me, Serena."

The realization struck me like a thunderbolt. Someone had set me up. "Lorenzo, I swear to you, I haven't seen anyone from the Mancinis. I haven't spoken to anyone."

His grip tightened for a moment before he released me, running a hand down his face. "Then explain why I have a witness saying otherwise."

"A witness?" I repeated, my voice rising slightly. "Who? Who would lie about something like that?"

Lorenzo shook his head, stepping back. "You tell me."

The weight of his accusation settled heavily between us. For the first time since being forced into his world, I realized just how fragile my place here was. One whisper, one lie, and he would turn on me without hesitation.

I took a deep breath, willing my voice to stay steady. "I didn't betray you."

He studied me, his gaze searching, calculating. Then, after what felt like an eternity, he nodded once. "I believe you."

Relief flooded through me, but it was short-lived.

"But that doesn't mean we're done here," he added darkly. "Someone close to us is feeding the Mancinis information. And when I find out who it is, they're going to wish they were never born."

Lorenzo's POV

The moment I left Serena, I called Nico into my office. He entered without hesitation, his expression as unreadable as always.

"Who fed me the lie?" I demanded, skipping the pleasantries.

Nico crossed his arms. "One of our own men. Dante."

Rage ignited in my chest. Dante had been in my circle for years. He was supposed to be loyal. But loyalty meant nothing in this world when power was on the table.

"Bring him in," I ordered, my voice dangerously calm.

Minutes later, Dante was dragged into the room, his arms restrained by two of my men. He had the audacity to smirk.

"Boss," he greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I stood slowly, stepping around my desk. "You lied to me."

Dante didn't even flinch. "Did I?"

My fist connected with his jaw before he had a chance to react. He grunted, stumbling slightly, but his smirk remained.

"Who paid you?" I asked, my voice low, deadly.

Dante chuckled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him forward until we were nose to nose. "You tried to turn me against my wife."

His smirk faltered for a fraction of a second. "Didn't take much, did it?"

White-hot rage surged through me. I slammed him against the desk, my grip unyielding. "You made a mistake."

Dante exhaled shakily. "Yeah, I did."

I stepped back slightly, assessing him. "Who are you working for?"

For the first time, uncertainty flickered in his eyes. He glanced toward Nico, as if contemplating his chances.

"It doesn't matter," he muttered.

I nodded at Nico. "Make him talk."

Dante's smirk disappeared as Nico cracked his knuckles.

Serena's POV

Hours later, I found Lorenzo standing in his private study, his back to me. The tension in the room was suffocating.

"Lorenzo," I said softly.

He turned, his eyes dark and unreadable. "It was Dante."

I exhaled. "I never trusted him."

Lorenzo studied me carefully, then took a step closer. "And I almost believed him over you."

The words were an admission, heavy with regret. I met his gaze head-on. "But you didn't."

His fingers brushed my cheek, his touch softer than I expected. "No. I didn't."

Something unspoken passed between us. A shift. He had doubted me tonight, but he had also chosen to believe me in the end. And that, in this world, was everything.

"You're mine, Serena," he murmured, his thumb tracing my lips. "No one will ever come between us again."

I didn't know if that was a promise or a threat. Maybe it was both.

But as his lips finally met mine, I realized it didn't matter. Because no matter how much I fought it, I was already his.