Chapter 5: Thw Weight Of Blood

I couldn't breathe.

Not because of the room's overwhelming grandeur or the tension thick enough to cut through—but because of him.

Lorenzo Vittori.

The man who had just walked into this house like a king returning to his throne. The man who spoke of my future as if I had no say in it. As if my existence was nothing more than a transaction—a final move in a game I never knew I was playing.

The worst part?

He knew my mother.

That single fact rooted itself in my chest, a thorn pressing deeper with every passing second.

My mother—the woman my father spoke so little about. The woman whose absence had shaped my entire life.

And now this stranger—this powerful, terrifying man—said her name like it meant something to him.

I forced myself to swallow, to breathe past the knot tightening in my throat. My arms stayed locked at my sides, fingers curling into my palms.

I refused to let them see me as weak.

Lorenzo's gaze swept over me again, as if peeling back my layers, dissecting every piece of me until he saw exactly what he wanted.

I hated it.

I hated the way he stood there, so effortlessly in control. How he spoke as if he had already won.

Matteo hadn't said a word. And that silence—his silence—unsettled me more than anything else.

Because Matteo always had something to say. Always had a clever remark, an unreadable smirk. But now?

Now he was still. Watchful. As if waiting.

Lorenzo finally broke the silence. "Sit."

I didn't move.

His eyes narrowed slightly, but amusement flickered there, as if he was entertained by my defiance.

Matteo, standing beside me, exhaled. "Sienna." A single word. A quiet warning.

I clenched my jaw. I wasn't stupid. I understood power when I saw it. And Lorenzo Vittori was not a man used to being disobeyed.

So I sat.

Not because he told me to—but because I chose to.

The chair was cold beneath my fingers as I gripped the arms, grounding myself.

Lorenzo sat across from me, crossing one leg over the other with a patience that felt more dangerous than anger.

"I know this is… overwhelming," he said, his voice smoother than I expected. "But you'll come to understand."

I lifted my chin. "Understand what?"

"That this was inevitable."

A slow, twisting feeling coiled in my gut.

"Inevitable?" My voice was calm, but a sharp edge hid beneath it. "You mean this—this deal? This marriage? You expect me to believe this was fate?"

Lorenzo's smirk was slow, deliberate. "Fate? No. This was designed."

I sucked in a quiet breath.

"Your father is a brilliant man," he continued. "Few can match his mind. And yet, even he knew that standing alone in this world is dangerous. That's why we built an alliance. Why we secured power together." He leaned forward slightly. "And now, we ensure it stays that way."

My throat tightened. "By selling me?"

"By making sure you survive."

I stilled.

For the first time, something flickered in Lorenzo's gaze. Something close to warning.

"I don't expect you to like it, Sienna," he said, his voice quieter now, more weighted. "But your father made a choice. Not out of weakness, but because he understands this world better than you do."

Anger burned low in my stomach. "Then maybe you should have let me understand it."

Silence stretched between us.

And then, to my absolute shock—Lorenzo chuckled.

It wasn't loud. It wasn't mocking.

It was almost… approving.

"You have fire," he mused. "That will serve you well."

I didn't want his approval.

I wanted the truth.

I turned to Matteo, who had remained silent through all of this. His face was unreadable, but his jaw was set—a quiet storm brewing beneath his composed mask.

"You knew," I accused.

He met my gaze without flinching. "Yes."

A single word. No excuses. No apologies.

My chest tightened.

I turned back to Lorenzo. "And my mother?" I forced the words out. "How did you know her?"

Lorenzo's expression didn't change, but I saw the briefest flicker of something in his eyes.

And then—

The door creaked open.

I stiffened as a figure stepped inside.

The air shifted. Matteo's posture remained controlled, but his fingers curled slightly at his sides. Not out of fear—out of calculation.

He recognized this man.

The atmosphere thickened.

I didn't recognize the man who entered, but I felt it instantly—his presence.

It was different from Lorenzo's. More controlled, more calculated. Where Lorenzo's power was a crushing force, this man's felt like something sharper—a blade hidden beneath silk.

Lorenzo leaned back slightly, exuding effortless authority. "Ah. Right on time."

The stranger's gaze flickered to me, unreadable.

Matteo's stance didn't waver, his expression locked in quiet assessment. Not fear. Not submission.

Just pure, steady calculation.

A slow, creeping realization settled over me.

Whoever this man was—he wasn't just some associate.

He was here for me.

And whatever was about to happen next—

It would change everything.