Vicenzo’s POV

After David left, silence stretched in the room. I leaned back against the desk, my arms folded, and my mother stood across from me, her glass of wine in hand. For a long moment, we just stared at each other.

She was the first to break it.

“Why is he back?” Alessia’s tone was flat, but beneath it lay the cold steel I knew too well.

I rubbed at my jaw. “He claims he has information to exchange for money.”

Her laugh was sharp, dry. “Information? And here I thought he ...