Chapter 17: THE PRESENT

LORENZO’S P.O.V. I hesitated before taking the envelope from him. “You can leave now, Doc. If there is any update regarding Leo, I will let you know.” Doc nodded and I watched him walk away. As he left, Matteo was arriving. He took one look at the envelope in my hands. “Is that it?” he asked and I nodded. “What are you going to do with it?” “Honestly, I don’t know,” I handed it to him. “Open it then send whatever is inside to my father.” Matteo looked stunned. “Don’t you want to know what is inside? This is about your future. This is about the future of the family. If he is not your son-” “Then I don’t care,” I interrupted him and Matteo’s mouth fell open. “What I do not know will not hurt me. He is Isabella’s son and that is what matters to me. She would never cheat.” “If he is not your son and your father sees it, he will never allow you to make him your heir.” “My father does not rule, I do. I have made my decision, Matteo. Do as I asked.” I didn’t give him a chance to respond before I made my way back into the room. Leo was almost asleep but when he saw me, he smiled widely. I took my position back at his side and he reached out for me again. No words were exchanged but I could feel his relief at having me there with him and for me, that was enough. I stayed there with him the entire day. I knew I had a shit ton of work to do and it would bite me in the ass the next day but none of that seemed to matter. Leo slept better beside me and sometimes while he slept, he managed to roll over until his head was in my lap. Matteo walked into the room sometime later with dinner for Leo. He took one look at me with my back against the headboard and the child in my arms and he shook his head. “Do you know what this reminds me of?” he asked as he placed the tray on the bedside table. “I don’t but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” “You and Isabella...” He ignored me as he spoke. “I told you that marrying her was not the right choice but you did it anyway and now look how that turned out.” “Is there a reason that you are here, Matteo?” “I know you said that you didn’t want to know but I think a part of you is actually curious,” he began. “You don’t want to face the possibility that he isn’t yours because, to you, he already is. You should know better than anyone that ignorance is not always bliss.” “Get to the point, Matteo. I don’t have time for your bullshit.” “I’ve sent the news to your father. Leonardo is one hundred percent yours.” Even though I couldn’t show it, I felt a bolt of relief go through me. It felt like everything in my life had suddenly clicked into place. The relief was overwhelming but after it had cleared, it came with annoyance. Annoyance that Isabella had known that she was pregnant when she left and did it anyway. Annoyance that she had kept my son away from me for seven years. Annoyance that I had lost out on so many important parts of his life all because of her. “Lorenzo, relax,” Matteo’s voice snapped me back to reality. “Why would she do that?” I asked him but for once he had no answer. “You were her best friend, weren’t you? You should know why she did it.” “The only person that can answer your question is Isabella herself but believe me when I say that she wouldn’t have done it if there wasn’t a good reason.” “I wish I could believe that.” “You don’t have to, but the truth is that you cannot spend your time worrying about why. Your father isn’t going to sit idly by and let Isabella’s son be your heir. He never liked her and he will not like her now. Your father is going to let everyone know exactly who Leo is to you and that means his life is in danger. Your son just got a first-class ticket to the front of the war.” I realized that he was right. Instead of panicking about Isabella, it was time for me to focus on my son. He was the innocent one in all of this. Isabella could defend herself. Isabella was safe. I could only concentrate on finding her if I was able to keep my son safe. If she could get him out then she could get herself out. It was almost like- I scoffed. “It’s a test,” Matteo looked up at me in confusion. “Do you really think that Isabella doesn’t know what is going on in our lives right now? Why do you think she chose now to send Leo to us? Do you think she would send her son to us and not watch him constantly?” He hesitated before shaking his head with a small smile. “No, she will not,” “If she truly believes that he is in danger, she will pull him out of here. That means this is some sort of test. I don’t know what she stands to gain with it.” “It’s Isabella, you never know with her.” I gently detangled myself from Leo who was snoring softly into my pillow. “What time did my father get the envelope?” “I sent it around noon. He must have gotten it within an hour or two after that.” I nodded. “With that calculation, the news should have gotten to the enemies by evening. He will be here tomorrow to congratulate my new heir. That gives us a few hours to plan.” “What are you thinking?” “I need to protect my son, even if that means pissing off my father,” I glanced at Leo who was asleep on the bed. “I want no visitors here tomorrow. I don’t care who they are or what they want.” “Your father won’t be pleased about that.” “I’m counting on it. While you make that announcement, make sure to let everyone know that we will be hosting a charity gala in a few days.” Matteo’s lips curled up in a smile. “I have to say that I miss the old Lorenzo DeLucia. What should people look forward to at the charity gala.” “I am introducing my son to the world officially. People will have their own interpretations of what happened. I need to ensure that we control the narrative.”