You Know Them?
I didn’t knock.
Didn’t wait for someone to greet me or ask me what I wanted.
I just pushed the door open and walked in like I owned the place—because at this point, I didn’t give a damn what Cedric de Luca thought. He could shoot me for all I cared. I’d still crawl back from hell if it meant getting Remi what she deserved.
He was sitting there, just like the last time. Calm. Cold. Like a man who had nothing left to lose.
“Thought I told you lot to stay the hell away from here,” he said, not even glancing up from his drink.
“Yeah?” I shut the door behind me, firm enough for the sound to echo. “And I thought you were a man. Guess we both got disappointed.”
His eyes finally met mine. Sharp. Dead. Not a flicker of warmth in them.
“Picking my lock. Coming in without an invitation. You must have a death wish boy “ he growled. “y
You have five seconds to turn around and walk out before I break your jaw,” he said, voice low.
I stepped closer instead.
“Try it.”
He stood, slower than I expected, setting his drink down. “You think I won’t?”
“I’m praying you do,” I snapped. “Because I need something to hit too.”
He moved, fast—but I was faster. I shoved him hard against the desk before he could even raise a fist. His chair screeched out of the way. Papers flew. That calm mask he wore cracked, and for the first time, I saw something in his eyes that looked like surprise. Maybe even guilt.
“Remi came to you,” I growled. “You knew she would. You knew what it would cost her emotionally, mentally—hell, even physically. And what did you do? You looked her in the eye and told her she was a mistake.”
He clenched his jaw, saying nothing.
“She left here broken,” I said, my hands balled into fists at my sides. “She called me. She told me it didn’t matter because she had us. Me. The twins. That it was okay.”
My throat burned.
“Do you know what happened next?” I stepped back just enough to breathe, but the rage was right there. “She crashed her fucking car. It flipped three times. She’s in a coma. Your daughter. If she had not come to meet you, then she would still be with me today but she isn't because everyone around her is bad and crazy. Her aunt betrayed her to someone else. Lied about things of change, only for her last call to be to her niece's enemy. Even though she knew her aunt was an awful person she took the risk only for you to kick her to the curb.”
His expression shifted—barely.
“No.” I let out a breath that felt like knives in my lungs. “No. You don’t get to look like you care now.”
I dragged a hand down my face, trying to keep from falling apart.
“You weren’t there when she got married. When she gave birth. When she lost everything and still got up. You weren’t there when I treated her like trash. When I used her, broke her, and she still—still—loved me.”
He didn’t speak. Just stared.
“So I’ll say it plain,” I bit out. “I don’t need your help. I never did. If you want to sit here with your expensive whiskey and your sad little regrets, go ahead. But don’t pretend you’re a father. a father would know when it's right to step in, use his power and take back what was taken from his daughter.”
Still nothing.
So I went further. I had to.
“You’re hiding. Because a woman broke your heart. That’s your story, right? Boo-fucking-hoo. Cry me a river, Cedric. You dismantled your empire, became a ghost, and abandoned your only child—all because your ego couldn’t take being rejected.”
His nostrils flared, but I didn’t stop.
“Meanwhile, your daughter went through hell. Alone. And she still stood taller than half the men I know.”
I took a breath, fists shaking.
“You’re scared,” I said quietly now. “That’s the truth, isn’t it? You’re scared that if you help, if you get involved again, you’ll lose something. Maybe power. Maybe peace. Maybe whatever quiet little redemption story you built in your head. But she needs you.”
Still nothing.
“She’s got enemies. People who know her bloodline now. People watching, waiting. And unlike me—you have connections in places I don’t. You have shadows I can’t reach. Darker power than I do.”
He looked down. I wasn’t sure if he was ashamed or just tired.
I stepped back.
“So here it is, de Luca. I’m going to find what I need with or without you. Because I love her. And I’m not going to let her be forgotten.” My voice dropped. “But you? You have a choice.”
He met my gaze again, but there was no challenge in it now. Just weight.
“So what’s it going to be? Are you a coward or would you help me dispose the man that tried to hurt your child?” I asked.
I let the silence hang.
Cedric didn’t speak immediately. He stared at the floor like the tiles had answers. Then, finally, he dragged his eyes to mine. That same cold, calculating glint had returned. The one I’d seen in old photos. The man who used to be a king in a world of shadows.
“My daughter,” he said slowly, “chose one hell of a man.”
He let that sentence settle.
“But,” he added, shrugging slightly, “Even though I still don’t support her life choices. You included.”
I snorted. “You think I care about your approval?”
“I think you should,” he replied. “Because I’ll be the one keeping her alive from now on.”
I stiffened. He met my gaze without blinking.
“I’ve been doing research,” Cedric said, moving behind his desk now. He opened a drawer and pulled out a black folder. “Not just sitting around. i have been waiting for you, I knew you would come. Regardless I still have my power, I just had to utilize it.”
“For what?” I asked.
He dropped the folder on the table. “For the bitch who caused the accident.”
My blood ran cold.
“You found her?”
He nodded once. “The driver’s dead. Killed last week. He didn’t make it past interrogation.”
I frowned. “You said you were out of the mafia world.”
His eyes narrowed. “I said I dismantled it. I never said I forgot how to use it.”
A chill ran through me.
“Don’t waste my time, Rowan,” Cedric said, opening the folder. “The driver who hit Remi was hired. Transferred money. Wiped files. Typical ghost-job protocol. But not good enough to cover his tracks completely.”
I stared at the grainy photo inside—burned wreckage. Blood. A license plate barely visible.
Cedric flipped another page.
“He led back to Gigi—and Lucious.”
I flinched at the name. “Lucious?”
“You know them?”
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