"Fuck, Romano… I'm losing myself over her."
I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing across the room.
Every time I get close to her… every time I look into those soft brown eyes…
"I lose control."
Romano lifted a brow.
"Control over fucking her, right?"
"What the hell, man?" I snapped and threw a pen at him.
He laughed like an idiot.
"I'm serious," I growled. "I don't mean sexual control. I mean my emotions. My feelings. I felt something I've never felt before — not even with that bitch."
I kicked the chair away, its legs scraping loudly across the floor.
Romano's smile faded.
"Boss… you mean what you felt for Zara isn't even close to what you had with your ex?"
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Not even remotely. I never felt the need to protect my ex. I never cared if she cried or bled. But Zara…"
My voice dropped, surprising even myself.
"When I first saw her that night, Romano, I swear on my life… I felt alive again. I felt something warm — something light — inside me. When I saw her bleeding, something in me snapped. I wanted to kill every single person who touched her."
I turned to the window, breathing hard.
Romano sighed softly.
"Boss… you're in love with her. And you need to act fast before she falls for someone else."
I whipped around instantly.
"She wouldn't dare."
Romano smirked.
"And if she does?"
My jaw clenched.
"If she falls in love with another man…"
I stepped closer to him.
"I'll kill whoever she falls for. I won't even think twice."
Then I walked out of the library.
When I entered my private living room, the baby was sitting on the couch playing with her fingers.
"My little angel," I murmured and picked her up into my arms.
She giggled immediately, grabbing my hair like she owned me.
"You look just like Zara, you know that?" I whispered, bouncing her gently. "How am I supposed to tell her who you really are, little Elena? Hmm?"
She giggled again, hitting my cheek playfully.
"She'll be angry at us… that we kept this from her. And she's being hunted down because she protected you from your grandfather."
My voice darkened.
The old bastard had caused all this.
"She wouldn't be in this situation if only I had gotten to you and your mother earlier that night," I whispered, holding her closer.
Elena laughed, innocent… unaware of the blood, the war, the danger surrounding her.
Unaware that Zara's pain was partly my fault…
…and that I was willing to burn the entire city to keep Zara and Elena safe now.