Alessandro didn't say anything. He dipped his fork into the steak, slicing a piece before lifting it and placing it against Celia's lips.
"Open up," he ordered, his voice calm as he waited.
Celia hesitated for a brief second, but he had no power to oppose him.
Slowly, he parted his lips and took the meat from the fork, chewing in silence.
Alessandro gave a small nod, as if satisfied, without offering any explanation.
Then he turned his attention to his brother. "I didn't quite catch what you said earlier, Lorenzo."
A smile spread across Lorenzo's face. He reached for a glass of water and drank it all in one go before loosening his tie slightly.
"Alessandro… you know damn well what I'm talking about," he said, his tone carrying a hint of irritation.
"The casino is getting out of control and—"
"Whose fault is that?" Alessandro cut in.
Lorenzo let out a quiet breath, running a hand through his hair as he leaned back in his chair.
"The casino is getting messy," he continued. "Too many leaks. Money's disappearing, and people are getting bold."
Celia's chewing slowed slightly. He kept his head down, but his ears were fully tuned in now.
Alessandro didn't react immediately. He calmly cut another piece of meat, his movements unhurried.
"I see," he said finally.
Then he brought the fork to Celia's lips again.
"Open."
Celia obeyed. Only after he had taken the bite did Alessandro continue.
"Good for you," he added casually. "Handle it. That's your job."
Lorenzo let out a dry laugh.
"Come on," he said, leaning forward slightly. "We're sharing that casino."
His eyes flicked briefly to Celia before returning to Alessandro.
"I know you're busy with other things…" he added, the hint of mockery not even hidden.
Alessandro's gaze lifted slowly.
"I remember you saying," Alessandro replied, his voice calm but heavy, "that I should let you handle it for a while, before I decided to hand it over to you completely."
Lorenzo's smile faded just a little.
The air between them tightened.
Alessandro leaned back slightly, his hand still resting firmly on Celia's waist.
"So don't come here now," he continued quietly, "acting like this wasn't what you wanted."
A faint pause followed. The words hung between them, carrying more weight than they should.
"Fine," Lorenzo said, his gaze shifting toward Celia.
"Give him to me. He'll be perfect for the job."
A smile played on his lips. Alessandro didn't say anything. He already knew his younger brother liked to toy with things.
"Ah… now you're quiet," Lorenzo added with a smirk.
Celia frowned, his expression tightening as he looked at Lorenzo with clear disgust.
"I can't keep repeating myself," Lorenzo continued lazily. "You can always send Cas or one of your men to do your dirty work."
His eyes flicked back to Celia.
"But the thing on your lap…" he chuckled softly, "…he isn't ready yet."
Celia stiffened slightly at that. His jaw tightened, and he turned his head just enough to glance at Alessandro, irritation flashing in his eyes.
Lorenzo noticed that and he found it amusing.
"Trust me," Lorenzo said, leaning back slightly, "you might actually like it if you knew who's behind the mess."
He paused, licking his lips slightly. "Your ex….. Interesting, right?"
Alessandro's hand stilled for the briefest second. He lifted his head, his gaze locking onto Lorenzo's.
Silence filled the room again. Then Alessandro turned slightly toward Celia.
"Stand up."
"Finish your food. Then go to your room." His tone was calm.
Celia didn't nod. He simply let out a quiet sigh, relief flickering through him.
At least he was getting away from this.
From them. From whatever this was.
And maybe… just maybe, he'd have time to think. To plan. Then he slid off Alessandro's lap and stood up.
Alessandro rose to his feet as well, adjusting his shirt calmly. "Let's go," he said, his attention already shifting back to Lorenzo.
"We'll talk somewhere else."
The room fell silent the moment they were gone. Celia stood there for a second… just breathing.
Like his body was only now catching up with everything that had just happened.
His eyes moved to the table where Lorenzo had been sitting…
His jaw tightened. "Bastard…" he muttered under his breath. Without wasting another second, he turned and walked out.
The hallway felt colder than before.
Thankfully he had memorized every corner while following the Cas.
When he reached his room, he shut the door behind him. He leaned against the door for a moment, closing his eyes.
Finally, some silence away from those two. Celia pushed himself off the door and walked further into the room.
His eyes scanned everything again.
The window and door.
He needed a plan to escape and soon. Because men like Alessandro didn't keep people around without a reason.
And deep down, he knew he could never live up to whatever that reason was.
And when he failed…
He would be disposed of.
A wave of exhaustion suddenly hit him. His body felt heavy and his head… worse. Everything from today crashed into him all at once.
His jaw clenched again. "Shit…"
He didn't even bother changing.
He walked to the bed and dropped onto it.
The mattress sank under his weight.
And it felt so soft, softer than his back home..
It didn't match the chaos in his head.
He stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking. Until his thoughts slowly started to blur.
His eyes grew heavier, his breathing steadied. And eventually he fell asleep.
Morning came faster than he expected. Light slipped through the curtains, cutting across his face.
Celia frowned slightly, shifting in the bed. "Wake up. Get cleaned. We're heading out." Cas' voice cut through the room like an alarm.
For a moment… Celia forgot where he was. Then it all came rushing back as his eyes opened slowly.