The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 191 - One Hundred and Ninety-One

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-One

Alicia’s POV

I stared at my phone. At the message I’d just sent.

I love you too. Come back to me.

Had I really just said that? Admitted it?

Sophie sat beside me on the bed. She’d watched me type it. Delete it. Type it again.

"You did the right thing," she said.

"Did I? Or did I just give him exactly what he wants? A reason to think he can control me?"

"He’s going into danger, Alicia. He deserves to know how you feel."

"What if he doesn’t come back? What if those are the last words I ever say to him?"

"Then at least they’re true. At least he dies knowing you loved him."

The thought made my chest tight. Malachi, dead. Gone. Our child growing up never knowing their father.

No. I couldn’t think like that.

"He’ll come back," I said. More to convince myself than Sophie.

"Yeah. He will. Because he’s Malachi Blackwood and he’s too stubborn to die."

I almost smiled. Almost.

My phone buzzed. His response.

I will. I promise.

Two simple words. But they meant everything.

Alessandro knocked on the door. "Alicia? My mother wants to see you. In her sitting room."

I followed him downstairs. Signora Moretti sat by the window with tea already poured. She gestured for me to sit.

"Your young man. He’s in trouble?"

"He’s not my young man. But yes. He’s dealing with people who want to hurt him."

"People who want to hurt you."

"Yes."

"And he’s doing this to protect you. To protect the baby."

I nodded.

She took a sip of her tea. "When your mother left us, I was furious. Felt betrayed. She’d chosen a man over her family. Over everything we’d given her."

"I know the feeling."

"But I was wrong. She didn’t choose him over us. She chose love over fear. Chose happiness over obligation. And I should have supported that instead of cutting her off."

"Where are you going with this?"

"I’m saying don’t make my mistake. Don’t let fear make your decisions. If you love this man, if he makes you happy despite his darkness, then fight for him. Don’t push him away because you’re afraid."

"He’s dangerous, Nonna. He’s done terrible things."

"So has every man in our world. Your grandfather. Your uncles. Even Alessandro, though he tries to hide it. Power requires darkness. The question is whether the man knows when to stop. Whether he has something worth being better for."

"And you think I’m that something? For Malachi?"

"I think you and that baby are the only things keeping him human. Without you, he’s just another monster. With you, he has a reason to be more."

I wanted to argue. Wanted to say it wasn’t my job to save him. To make him better.

But maybe it wasn’t about saving him. Maybe it was about giving him a reason to save himself.

"What if I’m not enough? What if he tries to be better and fails?"

"Then you’ll deal with it. But you won’t know unless you try."

Marco walked in. His face was grim.

"We have a problem."

My stomach dropped. "What kind of problem?"

"I just got word from our contacts in Dark City. There’s an operation happening tonight. Multiple targets across the city. The Blackwood estate is one of them."

"Emily’s plan."

"Looks like it. Coordinated attacks. Designed to cripple the family structure."

"And Malachi knows?"

"He should. His people would have warned him."

Which meant he’d made a choice. Paris or Dark City. Emily and Zhao or his family.

And he’d chosen to stay in Paris.

He’d chosen me.

The realization settled over me like a weight. He’d picked protecting me over protecting his family. His empire. Everything he’d built.

"There’s more," Marco said. "Zhao’s people are back in Italy. Not at the estate. But close. Watching."

"How close?"

"Close enough to be a threat if they decide to move."

Alessandro swore under his breath. "We need to evacuate. Get Alicia and Sophie somewhere safer."

"No," I said.

They all looked at me.

"No? Alicia, if Zhao’s people are here—"

"Then running will just make me an easier target. At least here we have security. Walls. Resources."

"She’s right," Signora Moretti said. "We stand our ground. Let them come. The Morettis don’t run from threats."

"This isn’t about family pride, Mamma. This is about keeping them safe."

"And I’m saying the safest place is here. With all of us. Together."

Marco looked like he wanted to argue but didn’t. "Fine. But I’m calling in reinforcements. Every man we have. This estate becomes a fortress."

"Do it," Signora Moretti said.

He left. Alessandro stayed.

"You should rest," he said to me. "You look exhausted."

"I can’t rest. Not while Malachi is walking into a trap."

"He can handle himself."

"Can he? Against Emily who knows all his weaknesses? Against Zhao who’s been planning this for weeks?"

"You care about him more than you want to admit."

"I told him I loved him. About an hour ago. So yes. I care."

Alessandro’s expression softened. "Then have faith. Men like Malachi don’t die easy. They’re too mean. Too stubborn."

"Sophie said the same thing."

"Smart girl, your sister."

My phone rang. Unknown number.

I answered cautiously. "Hello?"

"Alicia." A woman’s voice. Distorted. Familiar somehow.

"Who is this?"

"Someone who wants to help you. Someone who knows what Malachi really is."

My blood ran cold. "Emily."

"Very good. You’re smarter than I thought."

"What do you want?"

"To give you a choice. A way out. Before it’s too late."

"I’m not interested in anything you have to offer."

"Not even the truth about what happened to your family? About why you really married into the Blackwoods?"

I froze. "What are you talking about?"

"Your mother didn’t die in a car accident, Alicia. She died giving birth to the son your father always wanted. The pregnancy that killed her happened around the same time my father, Hong Wei, was murdered. The same time the Blackwoods were looking to expand their alliance with the Morettis."

My heart was pounding. "My mother’s death has nothing to do with the Blackwoods."

"Doesn’t it? Pa Blackwood knew exactly who you were. Knew your connection to the Moretti family. That’s why he wanted you to marry Travis. It was all planned. You were never a random choice. You were a strategic alliance he’d been building for years."

"You’re lying."

"Am I? Ask yourself why Pa Blackwood took such an interest in you. Why he arranged your marriage so carefully. Why he made sure you ended up in the family despite Travis being the worst possible husband."

"Because he needed an alliance with my father’s business—"

"Your father had nothing the Blackwoods needed. But the Morettis did. And you were the bridge. The connection to one of the most powerful families in Italy. Pa Blackwood has been planning this for years. Since before your mother died."

My mind was spinning. Trying to make sense of it.

"Even if that’s true, it doesn’t change anything."

"Doesn’t it? You think Malachi loves you for you? Or because you’re valuable? Because keeping you means keeping the Moretti alliance? Think about it, Alicia. The moment Pa found out you looked exactly like Giuliana Moretti, he knew. Knew you were the key to everything he wanted."

"Malachi doesn’t even care about alliances. He cares about me."

"Does he? Or does he care about what you represent? Power. Connections. A way to expand the Blackwood empire."

"You’re trying to manipulate me."

"I’m trying to save you. Before Malachi destroys you the way the Blackwoods destroyed everyone I loved. They killed my father. Killed my son. And Pa Blackwood orchestrated all of it. Including your mother’s connection to them."