The question hung in the air like smoke from a dying fire.
Matteo stared at his son for a long beat, then let out a short, surprised laugh that echoed off the dark wood panels of his office.
"Why the fuck are you asking me that?"
Alessandro didn't answer right away. He looked away, jaw tight, fingers flexing against his knees as if the words themselves were heavy. The silence stretched between them, thick with years of unspoken resentment and buried pain.
Finally, he spoke, voice low and strained.
"Father… you should know by now that woman is a gold digger. What don't you understand? She literally throws herself at me."
Alessandro waved his hand as he spoke, the frustration bleeding through every gesture. He truly wanted his father to see it — to understand that he was married to a woman who would do anything to get closer to power, even seduce her own stepson.
Matteo's expression hardened. He sat up straighter, resting his arms on the massive oak desk.
