Chapter 425: What Happened At Your Father’s Estate?

They lay there for a while.

Eventually, Eve propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at him.

"What happened at your father’s estate?" she asked.

Dimitri was quiet for a moment.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked, and there was something cautious in his tone, as if he was testing whether she actually wanted to know, or whether she was asking casually.

"Yes," Eve said. "I want to know. I want to understand what you’re dealing with."

Dimitri studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

"If I tell you," he said slowly, "You’re going to realize that bringing you to Rome wasn’t just romantic...it was a statement. It was a declaration that I don’t fear the political consequences of having you here."

"I already know that," Eve said. "I figured that out the moment you brought me. So tell me what’s happening."

Dimitri pulled her close and held her against his chest, her head resting over his heart.

"Isabella is gone," he said simply. "Dante took her from her father’s estate days ago."

Eve lifted her head to look at him.

"Took her?" Eve asked. "As in kidnapped?"

"Possibly," Dimitri said. "Or possibly she went willingly. That distinction matters strategically, but for our purposes, the point is that she left with Dante, and her father is not happy about it."

"And that affects you how?" Eve asked.

"It doesn’t," Dimitri said. "Which is the interesting part. The alliance that was supposed to bind the Russo and Valentino families through Isabella’s marriage to me, that alliance is now dead. Isabella chose Dante. The binding factor is gone."

Eve processed this.

"So your father’s plan to unite the families through you....that’s finished," Eve said.

"Completely," Dimitri confirmed. "Which actually works in our favor. Because it means my father can’t use the alliance as leverage against me for anything. And it means you’re not a threat to some political arrangement anymore. You’re just the woman I love, and no one can use that against me strategically."

He kissed the top of her head.

"Although," Dimitri continued, "it also means that Lorenzo is furious. And a furious man with resources and power is always unpredictable."

"Will he come after you?" Eve asked, and there was worry in her voice.

"No," Dimitri said. "Because I’m not responsible for his daughter’s choices. She chose Dante. That’s on her and on Dante. It’s not my problem."

***

The moment was interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door.

Marco entered without waiting for a response, a sign that whatever he was about to report was urgent enough to warrant the interruption.

"Boss," Marco said, his expression completely professional. "We have an update on the situation."

Dimitri shifted in the bed, pulling Eve closer, signaling that she could stay. Whatever Marco had to report, Dimitri wasn’t going to hide it from her.

"Tell me," Dimitri said.

"Lorenzo’s tactical team located the safe house where Dante took Isabella," Marco reported. "They breached, but the villa was empty. Dante had already escaped."

Dimitri’s expression didn’t change, but Eve felt the slight tension that ran through his body.

"How did he escape?" Dimitri asked.

"Underground tunnel," Marco said. "Built into the property. Dante knew about it and used it to get out before Lorenzo’s teams could reach him. The extraction was clean. Professional. No signs of struggle, no indication of where he went after exiting the tunnel."

"Timeline?" Dimitri asked.

"Approximately forty minutes head start," Marco said. "Lorenzo’s teams arrived at the villa, found it empty, discovered the tunnel. By that point, Dante was already gone."

Eve felt Dimitri’s body relax slightly, not because the information was good, but because he’d processed it and understood its implications.

"Anything else?" Dimitri asked.

"There’s speculation about Covenant involvement," Marco said carefully. "Whether they helped Dante escape, whether they’re providing him resources. Lorenzo’s people are trying to determine if The Covenant had a hand in this."

Dimitri was silent for a long moment. ℯℯ𝑙.

"I’m going to tell you what I think," Dimitri said, and he was speaking more to himself than to Marco, but his words were measured and strategic. "I’m 50% not sure and 50% sure that The Covenant is helping Dante with this current stunt he’s pulling."

Marco listened, understanding that Dimitri was working through the tactical and strategic implications aloud.

"But here’s the thing," Dimitri continued. "It doesn’t look like it benefits them in any way. The Covenant doesn’t do anything that doesn’t bring them good return. They’re not in the business of charity or alliance-building through action. They’re transactional. They’re calculating. Everything they do serves their larger agenda."

He shifted slightly, his arm still around Eve.

"Dante taking Isabella," Dimitri said coldly, "is of no use to The Covenant. It doesn’t advance their position. It doesn’t give them leverage over anyone important. It doesn’t create opportunities for them. So either The Covenant isn’t involved at all, or they’re playing a deeper game that I can’t see yet. And if they’re playing a deeper game, then getting involved in this situation would be a mistake on my part."

"So what do you want me to do?" Marco asked.

"Nothing," Dimitri said. "Because it’s none of my business at all."

Marco blinked, clearly processing this.

"Sir?" Marco said carefully.

"Lorenzo and Isabella and Dante, that’s their war," Dimitri explained. "I have my own priorities. I’m not going to pursue Dante. I’m not going to help Lorenzo. I’m not going to involve myself in the Russo family’s problems. Let them handle their own conflicts."

He paused, then continued: "Monitor the situation. Keep me informed. But we’re not making any moves. We’re not taking any action. We’re stepping back from this one."

"Understood, sir," Marco said, and he turned to leave.

"Marco," Dimitri called out.

Marco turned back.

"Make sure the penthouse security is completely locked down," Dimitri said. "No one gets in without explicit authorization. No exceptions."

"Already in place, sir," Marco confirmed.

Marco left, closing the door behind him.

***

Eve looked up at Dimitri, understanding what she’d just witnessed.

"You’re not going to do anything," Eve said. It wasn’t a question.