Sold to the Capo-Chapter 33: UNINVITED GUESTS

ADRIANA’S POV

"Are you sure about this?" Valentina raised a brow at me as she adjusted her black leather jacket, the flicker of a smirk playing on her lips. Her posture was relaxed, but there was a glint of mischief in her eyes.

I exhaled slowly, standing in front of the large wooden table in the center of Vincenzo’s quarters that he had assigned to me if I needed an escape from the main mansion.

The space had always felt cold and foreign to me, but tonight, I was determined to make it my own. Well, at least for a few hours.

"I’m positive. If I don’t do this now, I’ll never have another chance," I said, my voice firm as I set out the glasses and bottles of liquor I’d brought from the mansion sure that Vincenzo wouldn’t miss them. I’d arranged everything carefully—some wine, whiskey, and vodka. The table was set with an almost exaggerated precision. Too much, perhaps, but I wanted to impress them.

Valentina didn’t seem convinced. She folded her arms, sizing me up. "You know, Adriana, you don’t have to prove anything to these people. They’re not your friends. They’re not even your allies."

I nodded slowly, eyes briefly flicking to the doorway. The guards were patrolling outside, but they hadn’t been informed about this little dinner party. I wasn’t sure what they’d think if they found out I was hosting it, but I was hoping to slip under their radar for a while. Maybe get a few more answers while Vincenzo is away. "I don’t need to be their friend. But I need them to trust me."

Valentina let out a low chuckle, rolling her eyes as she grabbed a glass of whiskey from the table. "You’re still trying to fit in with them, aren’t you? It’s not that easy."

"I don’t want to fit in," I corrected, tossing my hair over my shoulder. "I want them to see that I’m not just some trophy wife or helpless damsel in distress."

"Are you sure?"

I met Valentina’s gaze. "I’m sure. If I don’t do this now, I’ll never have another chance."

She let out a short sigh. "If you think this is a good idea, then fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when it all goes sideways."

"I can handle it," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. I wasn’t so sure, but I couldn’t show that now. I needed them to see me as something other than Vincenzo’s wife. If this dinner worked out—if I could manage to get through one evening without making a mess of things—maybe they’d treat me with more respect. Maybe I could get something useful from them.

She raised a glass in a mock salute. "Good luck with that."

I took a deep breath. This wasn’t just about proving a point to Vincenzo or anyone else. It was about securing a future. One where I didn’t feel trapped in this place, surrounded by men who barely acknowledged my existence. I had to get the guards to see me as more than just an accessory. To trust me. To talk to me.

And maybe—just maybe—by gathering them together here, in Vincenzo’s space, I could learn something useful.

The door creaked open, and a few of the Cavalieri members began to trickle in, looking at the spread of food and drinks with skepticism as they shut the door. There were murmurs of surprise, but no one questioned the sudden invitation. I hadn’t told anyone that Vincenzo was away, so maybe that played in my favor. I wasn’t sure, but they didn’t ask, so I didn’t feel the need to explain.

Valentina leaned toward me, whispering under her breath, "You sure you want to do this? They’re not going to just sit down and bond with you. They don’t like people they don’t know."

I shrugged, the uneasy flutter in my stomach threatening to ruin my composure. "I’ll make them like me."

One of the men, a tall, broad-shouldered guy with a shaved head, took a step forward and raised an eyebrow. "What’s all this? A little dinner party for the guys?"

I pasted on a friendly smile. "Yeah. Thought I’d make it a bit more interesting tonight. You know, something a little different."

He eyed the bottles suspiciously, clearly not sure whether to laugh or call me out. "You know what Vincenzo would say about this, right?"

"I’m sure he wouldn’t mind," I replied smoothly. "He’s not here, is he?"

Luca, the tallest of the group, with his shaved head and sharp jawline, was the first to speak. "So, this is how we’re doing things now, huh? No Vincenzo around, and we get a party?" His voice was a mix of amusement and caution.

I forced a smile. "It’s not a party. Just a drink to relax. I thought we could... get to know each other a little better. Besides no one but us has to know about this, right?"

Of course, no one else had to know, I’d be screwed if someone else found out and reported it to Vincenzo but my guess was these guys would report it to Vincenzo either way but let’s save that for another time.

There was a pause as if he was deciding whether or not to take me seriously. Finally, he shrugged, his broad shoulders moving under his black shirt. "I’m in, but don’t expect me to start singing songs or anything."

I chuckled, relieved at the lack of hostility. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as I’d thought. The men slowly began to loosen up, grabbing drinks and talking amongst themselves, but they still kept their distance, like I was some kind of puzzle they weren’t sure how to solve.

Clearly, they weren’t that stupid to get drunk but they didn’t mind a few glasses sometimes.

Valentina shot me a few looks, but I wasn’t backing down. They needed to know I wasn’t scared of them or of their rules.

A few more of them entered, all sizing me up as they moved toward the table. There was an almost invisible wall between me and them. They spoke in quiet murmurs, never really addressing me directly, but I did my best to stay cool, to make them feel at ease.

I poured a drink for myself and then offered it to Valentina. "You’ve been working with these guys for years, right? What’s the deal with them? Why are they so..." I trailed off, unsure of how to put it.

"Hostile?" she offered with a sharp grin, taking the glass.

"Yeah. They’re all like... robots. All business, no personality."

She shrugged. "They’re not robots. They just don’t show their cards to people they don’t trust. And trust is hard to come by around here."

The man with the shaved head, who I learned was called Luca, leaned in with a frown. "You know, you’re pretty gutsy for a woman in this world. I’ll give you that." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

I smirked back, grabbing a bottle of whiskey and pouring it into a glass. "Gutsy’s the least of it. You don’t survive if you’re not a little crazy around here."

Luca chuckled, nodding his approval. A few of the other men glanced at each other, their faces less tense now, as though I had passed some kind of test.

Valentina took a seat next to me, sipping her whiskey. "You’re doing better than I thought," she said with a smirk. "I thought they’d all walk out as soon as you offered them a drink."

"Well, they’re not walking out yet," I said, a little too loudly, my confidence still fragile. I turned to the man nearest to me, a guy named Marco, who was the most talkative of the bunch. "So, Marco, tell me something about the Cavalieri. I know you all have your ranks and..."

I was cut off by a knock at the door.

I froze.

The knock was soft but insistent, and my heart rate spiked as I looked around the room. I tried to keep my face neutral, but the tension in my chest was undeniable. This was it—someone had noticed. Maybe one of the other guards had figured it out, or worse, maybe Vincenzo was back early.

I stood up slowly, trying to calm the sudden nerves crawling up my spine. "I’ll get it," I said, even though my voice wavered slightly.

If anything went wrong, I was the one taking responsibility for it.

I reached for the doorknob, my hand trembling ever so slightly. When I opened it, my shoulders relaxed just a fraction. Standing in front of me was none other than Henry, looking confused and somewhat... surprised.

"Adriana?" he said, his eyebrows raised in genuine disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I blinked, my breath escaping in a half-laugh, half-sigh of relief. "Henry! I thought you were going to give me a heart attack."

Henry stepped inside, his gaze flicking quickly over the group in the room. "What are you doing with them? What’s going on here?"

I shrugged, trying to keep the situation light. "I’m just having a drink with them. They’re not all bad." I could already feel the tension returning in the room, and the men seemed to be watching us closely now, waiting for the next move.

Henry looked around, his expression a mixture of confusion and concern. "Are you serious? Do you know who they are?" His eyes narrowed at the group, then back to me. "What are you trying to do, Adriana? You can’t just hang around with these guys like they’re your friends. This is dangerous."

"I’m not trying to do anything. Just... relax, okay? It’s just a few drinks. No harm in that."

He stared at me for a moment, as though weighing whether or not to say more. His voice dropped lower, more urgent now. "You don’t get it. These men—" He started, but I cut him off before he could finish.

"Henry, calm down. Vincenzo’s not here, remember?" I was trying to sound reassuring, but my own words felt hollow in my mouth. I didn’t need him getting upset, especially not in front of the others.

He didn’t seem to notice, though, his eyes still darting between me and the men, his jaw clenched tight. "That’s exactly the problem. You think they’ll just sit here and drink with you like it’s some social club? They don’t trust you, Adriana."

Before I could respond, a low, gravelly voice interrupted from behind Henry, sending a chill down my spine.

"What the hell is happening here?"

I froze.

The room went still.

Henry turned around sharply, his eyes widening at the newcomer. The men in the room straightened at attention, their demeanor shifting immediately from relaxed to alert. But I couldn’t even move. My body locked up, my chest tightening as I stared at the figure in the doorway.

Fuck.