Chapter 126: The Don, the Donna, and the Mysterious Test Results

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[Lorenzo Castelli]

Finally, the clinic was quiet enough for Lorenzo to catch the sound of Alex’s breathing.

It was a small noise, steady and soft, occasionally interrupted by a slight shift under the blankets whenever discomfort jolted him from sleep.

The doctors had reassured Lorenzo that Alex’s exhaustion, lingering effects from the drug, and his injuries from the escape were to blame for his current state, but those explanations offered little comfort.

His husband looked so pale against the white pillows; his dark hair was a bit messy, and his hands, wrapped in fresh bandages, seemed almost wrong compared to his typically expressive fingers.

Alex had always been an animated sleeper... or at least that’s what Lorenzo liked to think.

It probably stemmed more from the many times Alex had spent their married life talking, arguing, complaining, or even threatening to fling objects at him.

Silence was definitely rare when it came to Alex, and peaceful silence? Even rarer.

Lorenzo sat beside the bed, his jacket draped over the back of a chair, sleeves rolled up, and his phone turned face down on the bedside table.

He had already gotten seventeen messages in the last twenty minutes, most of which were updates about the bombing, the investigation, or questions from people suddenly remembering the Castelli organization had been invited to the business gala.

He’d chosen to ignore any messages that could wait.

The world could keep spinning without his constant attention for a few minutes, and if it couldn’t? Well, maybe it deserved the hassle.

Alex, on the other hand, didn’t have that luxury. Even asleep, he seemed exhausted. Lorenzo could still spot the faint tension around his mouth, like his husband had carried the nightmare of the explosion into his dreams and was struggling to escape it. There was a small bruise on his cheekbone, another dark mark fading beneath the collar of his borrowed shirt, and a bandage around his elbow where the doctor had treated a deeper cut.

Lorenzo had seen much worse injuries. He had caused some of them himself to debtors and traitors...but knowing that didn’t make it any easier to see Alex like this.

After all, Alex had never belonged in a world where a man could be kidnapped from a crowded gala, drugged, beaten, and nearly killed just to send a message to his husband.

He had come into Lorenzo’s life with his sharp tongue, stubbornness, and an incredible knack for turning even a simple conversation into a playful argument that left Lorenzo questioning whether he’d been insulted or flirted with. Usually, it was a bit of both.

Alex had never really cared much about Lorenzo’s reputation, which was part of why Lorenzo found him so hard to resist.

Others tended to watch what they said around him, gauge their expressions, call him a psychopath or a monster behind closed doors and try to figure out if a particular opinion might lead to a tough conversation with the Don.

Not Alex...once, he bluntly told Lorenzo that his personality could use some professional help and offered to provide it himself. ℴ

Lorenzo had never quite gotten over that audacity. And honestly, he was beginning to think he never would.

A slight smile flickered across his face before fading as he focused back on Alex’s peaceful expression.

Earlier that evening, when the guards finally found Alex, Lorenzo had braced himself for anything but the sight of his Omega running toward him, blood on his clothes, and fear in his eyes.

For nearly an hour, he had searched the building, questioned his men, and battled the growing certainty that Alex might have suffered something irreversible.

Then, there was Alex. Instead of running to safety, as Lorenzo had commanded his men to ensure he would do, Alex had fought his way back into the ballroom.

He had escaped captivity, discovered the threat, and decided to go back for Lorenzo and the hundreds still inside the building.

He could have left. The guards would have whisked him away, safely away from harm. No one would’ve blamed him for following the standing order that prioritized his life, especially after everything he’d already gone through.

But Alex hadn’t done that.

Lorenzo glanced down at Alex’s hand, resting near the edge of the blanket, and gently wrapped his fingers around it.

The realization had hit him hard since that moment Alex had thrown his arms around him in the ballroom, and it remained just as startling.

Alex had chosen him and not because Lorenzo had ordered him to stay.

Alex’s choice stemmed from fear...fear for Lorenzo.

Somehow, through the arguments, the teasing, the unexpected tenderness, and the complicated arrangement that brought them together, Lorenzo had become someone Alex couldn’t bear to lose.

Lorenzo lifted Alex’s hand and placed a gentle kiss on his knuckles, careful not to disturb the bandages.

"You’re going to bring me endless trouble for the rest of my life," he whispered.

Of course, Alex said nothing.

Lorenzo watched him for a moment before adding, "I guess I should’ve seen that coming when I married you."

A slight movement passed through Alex’s fingers, but he stayed asleep.

Lorenzo’s expression softened. "Rest, my love. I’ll handle everything else."

He brushed a wayward lock of hair from Alex’s forehead, moving gently around the small bruise near his temple. It was a delicate gesture that would’ve embarrassed him had anyone else been around, especially Timothy, who somehow always looked way too pleased whenever Lorenzo showed affection towards Alex.

The ones responsible will pay for this. But so would the guards who fell short that night.

Lorenzo leaned back in his chair, his expression hardening as he thought about the names of the men tasked with protecting Alex that night.

He had already requested a full account of their movements, and he expected Timothy to have preliminary reports ready before dawn.

There would be consequences. Serious ones.

That thought felt natural, as familiar as breathing, and Lorenzo started to contemplate how to ensure that no one responsible for Alex’s safety ever made such a mistake again.

Then he looked at Alex.

Alex would hate it if he discovered Lorenzo had ordered the men to be punished and tortured just to satisfy his anger.

He could almost picture the argument, filled with accusations about Lorenzo’s tendency to solve problems through threats and a deeply insulting comparison between the Don and an oversized guard dog.

Alex would be right to object, which only complicated things. Lorenzo had never allowed what others thought to dictate his punishments, but Alex’s opinion was a whole different story.

The thought of disappointing those light gray eyes bothered him more than he cared to admit. Just the thought of Alex looking at him like he was someone he could no longer trust was enough to give Lorenzo pause.

He didn’t want Alex’s fear. He didn’t want his hatred. And he certainly didn’t want to risk either just because he was furious.

That realization sat uncomfortably alongside the previous one. With a slow breath, Lorenzo pushed aside the immediate thoughts of punishment and decided that first, the guards needed to provide a complete account of what transpired.

Their failure would be investigated, their responsibilities reassessed, and any negligence dealt with appropriately.

There were ways to make someone regret their mistakes without inflicting cruelty for cruelty’s sake. Lorenzo just hadn’t had to ponder those methods in detail before.

A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.

He turned to the door, and the nurse who examined Alex earlier walked in, holding a thin folder. Her expression was professional, but Lorenzo noticed a hint of hesitation in her movements as she glanced between Alex and him.

"Mr. Castelli, I...um, I apologize for interrupting. The doctor has reviewed the additional lab results and would like to discuss something we found."