Chapter 100: 100 ~ Jace
She didn’t know it but Mira broke my heart as she said that.
Her words echoed in my head long after she spoke them.
"I don’t know, Jace."
Not yes. Not no. Just three little words that carved me open in ways bullets never could.
I should’ve been grateful because it wasn’t an outright rejection. It wasn’t her spitting venom or slamming the door in my face. But it wasn’t acceptance either. It was worse. It was a maybe wrapped in thorns, dangling just out of reach.
She was the most beautiful woman I had ever come across. And it was not just about her looks.
I watched her from across the table, the flicker of candlelight catching on her cheekbones, softening her but not softening the words that still stabbed at me.
She didn’t know.
And that meant she was still holding on to her hate. She was punishing me with it. Still reminding me that everything I had done to her wasn’t forgotten. Her reasons were understandable but it hurt nonetheless.
"I understand." I said after several seconds of awkward silence.
I lifted my glass of wine, letting the bitter liquid burn down my throat as I kept my expression calm. On the inside, I wanted to rip apart every wall between us until she had no choice but to see that she belonged with me.
But outwardly, I gave her nothing. Not a hint of the storm twisting inside me.
Because if there was one thing I had learned, it was that Mira hated being cornered. She would rather burn alive than admit she still felt something for me.
When the dinner ended, I escorted her back to the car, holding the door for her. She slipped inside with a neutral face, but her silence screamed louder than any words she could’ve said.
The ride back was quiet. Too quiet. Every second stretched, heavy with everything left unsaid. By the time we reached the house, she went straight to her room without a glance back.
And I stood in the hallway, watching her door close, feeling the familiar ache settle deep in my chest.
Later that night, I found myself in my office, pacing. My phone buzzed with a reminder. Don Castillo.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. The timing couldn’t be worse. The old man was one of the few dons I actually respected despite all the bullshit games he had been playing at me for the last few years since I broke up with his daughter.
My main reason for coming to New York was meeting up with him after his son, Lorenzo told me about his request. Now he was calling directly. Maybe it was that important.
But tonight my mind wasn’t in the business. It was with Mira. Always with Mira.
Still, business didn’t wait for heartbreak.
I picked up the call.
"Don Castillo," I said.
"Romano, I’ve been trying to reach you." His gruff voice sounded calm.
"I’ve been busy. I’m sure you understand."
"I do. We need to talk."
"When and where?"
He told me. I agreed and ended the call.
I shrugged on a black suit jacket, smoothing it over my shirt, and grabbed my keys.
I was going to be driving myself but I would have some of my soldiers accompany me just in case he tried to pull a stunt.
The meet was at a private club, all polished glass and velvet shadows. The kind of place where secrets lived and deals were sealed in the dark.
Don Castillo was already there when I arrived, seated in a corner booth with a cigar smoldering between his fingers. His eyes which were sharp and calculating lifted to mine the moment I approached.
"Romano," he greeted, his voice carrying the weight of old power.
"Castillo." I slid into the booth opposite him, my posture relaxed even though every nerve in me was wired tight. I had to keep my guard up around someone like him.
He studied me for a moment, the kind of study that stripped a man bare without a single word. Finally, he smirked. "I hear you’ve been... distracted lately."
I arched a brow. "You shouldn’t believe everything you hear."
"Maybe," he said, tapping ash into the tray. "But in our world, perception is just as dangerous as truth. And perception says that Jace Romano is chasing after a woman instead of protecting his empire."
I clenched my jaw, but kept my tone smooth. "A man can have both."
Castillo chuckled, low and raspy. "That depends on the woman. Tell me, Romano, what makes her worth risking your enemies sniffing out weakness?"
My eyes narrowed. I hated that he could see through me so easily. Hated that Mira had become both my strength and my weakness.
"She’s mine," I said simply. My voice was low, final. "And anyone who tries to use her against me will learn quickly what it means to bleed."
Castillo’s smile widened, but it wasn’t one of amusement. It was approval. "Good. That’s the answer I was looking for. I don’t deal with men who hesitate."
We spoke of other matters then. Territories, shipments, whispers of Ricciardi’s movements. He was a small rival and I wasn’t going to pay him much mind.
One thing about our world was we didn’t hold grudges for too long but still there was always a chance of betrayal. The Castillos had done a lot to me. But he proposed a truce a year before when our wars were making us lose money.
If my father was alive he would be seething. The mafia world no longer seemed to be about bloodshed but about business now. Everyone wanted the bigger bag. Killings had reduced. It was better for me and my soldiers.
But even as Castillo laid out intel, even as I nodded and filed details away, part of me remained elsewhere.
In that damn house.
With her.
"You have something that I want Romano."
I scowled, very familiar treacherous tone. I knew what he was talking about. It was the same thing that made him want to form an alliance with me by getting me married to Caterina. I did not fall for it especially after finding out the strict instructions my father left for me before his passing.
I found something too juicy to let go off after Caterina and I got engaged. That was why I called it off. He had gotten tired of trying to bully me into signing my own death warrant. Now he wanted to be outright.
"Has stealing from one another become part of our culture now?" I said directly.
"I’m not asking for everything. A large percentage is yours. Just don’t keep the loot to yourself."
"I have heirs to give it to."
"Can’t find them anywhere. Heard you caused the death of your unborn child." He chuckled.
My fists clenched at my sides. I fought the urge to throttle him for such a low blow.
"You’ve become too emotional. Your father would be ashamed."
Not caring anymore, I fisted his collar. His boys tried to get me. Their guns were cocked so were mine.
"Don’t push it Castillo." I warned him through gritted teeth. "Some things are off limit."
He still had that smug smile I wanted to wipe off his wrinkly face. It was one of those days I regretted not having some poison with me so I could this old piece of shit once and for all.
"You want to mock me for not having heirs? Wait till I get my hands on your daughter and fuck her right in front of you. She’s going to have a baby that looks just like me and every day you will be haunted by the thought that your worst enemy fathers your first grandchild."
It was an empty threat. I would never try to test the limits of my fragile relationship with Mira to prove a point.
But the way his eyes glazed in annoyance was all the fulfillment I needed.
"My daughter dodged a bullet with you."
I let go of his collar and smirked.
"That’s not what she said months ago when she came by home in LA begging me to fuck her."
He was shocked, probably embarrassed by Caterina’s conduct. That was very satisfying to see.
I stormed out of there without a second to spare. This was a waste of time.
~
There was only one person on my mind as I sped out of the club’s premises and drove home.
When I got home at past midnight, the house was silent.
I was sure she was fast asleep but I went straight to her door, pressing my hand lightly against the wood, tempted to knock, barge in and demand another answer.
But I didn’t.
Instead, I whispered under my breath, so low no one but the walls could hear:
"You don’t know, Mira? Fine. Then I’ll make you know. I’ll remind you every day until your hate runs dry. Until all that’s left is your love for me."
And with that vow burning in my chest, I walked away.