Chapter 96

When Matteo mentioned that she would be tethered to his side like a constant shadow, he wasn’t joking. That’s why Gen found herself standing in his office at the club, her gaze fixed through the window on the scene below. Matteo was near the ring, deep in conversation with a man who animatedly waved his hands as he spoke. Matteo listened intently, one arm folded across his chest while the other propped up his chin, his finger tracing contemplatively over his lips. Every so often, his eyes flicked up to the fight unfolding inside the ring. His fist would clench tightly, then relax and rub at his lips again, betraying the tension coiling inside him.

“He’s definitely wound up,” Frankie muttered beside her, downing another whiskey and Coke with a practiced ease.

“What do you mean?” Gen asked, her eyes never leaving Matteo.

“Are you two… you know, hooking up?” Frankie asked bluntly.

Gen’s eyes widened in surprise, and she whipped her head to look at him. “Excuse me?”

Frankie rolled his eyes and fiddled with the straw in his glass. “Just saying, look at him,” he said, nodding toward Matteo, whose gaze was now fixed intently on the fight. “He needs to let off some steam.”

“Don’t we all,” Gen murmured softly, almost to herself.