Adele was taking steps backwards watching Francesco clutching his vodka glass in his hand as he was looking at Adele with fury. Francesco looked menacing as his eyes were following Adele's movements. He started walking slowly towards her as she was retreating. He broke the silence and spoke in a low threatening tone " Take back what you said. Do it. Say to me that you didn't mean it. Apologise to me."

Adele had enough now. She held the ring in the palm of her hand tightly " Why? I don't apologise for telling the truth? This is called honesty. I wish to repeat what I said. I want you to take back your ring unless you show me that you trust me. You think I will make the same decisions as your mother and you are wrong. That has clouded your judgment. You know full well its true... But I know what is hitting you hardest is when I say you are your father. You know very well, you are following your father's path in both business and life. You are him now."

At that moment, Adele saw in horror how the vodka glass in Francesco's hand cracked but didn't break. Francesco put the glass down on a table as his stare did not leave Adele's " We will come back to your brothers verdict shortly. I warn you that I won't hesitate to crush his bones in my hand just like this glass. I would crush anyone that comes between us. You should know that. Now do as I asked. Apologise. Take back everything you said. You are right. You just added salt to my wounds by accusing me of comparing me to my father. How dare you?"

Adele's back hit the desk behind her and she gulped as she saw Francesco's intense look as he was getting closer. She didn't want to risk Francesco getting his hands on her before she said to him how she felt. She decided to create some distance between herself and Francesco so quickly. Adele went around the desk as Francesco started following her around the desk. They were now circling each other.

Adele took a deep breath and spoke "You are your father whether you like to hear it or not. Someone has to say it. You have become what he wanted you to become and you know that. That is why it seems to bother you when you hear it."

Francesco's stare was not leaving Adele's eyes. He spoke in a hard tone as he carried on circling the desk slowly " You believe that? Really? .... Then, I am surprised at how you acted so defiantly and took your ring off. After all, you believe that I am like my father. If you think I have turned into him, then you should know that taking that ring off and risking the consequences could bring you to brink of breaking point. After all, I am like my father according to you. So put that ring back on and then we can get to discuss everything else you threw at me." His eyes were daring Adele to defy him.

Adele mirrored Francesco's movements walking around the massive desk but she didn't back down. She opened her fist and put the ring on the desk with shaky hands as the look in Francesco's eyes became even more menacing. She spoke with a heavy heart but a determined voice " I won't put my ring back on. Why should I? Give me a good reason to do it. You should be asking yourself that why do you want to marry me? If you don't believe that I am loyal then why did you ask me to marry you in the first place? I will not put my ring back on and will not marry you until you declare to me that you fully trust me. But, it really shouldn't make a difference to you. You can have me. You have the power. You are capable of forcing me to be with you and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it....."

Francesco was beyond furious. As he banged his fist on the table and circled the desk mirroring Adele's moves. He roared "How can you accuse me this way? I would never hurt you. I would fight for you until I take my last breath. I will fight so hard until you say yes to me by your free will. When have I ever hurt you that way? When have I dishonoured you? I love you Adele. I know you want me as much as I want you. You declared it to me. You took that ring off for what?...."

Adele spoke as her heart beats were getting faster. It had to be said. She needed to bring up his family and she knew there was going to be painful moments. She knew she was going to hit the arrow in the target with her next word. She spoke in a careful tone " I took my ring off because you have to resolve your problem with ..... trusting people Francesco. You need to learn to trust people. Not everybody is after hurting you. All your life, the people who were meant to love you and protect you, were forced to leave you or hurt you. I experienced a different kind of life to you. I had a loving family. My parents showed me nothing but love. My uncles brought me gifts and souvenirs when they came to our home but your uncle tortured and killed people in front of you and destroyed your childhood. My parents told me bed time stories and took Angelo and I fishing. We had camping. and barbecues every summer. But what did you have? You just had so much weight on your shoulders and pressure to become like your father following his strict rules to turn you into a crime boss...."

Francesco shouted "Stop Adele... You don't know what you are talking about."

Adele responded as she raised her voice slightly " I know enough.... You have told me enough. I have seen enough... You say it yourself. Your father beat you up when you were just a child, just for mentioning your mother who was forcefully pushed out of your life and was denied custody that any woman is entitled to..... and ...... your father even forced you to kill someone when you tried to run away. What kind of family does this? You didn't have a real family. Because real families are supposed to give you love and protection when no one else may do that in this world. A family is meant to protect you and not hurt you.... But trust me, not everyone who is meant to love you would hurt you or abandon you in this world. That's all in the past. Move on. Get over the past. If you don't put what your father did to you, all behind you and don't learn to trust me as your new family then you will have the same future as your father who controlled every aspect of your life. You already are acting like him. Don't deny it......"

Francesco stopped moving and so did Adele. Francesco put both his hands on the desk and leaned close as he was looking at Adele with eyes filled with pain and emotion. But that only lasted seconds and he masked it quickly with a cold look. He spoke with a sting in his voice " Yet you know all this and you compared me to my father. But maybe you don't know enough. Maybe that's why you dared say that I am him. You look me in the eye and dare accuse me of becoming my father because you don't know half the things he has done. When did I take an axe to our dinner table while everyone was eating and destroyed the whole room out of anger? When did I handcuff you to our bed for weeks with no visitors. When did I hit you ever? When did I force you to watch people getting tortured as you were having a meal? When did I lock you in a cupboard?...

Adele closed her eyes taking in what she was hearing. It hit her hard. She felt for Francesco but she had to carry on. She opened her eyes and decided to carry on knowing she could risk Francesco's wrath with no way to return but it had to be done. She had to risk it. Nothing could get worse than it already was. She had said it already.

Adele interrupted Francesco and spoke in a hard tone " I am so sorry for what you father did to you. I don't deny that your father was abusive and I don't know everything about what he did ... I care for you Francesco and right now .... I can't deny that you are not treating me like a partner in life. You must trust me Francesco. I am here for you. I overlooked the fact that you are a criminal since I found out your father forced your finger on a trigger of a gun making you kill when you were just nine years old. I can't imagine the pain you went through and how you were thrown into this life with no chances of escape or any choices. I am sure if Angelo and I were raised in a household similar to the Rosario family, we would have made the choices and decisions you have been making in life. We would have been criminals too. I don't deny that I understand your choices in your business and know it cant be fixed overnight. We all come from somewhere. We don't have a say in that. So it doesn't bother me as much as it used to when I think of what you do for a living. I have learned to accept your crime life and have learnt to trust you but you haven't done the same for me. That's it Francesco. There is the problem. Your father influenced your choices in your business life. I understand that but what about your choices in your personal life? Your father destroyed your childhood and forced you to become a criminal and I am sorry about that. But he didn't force you to treat your woman like how you treat me...."

Francesco growled " How do I treat you?"

Adele spoke " Like I am not your equal at personal level. Your father hurt your mother and you witnessed all her suffering. Don't you think history would repeat itself unless you start treating me like an equal? "

Francesco gritted his teeth " I am not a wife beater...."

Adele spoke quickly " I know that. You are not. But you treat me in a way that is creating distance between us. You treat me like a fragile porcelain and try to protect me from everything that I may not even need protecting from. You don't treat me like a partner. If you did, then you would trust me when I tell you and I love you and I never leave you.... You just want me as your wife. But for what? What's the point of calling me your wife if you don't trust me enough not to ever betray you? Tell me why you think I may run away and betray you. Tell me. Why do you think Angelo may have any chances of convincing me to leave you? I don't care what people say. I said that to Angelo. I stood up for you when my brother questioned your intentions towards me. I defended you. I said I would never leave you and I love you. Do you know what Angelo said? He said in that case he would just be obedient and will do as you say to be there for me if I needed him. He respected my choice. That's what families do and should do. He trusts me and believes in my judgment. But do you Francesco? This is about you. Not about me. You are the one who should be answering to me why you don't trust me....."

Francesco looked at Adele in silence. He was looking still furious and his muscles were tense " You should put that ring back on.... Then you have some explaining to do especially about who told you about her."

Adele breathed "No...."

Francesco pointed to the ring that was still on the desk and ordered "Take it"

Adele didn't move an inch. She was standing across the desk facing Francesco and was glad the desk was separating them and she had the chance to talk. If he touched her, she wasn't sure if she wasn't going to melt. She didn't trust herself not to take the ring back if he touched her. His touch made her heart melt. She was in too deep.

Adele spoke the words and entered the danger zone that was forbidden to all " Your mother. It's about her. She left you but it wasn't her choice. It wasn't her fault. Your father forced her to leave you."

Francesco froze " That's enough Adele. Don't mention my mother. I don't want to hear about her. Now, pick up that ring."

Adele spoke slowly and carefully " Not every marriage ends the way your parents parted ways. Your father was a criminal who treated your mother so brutally just for asking for help from a senator when she was pregnant with you. Your mother betrayed your father to save you from being raised by your father and by the sound of it, that was what broke up their marriage. Just because it happened to your parents, it doesn't mean it would happen to you too. I know what happened to your parents. I know your mother went to a senator to get your father arrested and your father never forgave her. I wouldn't ever do that because the Francesco I said yes to, convinced me that he would honour me and protect me. The Francesco I said yes to, convinced me to put my life in his hands and trust him. I don't see that trust now when it is put to test. Trust me Francesco when I say to you that our children won't have to worry about our marriage breaking apart if you just trust me and we just talk freely about anything.... . Your father sounds like he was a dictator within his family life. No one dared to ask for choices and to tell him how they felt. I don't think you are capable of hurting our children and not giving them choices. I believe you are a better man than your father. I believe I never need to run away anywhere because the only pair of arms I want to run to when I am scared and in doubt are yours. The only man I trust with my life is you but you can't say the same to me. You want to exile my brother forever because he told me he is afraid you will hurt me. But I don't fear you at all. I am not scared that you may hurt me because I know watching your mother suffer made you vow to yourself not to harm your woman...."

At that moment, Francesco's dark chuckle stopped her from continuing. Francesco spoke in a dark tone " Whoever told you about my mother and my father's relationship didn't inform you very well. Who told you all this? ... You seem to be so mis-informed .... My mother did try to build a case against my father but that was not all... My mother cheated on my father when she was nine months pregnant with me. She cheated on my father with Elize's father, a senator. The father of the woman that my dear brother was so madly in love with is the one that destroyed my father's relationship with my mother.... Do you want to hear more?...

Adele gasped " Oh, dear lord." She then covered her mouth with one hand as she listened.

Francesco spoke bitterly " My mother met that senator at a hotel where a party was held in honour of my parents' wedding anniversary. She sneaked out of the radar of my father's heavy security and managed to leave the hotel with this senator. On that night of her wedding anniversary to my father, she stayed over at the senators house and refused to come back. Later, pictures of them were snapped together by my father's agents who were investigating her disappearance. She was at the senators law firm trying to build a case against my father under the watchful eyes of the FBI. That was not all. There were pictures of them ..... kissing. My father saw the pictures and never forgave my mother for cheating on him.....She was determined to put my father behind bars. My mother was a lawyer. She was very academic and smart quite like Costanzo. She revealed so much about my father's business to the senator and his people to build a case against my father. It all backfired of course. It didn't work. The court case failed because my father hired the best lawyers. Then the senator pulled out because he didn't want to be associated with a married woman and handed my mother over to my father. So here you go Adele. This is one secret you don't know about my personal life. My mother was seduced by this senator on the anniversary of her marriage to my father because he promised her to guarantee a future for her child where crime didn't exist. She cheated on my father because of me. She wanted me to have a legitimate business man as my father... My parents' marriage wouldn't have broken up if my mother was not pregnant with me. I wish I was never born. I wish I didn't exist. Then my mother wouldn't have been too emotional because of her pregnancy hormones to fall into the trap that senator set for her on that anniversary night. That senator was at the right place at the right time and if I didn't exist none of this would have happened.."

Adele whispered "I am so sorry. I didn't know......"

Francesco shook his head " You want to hear more? You may think my father didn't give me choices but he did.... It was near the time I was about to take over. He told me I could walk away and take my inheritance and leave. I was shocked. I thought he was trying to catch me. He then showed me a piece of paper with my mothers signature on it. My mother had taken divorce on the condition that I am given a choice to remain in my fathers business or walk away with no consequence when it was time for my father to step down. He had promised her that he was going to give me that choice in return for her leaving my brother and I to be brought up with him with no custody rights on her part. She didn't know that at that point I didn't want to walk away. My uncle had told her, he was going to spend every resource he had to get her some partial custody rights or visiting rights. That could start a war with my father of course. To resolve this, my father had given her that contract to force her to refuse help from my uncle in exchange for that contract. That was the wrong move."

Adele was frozen in shock. She whispered " I am really sorry..."

Francesco took a deep breath and spoke in a cold tone "You are right. I don't trust you enough not to be tricked like how my mother was. Her memory is fresh in my mind..... For now, I am willing to make a compromise. I .... forgive your brother but he still has to be sent away to the O'Neil mansion for awhile, at least for a few weeks. If I see him, I may lose control and hurt him. We need to mend our relationship. His presence wont help. But I officially pardon him. I know he must have told you about my mother. Ambrogio's men confessed what Angelo was told by Ambrogio to convince him to work with him. He is forgiven because I love you."

Francesco then gave a dark chuckle and without warning jumped over the desk and reached where Adele was standing at the other side. Before she could react, he lifted her up and carried her to the wall. He pinned her hands to the wall as he leaned close "But I didn't say I pardon you for taking off that ring. Did I? You shouldnt have let your guard down. That was a wrong move." He leaned close and kissed her lips.