Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 61672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Rosa flinches. Her lips curve up as she stares at me. “Oh, right. I was about to say something about my friend. Her name’s Ashley. Interested?”
“Did she call?” I growl.
Rosa continues working on her nails. “Maybe.”
“Rosa. Fucking tell me or I’ll—”
“Matteo,” my dad’s voice booms through the house as he opens the door to his office.
“What?” I snap.
“We need to talk. Come see me in my office,” he says.
“Give me a minute.” I grab Rosa’s wrist. “What did you tell her on the phone?”
“Office. Now,” my dad says with finality.
“We’re not done,” I mutter to Rosa as I walk away.
I shut the door behind me. My dad’s office looks just the way it always has since I was a boy. I used to sneak in here every once in a while, of course, although I’d never been careless enough to actually drop any toys in here.
Even back then, he knew we did it. When he punished me, it wasn’t because I broke his rule. It was because I’d gotten caught.
Enzo Guerriero’s legacy is a life of crime. He’s never wanted to raise an obedient heir. What he needs is a son who’s smart enough to not get caught.
“Take a seat,” he says, pointing at the empty chair across his massive desk.
His secretary isn’t here today. This talk must be special.
“What is it?” I perch my elbows on the armrests and interlace my fingers.
“I understand you feel like you need to enjoy your freedom while you’re single, but there’s a lot of work you’re neglecting while you’re out there doing God knows what.” An unpleasant frown creases his forehead. There seems to be more of those deep lines than I remember.
“I’ve been busy.” Busy looking for Ashley. I’ve been going back to the club every night, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, seeing her shadow in every girl who passes me by. It’s been torture.
“You can remain busy after your wedding too. All you have to do is convince your wife you’re working,” he says.
“Is that what you tell Mom?”
“Don’t be a smart-ass. And show some respect,” he says, his voice growing louder. “There’s a mountain of things to finalize. We have a long contract with the Espositos I need you to look over. I didn’t send you to law school to sit on your ass all day.”
I groan. After decades of conflicts, the two families are finally dividing the disputed assets and territories. It’s a shitshow. My dad wants me to roll my sleeves up and clean it up for him.
“You also need to pick a house for you and your wife to live in,” he adds. “Take the girl to see my properties. Plan some home improvement projects together. Go furniture shopping. ”
“Yeah. Okay.” I run my fingers through my hair and massage my scalp.
After college, I’d been away, living my own life on the other side of the country. Now that I’m living under the same roof as my demanding old man and my evil sister, I remember why I was so eager to leave home.
“Stop being so moody all the time. You’re acting like a teenage girl.”
I bite back the words I want to hurl at him. We’ve gone through this many times before. The wedding is the only way to end the war that has swallowed up too many victims. If I were to refuse, I’d be responsible for the deaths of many people.
“Pay some attention to what’s happening around you. Show some interest in the business, in the wedding. Anything,” he drones on. “You haven’t even seen a picture of her yet. Grace Esposito is a pretty girl. I’ve already had people congratulating me on what beautiful grandchildren I’ll have.”
“That’s a little premature.” I don’t care how pretty she is. I’ve met many beautiful women, but none of them have ever affected me the way Ashley has.
“Jesus. What am I going to do with you?” Dad glances up to the ceiling as though God resides on the second floor of this house. He grabs his phone and swipes. “Here. I’ll show you a picture.”
I give him a cursory glance as he brandishes his phone. A family photo with two older couple and two girls. Too small for me to see any faces, but I don’t care.
What’s the point of this? I’ll have to see the girl’s face every day for the rest of my life, starting next month.
“Beautiful, huh?” Dad asks, swiping to show me another picture.
Sighing, I take another look at the glowing screen of his phone.
Holy shit.
I lean forward and reach across the desk to seize my dad’s phone. Holding the phone close, I stare, unblinking, until pain stings my eyeballs.
“That’s her?”
I’ve found her. Ashley. Grace. Whatever her name is.
My kitten. I’m going to marry her.
Grace
Four Years Later
It’s dark in here. Pitch black.