Page 100 of Isabella

Me: What time do you want to meet tomorrow? I’m going to be busy at the boutique all day, so we can meet up there if you want?

Nicco: I’ll be there around 5. Make sure you have an appetite because I’m cooking for you.

Me: Cooking for moi? Damn, I’m one lucky girl.

Nicco: Yeah, well, you only deserve the best.

I bite the inside of my lip and begin to type out a message but quickly delete it before sending him a different one.

Me: Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. *kissing emoji*

Nicco: You too, baby.

I huff out a sigh before shoving my phone back into my pocket. Nicco clearly doesn’t want me to know about him meeting with my brother, but the one thing I asked him to do before we started seeing each other again was promise to be honest and communicate with me.

And yet here we are, not doing either thing.

Niccolò Silvestri, what the hell are you doing?

58

NICCOLÒ

“Gabriel Panebianchi just pulled up. I’m going to head down to the lobby to meet him,” Leo says, stepping out from my office.

“You ready for this?” Dante asks. “After today, you could very well get everything we’ve worked so damn hard for.”

“It’s about fucking time,” I say. I would let out a breath of relief, but being in this world, we’re trained to hold that breath until the outcome is exactly as you want. You never know when the tables could turn so drastically against you.

Dante brings his attention back to mine. “Are you sure you don’t want Leo and I there when you meet with Matteo?”

Shaking my head, I say, “No. This is something I need to do on my own.”

“And what if he doesn’t like what you have to say?”

I give Dante a loose shrug. Matteo not liking what I have to say hasn’t crossed my mind because in the end, he’ll have to accept Isabella and me. Will this be a lot easier if he doesn’t try to kill me? Of course. But I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to never have to give her up again.Whatever it takes.

“Matteo might not like what I have to say at first, but rest assured, by the end of our meeting, wewillbe on the same page.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” he says.

“Trust me, I’ve had over three years to think about this. Failure isn’t an option, Dante.”

A knock sounds at the door before it opens and Leo and Gabriel walk in. The older gentleman is around my dad’s age, maybe a few years younger. He’s never been an issue for us, always on time with the money he owes us, and always making sure his soldiers are kept in line. I rather admire the man, but he’s been the one who’s been the most hesitant about me taking over.

When Leo, Dante, and I first started meeting with the capos, we reached out to Gabriel to set up a meeting. He was receptive to the facts we were giving him during the meeting, but he was hesitant to give me his full support.

“Niccolò, thank you for meeting with me so quickly,” he greets, and I stand from behind my desk, extending my hand out to him to shake.

“Of course, Gabriel. Please, take a seat,” I say, gesturing to one of the two chairs positioned across my desk. Leo and Dante resume their positions by the door.

“I’m sure you know why I’m here,” he begins. “Last time we spoke, I was a bit reluctant in regard to your plan to undermine your father, but I’ve had some time to think about it and go over your plans for the family.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make sure you’re making the best choice when it comes to who you’re aligning yourself with,” I say.

A lot of people use fear as a way to motivate people to do the things they want. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s one of the most effective forms of motivation. But when it came to Gabriel, fear was not the answer. Threats were not the answer. I knew the facts would back me up. Swindling one of my own to get him on my side wouldn’t have been a great start to our working relationship.

“Your patience is appreciated, Niccolò. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, and I wanted to meet with you today to let you know you have my full support.”

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