Page 63 of Mafia and Gold Digger

“From now on, we’ll have to attend Imperiosi events together and go out on dates. Once we start that, Carmine will keep his distance, and I can figure out a way to take the fucker out for good. Expect to go out a lot the next couple weeks. There’s a lot of bullshit events we’ll be expected to go to. That should buy us a little time.”

Another hum leaves her, and I swallow down a curse. It’s better this way, I remind myself. All this can ever be is fake. Not because I don’t want it to be real. But because I’m not capable of it. When I originally told Christian I wanted her, I hadn't thought it through. And when it came to telling her, I couldn't do it, and all I could actually give her was a fake engagement to keep Carmine away from her.

I watch Emerald from the corner of my eye. And that cold dead beating thing in my chest thumps and clenches all at once. To know what she’s thinking at a time like this would be invaluable. But as good as I am at reading people, at knowing how they’ll react, Emerald is a conundrum I can’t solve. No matter how hard I try.

But if this is the closest to getting something I can’t have, then I’ll fucking take it.

CHAPTERNINETEEN

EMERALD

I can’t wait to see the kids later. We’re letting them go to school as normal this morning, and then we’ll pick them up tonight to bring them home.

I’ve just finished my breakfast and am about to go and get dressed when Saint stops me. “We need word about the engagement to spread fast so that it reaches Carmine’s ears as soon as possible. And you’ll need to buy a ring for yourself today if this engagement’s going to be at all believable,” he says.

My eyes widen, and I can’t speak for a few moments. “Buy a ring for myself?You’re not coming with me?”

“I’m sure you can choose something suitable by yourself. Just take two of my men with you for security. I’ve let them know that you’ll be going to a jewelry store later.”

A surge of disbelief floods through me. “This is supposed to be one of the most memorable moments of our engagement,and you want me to do it all alone?”

He gives me a strange look. “Yeah.” He slides his black Amex across the counter to me.

I eye it up but hesitate as I reach for it. “Um, what’s the catch, Valentino?”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you registered your Amex as stolen? You know, so that as soon as I try to use it, it sets off an alert and I get arrested?”

“And why would I do that?” he says in his infuriating drawl.

“Let me see, because you like to trick me and lie sometimes?” I don’t know why, but I’m a little put out that he doesn’t want to choose the ring with me.

He gives me wounded puppy dog eyes. Fake, obviously, as I know he’s a lot tougher than that.

“And because you’re still annoyed that I ran off and you had to track me down…” Because it was pretty clear on the drive back just how annoyed he was with me.

He stares at me. “You’ll need the pin. It’s six, six, six, six.”

“Of course it is,” I mutter as a knock sounds at the suite’s doors.

Saint answers it and ushers a man inside. “Emerald, this man is from my bank. He needs your fingerprint as an added precaution for the Amex.”

My eyebrows shoot up. Wow, wealthy people really do live very differently. Although he comes across as a lowkey person, I know from Jacquetta and Nicki that he’s a billionaire—which shouldn’t be surprising given how successful and dominant the Imperiosi are in the criminal world. I place my finger on the handheld electronic device which the man holds out to me.

“Thank you, ma’am. Some transactions may require you to provide fingerprint authorization, but should you have any queries, please just call the number on the back of the credit card. It connects directly to our team which deals with our most esteemed clients, and they’ll provide you with a personal service to answer any questions or concerns you may have.”

Saint sees the man out, shows in my two bodyguards for the day, and then gathers his jacket and phone. “I’m heading out now.”

“Wait!” I blurt out as he opens the door.

He turns around slowly.

I lick my lips. “Is it limitless?”

He takes a deep inhale. “Yes. It won’t get declined when you drop 100K on a ring later. Happy?”

I nod and watch him as he walks away. I carry on sitting on the couch, glaring at the empty coffee cup in front of me. I don’t know why I’m so irked, but for some reason, I imagined that we’d go pick the ring together.

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