Page 20 of Mob Princess

He leveled his eyes with mine. “If we’re going to talk, you’re not going to pick fights with me over semantics. Understood? You and I both know you’re a bull-headed woman that doesn’t listen unless she wants to. That’s why I told you to get up here, because I knew you wanted to get away from the situation.”

“Don’t act like some sort of God, as if you’re doing me some sort of favor. You know damn good and well--.”

He growled as he took a step toward me. “If you think for one second you call the shots around here, you’re wrong.”

I shook my head. “I’m not asking to call shots, Israel. I’m asking you to treat me like a person instead of one of your employees. Because the last time I checked, you didn’t pay me squat.”

“Nope. Only your uncle did that. Right?”

I drew in a sobering breath. “I’ve been up here for four hours, and I’m sure you were completely unaware of the fact that Giovanni’s been up here five times now.”

He blinked. “What?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Your brother. He’s knocked on the door three times and tried jiggling the knob twice.”

“That could’ve been anyone.”

My head fell off to the side. “Has there been anyone else in the penthouse for the past four hours other than the three of us?”

He blinked again. “Get to your point, Bonnie.”

“He’s here to try and make me trip up. I know all about the luncheon you had with your father, and what you guys talked about. Giovanni filled me in on it. How your father doesn’t trust me and how he couldn't talk you into not trusting me. Not just yet.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Giovanni told you this?”

“Yes. While you were off thinking I was already cheating on you, what he was actually doing was filling me in on why he’s here. He’s here at the behest of your father to try and convince you that I’m no good to stand at your side.”

“He said that to you.”

“Yep.”

He pointed to his chest. “My brother.”

“Uh-huh.”

His eye twitched. “Word for word?”

I paused, wondering how much breadth I actually had in this situation. “Well, those weren’t his exact words.”

His shadow fell over my body, blocking out the light of the bathroom shining above us. “Then, tell me what his exact words were.”

I racked my brain for the exact conversation we had, but I came up with nothing. All I had was the summary of the transaction that took place. “Israel, I’m telling you—”

He turned his back to me. “I should have known.”

“Known what?”

He started for the bathroom door. “That you’d try to slander my brother’s name while he’s here.”

I gawked. “What!?”

He whipped around on me with a glare so strong it robbed me of the breath in my lungs. “You don’t like the fact that you’re being questioned. You don’t like the fact that your choices have put you in this position, and now you’re trying to manipulate things in your favor.”

“That sounds insane. Since when have I ever—”

His voice grew with intensity. “Since the whole of our marriage!”

I quirked an eyebrow. “I thought you said we weren’t married.”

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