Page 127 of The Proposal

“You don’t even know me,” I grumble.

“I know enough.”

“Yeah, well, I could say the same since you and your men put five bullets in my back.”

“Yet you survived … such a shame.”

“It will take more than a bullet to bring me down.”

“What the fuck do you want, Mancini … an apology? Because if you do, you’ll be waiting a long fucking time.”

“I was hoping we could talk like men … as leaders of our families, but maybe I was wrong.”

He barks out a sarcastic laugh before bellowing down the line, “You killed my father, motherfucker.”

“And you killed mine.”

“What is that saying? An eye for an eye.”

“It was multiple eyes,” I grumble. “Some of my father’s best men died right alongside him that day.”

“I don’t have time for this. I’ve got places to be. Get to the fucking point.”

I blow out a long breath as I contemplate hanging up, but that will defeat the purpose. “I was calling to discuss, Edoardo.”

“Are you butthurt that one of your father’s men betrayed your family?”

“He betrayed both our families.”

“That’s not how I see it. He was the one who informed us who was behind my father’s execution. He even helped us gain access to your property so we could retaliate.”

“He also told my father that your family was behind the hijacking of two of our shipments from Italy.”

“I have no knowledge of that.”

“I know. Edoardo was the one responsible and blamed it on yourFamiglia. He encouraged Papa to get retribution by executing your old man.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s the truth. I have the proof right in front of me.”

“I’ll fucking kill him.”

“Too late, I’ve already done that.”

“You have?”

“Yes. It’s the reason for my call. I had a tech guy go through his phones and laptop. His message threads with you were in there. That’s how I got your number. There’s nothing I can say or do to bring back my father or yours, but I was hoping we could put an end to this ridiculous family feud once and for all. I don’t even know what started it.”

“It started when your father drove mine out of Griffith because he was being a greedy cunt who wanted to dominate the market. It’s how we came to settle in Melbourne. My father never forgave him for what he did, but in the grand scheme of things, it was the best thing he could’ve done for our family.”

“I’m hoping we could come to some agreement.”

“I have no interest in working alongside you.”

“That is not what I’m looking for. I was hoping we could put this feud to bed. I have no beef with you. Like I said, I don’t even know you.”

“I have no beef with you either,” he agrees.

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