Page 31 of The Diávolos: Part One
She tried to make me jealous, andGod, help me,she succeeded. The anger that had coursed through me when she was grinding on that guy was enough for me to lose all my self-control.
In a moment of weakness, I rushed over and claimed her in front of everyone. He’s lucky I wanted to avoid any bloodshed in my own club because I wasthisclose to pulling out my gun, aiming it right between his legs and pulling the motherfucking trigger.
I’m a bad man. Not someone soft withfeelings. But Angelica is definitely turning me into one.
Vulnerability is the last thing I want her to see in me.
I don't love anymore. The last time I let myself feel love, my heart was left on the floor, ripped out of my body. I never want to feel the pain I felt when the people I cared for the most passed away. So, I must keep Angelica out of my head and my feelings at bay long enough to complete the plan and get justice for my uncle’s death the only way I know how.Revenge.
I’m supposed to have a business meeting with Dion today, so I grab my phone and dial his number to coordinate a time.
“Kalimera afentiko,”Dion snickers.Good morning, boss. Despite us both being fully Greek and fluent in the language, Dion embraces the culture more than I do.
“You know you don’t have to call me boss, right?”
“I know, but you hate it. So, I’m going to keep doing it.” He laughs.
Ever since becoming the Godfather and promoting Dion to my second-in-command, he has been having way too much fun calling me ‘boss.’ It feels awkward to be called that by someone I’ve known my whole life.
“Whatever, prick. When can you be at the office?”
“ASAP. But I have to go home, shower, and change first,” he replies.
I take the phone off my ear to check the time. It’s eight in the morning. I’m assuming he never made it home last night.
“What happened with Aria after the club?” I ask. He hesitates to reply. “Please tell me you didn’t spend the night with her,” I add.
Dion muffles a laugh. “Something like that. You know I like them feisty, but this girl…she’s different. I can’t explain it. She’s got me all fucked up.” His voice lowers toward the end as if he’s just realizinghowfucked he is.
I know that feeling all too well.
If he found out how I’m starting to feel about Angelica, he would think I’m a fucking idiot. He knows how much my uncle meant to me, to us, and how important this revenge is. He would be disappointed if I let feelings get in the way. But at the same time, Dion thinks with his dick most of the time, so he wouldn’t judge me.
I’m not actually surprised he took Aria home last night. I should’ve known what I was throwing her into when I asked him to watch over her.
“Well, from what I could tell last night, she’s a firecracker. It’s about time you found a girl who can keep up with your nonsense,” I chuckle.
“Yeah…but her situation is complicated, to say the least. I don’t know if I’ll see her again,” he says, sounding disappointed.
“What’s her deal?” I ask.
“She’s getting engaged.”
I don’t know how to respond to that, but Dion fills the silence after a few moments. “It’s an arranged marriage her father set up with one of his associates. She doesn’t even know him.”
Fuck. That sucks.
Soon enough, Angelica will be in a similar position with me, but hopefully she won’t be too against it. And even if she is, she won’t have a choice in the matter.
It’s such an outdated practice, but in our world, arranged marriages tend to be the go-to for mending broken affiliations and creating new alliances. My uncle dodged that bullet because he was never set to be heir, so he married his wife out of love. They had a happy marriage up until she died of heart failure when I was a teen. My aunt was a great woman who took care of me as her own, too. I miss her dearly. They never had kids, and after she passed, everyone tried to convince him to remarry a younger woman and have children, but he refused. He claimed it was too late for him.
As the new Godfather, I’ll be expected to get married and have heirs of my own.
But no one will expect me to marry the enemy’s daughter.
“Not like you to mope over a girl,Dionaki.But if you do see her again, keep what you tell her to a minimum. She’s Angelica’s best friend, and I will kill you if she figures out who we are.”I’m such a hypocrite.I’m the one who has been putting us most at risk by failing at staying away from her.
“Yes, boss,” he says, and I scoff at the title. “What’s going on with the Kouvalakis girl, anyway? You seemed to be two seconds away from catching fire last night. I’ve never seen you that worked up over anything.”
