Page 42 of Christmas with the Mafia
“It is the perfect solution for any man in our position.”
“Times change, father. If you don’t like it, perhaps you should look further down the production line for another man to run your empire.”
I am taking a huge gamble here because stepping aside against my birthright is a powerful statement to make, and I wonder if he will guess the double bluff I am making here.
Life has always been a game of chess withinour family. Everyone is attempting to outmaneuver the other, and I hold my breath inwardly, while outwardly I have the appearance of a man who will not take no for an answer.
The seconds tick by on a wave of tension, and then he nods, his eyes closing as he sighs heavily.
“I will make my decision after Christmas. Bring her home, and if I like her, she stays. If I believe Desiree is more suitable, then you will have no choice. If you do not comply, you must step aside, and Julius will take your place.”
I’m surprised at his choice because Julius is no businessman, and my father chuckles darkly.
“Julius is ruthless, a difficult man to read and not afraid to make hard decisions. You will remain in your role heading up the business, and Julius will step into my shoes as the head of the family.”
He shrugs. “Unless you prove to me that you are able to make the right decisions. What’s good for the family rather than your cock.”
His eyes flash.
“There is a reason why we do things, Nico. You are not old enough to understand the implications of your choice, but I am. So bring this woman home to meet the family, and I will decide if she is good enough to be your queen.”
He stands, and then his cruel sneer makes my heart sink as he hisses, “I have invited the Bendettis to join us. It will be an interesting Christmas, wouldn’t you agree?”
I say nothing and merely stand, approaching him for our usual embrace, and as they file out of the room, it’s as if the storm has moved on and left devastation in its wake.
Twenty-One
REGINA
I takeback everything I said. The penthouse at the hotel was a mere coach house compared to Nico’s absurdly decadent home. I’m glad he left me to my own devices and I get to explore without a guide. This place is fresh from a magazine spread of trillionaires monthly, or something along those lines. I am blown away by the sheer size of it, let alone the interior that must have won awards for design.
As I wander through every room, each one is grander than the last. It’s dripping in decadent living, from the art on the walls to the furnishings that appear to be brand new. There’s even a full-size swimming pool in one wing of the place, along with a huge gym complete with sauna. There are various rooms that appear to be offices of some kind and one that is definitely Nico’s because it reeks of his scent. Masculine, dark, spicy and delicious. Just like the man himself and I am drowning in awe and interest in him.
After exploring my new temporary home, I wander back to the room Trent showed me, a kind of guest wing in the huge space where my belongings were, and it strikes mehow out of place they look in this decadent space. Money is tight, and I have never been one for frivolities, and yet my thrift store finds appear shabby and rather revolting now among such luxury. It’s only as I attempt to get them into some kind of order that it hits me.
My entire apartment is in this one room.
I mean, not just my overnight bag either. My entire business takes up one corner and my possessions another. It’s as if I moved home today, and that thought causes me to sit down suddenly and stare into space.
What’s happening to me?
I stare at the rock on my finger and my world spins around me as, for the first time, reality hits. I agreed to a fake engagement with a man so far out of my league we don’t even share the same planet. He is definitely not like me, and I’m way out of my depth. He is a successful businessman who must consider Basket Case merely an amusing hobby.
And yet he has treated me seriously.
It tugs at my heartstrings as I stare at the gift baskets spilling from a cardboard box. He is no doubt negotiating a billion-dollar deal, and I am about to retrieve probably five orders from my phone that will bring in around fifty dollars profit.
Failure isn’t a taste I like, and as I search for my phone among the mess, my heart is heavy. I’m a joke, a fool and delusional. I should get a proper job. Roll with the masses and join the line for the subway every morning. What was I thinking giving up on life and daring to imagine I could influence anyone? My shit is definitely not together, and now, here I am, agreeing to be a rich man’s stooge in agame of deception for God only knows what reason he has.
I finally locate my phone and check the screen.
“Fuck, there are at least thirty messages from Quincy on here along with only three orders. My heart sinks. Three. I suppose it’s because it’s so close to Christmas. Most ordinary people have their gifting done by now, and with a sigh, I notice that my battery is still only at five percent, and I can’t find my charger in this mess.
Quincy will have to wait; the orders are my priority, and so I retrieve the details by carefully copying them by hand into my notebook, and as the battery dies a miserable death, I set about locating the items needed to make up the gift baskets.
I am knee-deep in packaging and ribbon when Nico returns, and as he leans on the door jamb, my heart races because—wow! I forgot how devastatingly handsome he is. His presence fills the room, and I almost can’t breathe as he stares at me with his dark, glittering eyes and smirks.
“Is business good?”
