Page 25 of The Agreement

“Five years to make net.”

“Wait, you mean to tell me, you want this company to shell out 13 million on this job with a return ratio of only 2 percent and for the company to even break even is five years?” Val leaned back in her chair and looked at her dad then at Joey.

“Val, you don’t know that….,” David started but Val quickly glared at him now.

“Like hell I don’t! All the information is right here and that’s even being nice in the ballpark range of a return time frame. Furthermore…”

“Valentina,” her dad snapped. Val closed her mouth and looked at her dad. “Everyone leave but Joey.” Everyone quickly gathered up their things and left, casting glances at the three of them.

“Father, you can’t be serious about this? This area is a waste of money. Between the land, the green tape, and the permits, you would be dealing out a lot more than the 13 that is on the table at the moment. And…”

“You are not in charge, so shut up!” Val reared back as if she had been slapped. And she had been, if even by a verbal assault.

“What?”

“I told you to be quiet, and I wasn’t just saying that. You are not the boss; you are an advisor and nothing more.”

“You are right, and as such, Mr. De Luca, I wouldn’t say that this deal is profitable for you. That you will lose more than you will gain.” Val stared at her dad, seeing the anger in his eyes. This went far beyond this meeting it seemed.

“Zio(uncle)?” Joey piped up from the other side of her dad. “Val has never steered us wrong, you know that. If she says that this payoff won’t be to our benefit, why would you even consider it?”

“My daughter isn’t perfect Joey and you would do well to remember that if you choose to keep her around.” For the second time, Val got dealt a second blow.

“Would that mean you don’t want me around anymore,padre(father)?”

“Why would I want a daughter around who doesn’t seem to know her place? Who has taken the title ofprincipessa(princess) and rode it as if she is the God damn queen who never has to answer for what she has done?”

“Is that what you think? I don’t know my place? That I don’t know what’s asked of me or how to act? Weren’t you the one who told me I needed to marry my enemy simply to stop your fucking war because you weren’t man enough to stop it your own God damn self?” With that, her father reached over and slapped her hard.

“You are a disgrace of a daughter if that is how you are to act. I will not allow it in my home. So until you clean up your act, and act how you are supposed to, you won’t be setting foot in here again. As well, you will have Celeste in the wedding to show that you are the better woman and that I raised you right.”

“Like hell I will,” Val said, as she held onto her cheek. She should have known how pissed her dad was by everything over the last few days but she never thought that he would be this kind of man.

“You will because as your father, and as your boss, I am telling you too.”

“Well, as my boss, that’s null and void as you don’t pay me; remember I do what I do for free.” Val stood up, threw a smile at Joey, and then turned back to her dad. “As for my father, giving the way things are right now, you can go to hell.” And with that, she stormed out of the room, grabbing two bottles of unopened whiskey as she left, jumped in her car, and squealed as she left the driveway, not giving two shits what either of her parents had to say to her or about that.

~ Chapter 21 ~

Vinny walked into the house, almost tripping over the shoes that were left by the door. He glanced down at the problem, his teeth clenching. God, what a spoiled ass if she thought she could leave her shit lying around and he wouldn’t be upset. He bent down and moved the shoes and walked further in, finding a jacket on the floor. His eyes finally glanced up and he saw the trail of clothing leading down the hallway. He quickly picked everything up and tossed it in her room but frowned when he didn’t see her.

“Val?” He waited for a response but heard none and headed back down the hallway and to the library, seeing her in a pair of shorts and a tank top, sitting on the couch, a tumbler of amber liquid in her hand. She kept her gaze outside the window that overlooked the backyard. “Val,” he repeated. He knew she had heard him, knew that she knew he was there, yet she did nothing but lift the glass to her lips and took a small sip.

“Yes, Giovanni?”

“What is your God damn problem? Your fucking drinking, you leave your shit all over and I almost trip. A fucking future mafia queen doesn’t act like this! And if this is the road you want to start taking then the contract will be voided rather fast.” Val blinked but that was all he got out of her. This wasn’t like the woman he had come to know. And if she was throwing a God damn temper tantrum over something stupid, he would go through the roof. “Vuoi guardarmi, cazzo, piuttosto che comportarti come una principessa viziata che non si fa strada(would you fucking look at me rather than acting like some spoiled princess who isn’t getting her way)?”

“Funny, you would be the second person to have said something like that to me in the last few hours.” But before he got the words to ask what the hell she was possibly talking about, she turned her head to look at him and he saw the red hand print on her face. And then his anger was directed at whoever laid a fucking hand on what was his.

“Who did that?” he asked through clenched teeth, his hands fisted tightly. No one had called him about her doing anything other than what she said. She went to school and went to her parents, but she did fly away from there pretty fast.

“It seems I am a disgrace to my dad after all, like you said. He wasn’t happy with my actions, or my words today at the meeting. And because I spoke up against him, he slapped me.” She took another sip of the liquid. “I did bring some whiskey for your boys later,” she said, waving to the bottles on the table to the right. Thankfully, they were still sealed, so she wasn’t drinking that.

“He slapped you?” He was still dumbfounded that her dad had even raised a hand to her in such a fashion. Yes, they weren’t married, but the care of Valentina fell to Giovanni now and he did not care to hear this.

He kneeled down before her, his hands resting on her knees, her eyes locked with his. He hated to do it, but he knew that he was going to have words with De Luca.

“Val, he had no right to hit you. I know he was angry and had every right to be, but you are under my care now, and I don’t take kindly to this. It was my choice not to punish you for your stunt, so he never should have made that an underlying factor.”

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