Page 59 of Surprise Baby for the Mafia Boss

I smile, putting my car in reverse and making my way to him.

We’ll get through this. Together.

Chapter Thirty-One

Luca

I’m fuming by the time Emelia walks in my door.

I can barely greet her, knowing my voice will come out harsh. She looks just as angry, and I feel a moment of gratitude that she came to me immediately.

She’s right. After last night, we are on the same page.

I love her, and I think I have for a long time, and I’m glad that I finally told her exactly how I feel. Plus, if she truly can choose me over her own father and so-called best friend, then I feel more at ease trusting her.

My brother on the other hand…I’m actually not even surprised that he would try to orchestrate stealing this deal from me. He wants all of the respect, of course, and he can’t stand seeing me getting my own share. And Grazia…as sweet as my sister can be, she’s also naïve and easily manipulated.

They are the last family I have left, and yet they are choosing to treat me as if I’m an outsider.

Those two have always been partners in crime, acting like I couldn’t ever be part of their exclusive club. And as a kid, that shit hurt, but as an adult it’s just fuelling me to show them exactly who they’re fucking with.

I don’t say much to Emelia, but give her a long and deep kiss, a kiss that shows that everything we spoke about last night is still valid. Then I pick up my keys and walk out of the door. She follows me as I hoped she would.

We need to go to the mansion and deal with this, immediately. But we need to do it together, a united force.

The drive to the family house is silent, heavy. I reach over and put my hand on Emelia’s knee, keeping my eyes on the road, but I feel her looking at me. Giving her leg a squeeze, I pull into the driveway and exit my car in almost one move.

“Enzo!” I shout, moving through the house, slamming doors open. My brother must be here. If he’s planning a take-over of any kind, this is where he’ll do his dirty business. Never in his own house, that would be blasphemous, apparently.

As I reach the dining room, he comes out of the kitchen looking annoyed. “Luca, quiet, please. Loridana is here and the kids are napping.”

I continue walking until I’m face to face with my brother. I swing my arm back and land my fist right in the middle of his face—I hear a crunch as I slam it against his nose. He stumbles back only slightly, and then steps forwards and hits me back, getting my right cheek.

“What the fuck!” Emelia comes in to see us wrestling each other, and screams.

I let go of my brother and step back, and he does the same. I have never hit my brother in anger before, and the same could be said about him.

But I have also always bowed down to his will, and I’m sick and tired of doing that. We stare at each other, both catching our breath. Emelia comes up to me and tries to hold on to my arm, but I shrug her away.

“I know what you and Grazia are planning, and I’m warning you to stop. I have resources, Enzo. We might be family but if you’re going to fuck me over, I’ll make sure you regret it.” I rub my face where he hit me. There's no blood, but it's throbbing.

I catch a glimpse of Nonna’s portrait above us. If she were still here, this is where she’d intervene and lecture us all about family and how the business doesn’t work unless we work together.

My siblings clearly never took any of those lectures to heart.

“It’s too late, Luca. It’s being done as we speak. And I’d be careful if I were you. Threats are all well and good until the first person acts.” Enzo looks back as Loridana walks into the room. She obviously heard the commotion, but she stands in the background, not trying to get in the middle of family business.

“What do you mean, it’s being done as we speak?” I ask him.

He sighs. “Grazia is on our jet and headed to Mexico. She poses no threat, raises no hackles, on her own. She’s going to speak to Carlos and his people, and we’re going to make sure that the family name is not tainted by the fabrications that you’ve decided to base this entire deal on.”

I take a moment to process what he’s saying. “Why the fuck would you send Grazia on her own? Are you stupid?”

Enzo doesn’t reply. Using his hand to catch the blood dripping from his nose—that is surely broken—he turns to Loridana, and the two of them go upstairs.

For a minute I think about following them and continuing the conversation with Enzo, but all of a sudden, the solution to this entire fiasco comes to me.

I turn to look at Emelia and give her a Cheshire cat smile.

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