Page 55 of Mafia Don's Secret Baby

“I’m going to kill them,” I finally said.

Matteo leaned away from my back and took in my face. “That was the plan all along.”

“No,” I corrected. “I was going to talk to them first. I was going to do the honorable thing and make sure they saw us coming. I don’t give a fuck about that anymore. Not after this. Vlad is too powerful. He had too many people under his thumb, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets to either me or Callum.”

Matteo only nodded and narrowed his eyes as he waited for me to continue.

“I failed Silas by stopping you before. I should have let you kill them, but I was soft.”

“Lilianna—”

“Stop,” I said, raising a hand. “I don’t need feedback. I’m the heir to the Genovese family. I’m the last one standing, and that means I have the power to raise an army. If it means ending this and avenging them, I’ll do it. I’ll stay, and I’ll make sure the Petrovs are wiped from the map.”

“It will come with more challenges than you’re expecting,” Matteo said. “You’re pissed off and making a difficult decision without much thought. I don’t want you to be blindsided when there are people who don’t accept your reign.”

I nodded and turned to face him fully. Only one of my ears rang now as I slid toward him. “As long as there are enough people who support me to end this, I don’t care.”

“I’ll stand with you,” he swore.

The words felt like an affirmation to a question I hadn’t asked. I needed support if this was the path I planned to take. I needed allies and people to back me. But hearing that Matteo was on board melted away the rest of my reservations. I didn’t need to convince him, and that meant everything.

His declaration of support, combined with the clear concern he had for me, proved that I’d been right about him.

I’d been right to stay with him.

I rested my forehead against his. “I want you to know that even before this, I planned to stay. Before they did this, I was going to stay with you. I wasn’t sure if I was going to take over for my father yet, but I was sure about you.”

His eyes flickered between mine and my lips before he moved. His lips captured mine in a moment of outright passion, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, winding my fingers in his long curls. My heart beat faster as I moaned against his lips. I needed him.

He pulled away abruptly. “If you’re serious about this,” he started, “We have a lot of calls to make. A lot of people to contact.”

I forced myself to focus on the task at hand, not on Matteo’s full lips. “We’ll finish this later, right?” I asked.

His smirk told me all I needed to know.

Chapter Nineteen

Lilianna Genovese

I’d expected some backlash. A moderate amount, even. But when only half the invited people appeared at the meeting Matteo had called, I realized precisely how difficult it would be.

Matteo had gathered his most essential men in my father’s old office. Anthony stood at his side as his second in command, and Marcus as his consigliere. Three made men stood on the other side of the room, acting as heads to the different units of Matteo’s businesses. One man I recognized from the casino, but the other two were unfamiliar faces.

We’d invited my father’s consigliere, Jay, and he’d promised to bring a few of the made men who acted as advisors to my father. He should have taken over for my father, but Jay had never been interested in moving up the ranks. Instead, Jay stood on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall and eyeing me with a proud smile.

Beside him, the men seemed to have different reactions to my presence. Two of them looked outright disgusted, and the other two looked uncertain.

“It’s time to convince them,” Matteo whispered confidently to me.

He no longer clung to any pretense of kindness. His eyes held no sparkle of mischief, and he reminded me of my father in the way he looked down his nose at everyone here. He wore the mask of the Don, and I’d expected it.

I tried to mimic it, even.

I stepped forward, confident that nobody else would be coming, as the men began looking antsy.

“Jay,” I said, offering a hand.

He strode forward. His muscles bulged with each step as he inclined his head. He had the same kind eyes I remembered from my childhood. They didn’t belong in this business, but there was no getting out. He knew it as well as I did.

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