Page 87 of Mafia King's Surprise Baby

Without another word, I step out of the room, Mattia at my back, his father following us. I wait until we’re in the car, Pano, my driver, starting us on the road before I speak while looking out the window.

“We need to kill this war before it erupts.”

Chapter 25

Bianca

The waiting is killing me. When I decided to come back, I never thought I’d be spending so much time worrying. In my mind, I knew I couldn’t just waltz in here, and snap—like the waving of a magic wand, everything would turn out hearty and hale, smooth-sailing. I’m not an idiot. However, I didn’t consider the other end of the spectrum, where my return means I’m protecting my son, yes, but at what cost to all others?

Last night, my brother and Leo went to see my father. Leo had the information I’d given him in his possession, and there wasn’t much else for me to do now that I’d handed over this trump card I’d held on to for so long. I wonder if it will even help Leo, but he told me to leave the rest to him. I did just that, not realizing how much all the control and even the grip on everything would slip from my hands to his, leaving me bereft and adrift.

As a woman in the typical man’s world that is the Mafia, I know this feeling all too well. I don’t matter much, in the big scheme of things. Look at how I was pandered off to the Abrashis. By taking my life into my own hands and leaving, I had taken the reins. Coming back, I relinquished them. And I hate this feeling. It’s making me antsy, crawling out of my skin like I have a monster trapped inside, one feeding off my impatience and the whole not-knowing permeating my world now.

I haven’t seen Leo since he left last night, and as such, I have noclue what’s going on. Mattia told me and Hana they’re meeting with the syndicate today, my father to announce the bombshell news of my return. That won’t go down well—I’m not going to kid myself it’s going to go any other way. But I’m eager to know what the repercussions will be.

I jump out of my seat in the living room when the front door opens and in stroll my brother and Leo. The thunderous look on their faces tell me all I need to know, and I backtrack one step as one hand comes up to my neck. Is it crazy to imagine a guillotine is going to drop on my throat soon? Is this how Marie Antoinette felt during her last days?

“What happened?” I ask, unable to keep the words to myself.

Mattia scowls as he brushes past me and heads to his study which is located along the hallway behind the kitchen.

“Papa!” Enzo screams as he notices Leo.

I can’t even let the joy of watching our son launch himself at his father and Leo once again catching him in his arms warm my heart. Trepidation is beating an erratic drumbeat in my ribcage, and my breath is short and shallow.

Leo kisses our boy soundly on the cheeks then hugs him, Enzo’s cheek landing on his shoulder.

“Is everything okay?” I murmur.

Leo gives a soft shake of his head. “Not in front of…”

His gaze cuts to our son, and I nod.

He seems to notice the TV is on in the living room, and he starts toward it.

“What are you watching?” he asks Enzo.

“It’sPeppa Pig. She’s Peppa,” he says, pointing at the screen. “She lives with her mummy, daddy, and her little brother is George. I don’t have a little brother. Do you have a little brother?”

Leo chuckles. “I have three.”

Enzo gasps in awe. “Do you want to watchPeppa Pigwith me?”

Leo gently deposits him on the rug in front of the TV. “Not right now, buddy. I can’t. But I promise I will another time.”

Enzo sighs. “Okay.”

The world around him seems to be forgotten as he gets engrossed in his cartoon once again.

Leo ruffles his hair then stands up, going to the hallway leading to Mattia’s study.

I stop him with a hand on his arm. “Leo…”

He exhales loudly. “It’s a mess, as we expected. I need to get on top of this.”

There’s a finality to his words that hits me like an icy shockwave. My hand falls from his sleeve, and he doesn’t turn back once he heads to the study. I hear the door closing behind him, the two men now ensconced in their domain where we women have no place.

I glance up, seeing Hana on the staircase. I don’t know how much she’s seen or heard, but her face is grave. She lifts her shoulders as if asking me how it went. I can only shake my headin reply.

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