Page 45 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

“Woah. His power and influence suddenly makes sense.”

“Yes. He also threw a knife at his cousin for touching my hair,” I added, watching as her face morphed into a look of horror.

That’s exactly what I thought. There was no way a reasonable human being would hear or see something like that and not be scared out of their senses.

“He did what?” She gaped.

“Apparently, it’s a way of marking your territory in the mafia, and if Mikhail had done nothing about it, the men would think I’m fair game for all.”

“Woah. That’s crazy.”

“Yup,” I agreed. “What’s even crazier is the way women are treated. They get sent out when there’s a topic to be discussed. They cannot question their husband’s infidelity, and they have no say in the lives of their sons.”

“But they get to raise their daughters themselves?” Vivian asked.

“The girls are raised to make the perfect wives for their men. Maya once told me to tone down on my independence and openness and that mafia women are meant to be seen and not heard.”

“I wish I could run a study on them. I’m sure I would discover a new side to socio-cultural relationships,” Vivian mused, and I shook my head at the direction of her thoughts. Always the psychologist.

Against my better judgment, I somehow found myself wondering what a future with Mikhail would look like under different circumstances. He was more forward than his brothers and didn’t seem like the type to cheat and cage a woman. Either that, or he is a very good manipulator and waited till you were completely at his mercy before showing his true colors. I blinked the thoughts away. It was no use troubling myself with scenarios that would never become reality.

“And the bodyguard? How do you plan on dealing with him?” Vivian’s questions dissipated the thoughts forming in my head.

“I have no plans for him. He’ll probably get bored when he figures out I only go to work, visit you, and sometimes grab occasional lunch with Julia.”

“You still work for Vanderbilt?”

“More like I go there and sit behind a desk watching YouTube videos all day, but yeah. It’ll be suspicious if I suddenly stopped going to work,” I replied, and she nodded in agreement.

“I can’t wait to be done with this Viv. It has taken so much from me,” I sighed, and she pulled me into a hug.

“It’ll be over before you know it,” she assured, and I hoped with everything in me that she was right. I’ve been noticing some of my lines blurring for Mikhail, and I didn’t like what that would mean for me.

CHAPTER 19

Mikhail

Mikhail

“Where is he?” I asked Benjamin as soon as I entered the warehouse. I asked Peter to take Arielle home after the gala, and I rushed here immediately.

True to my suspicions, the idiot responsible for the attack on my port was foolish enough to show his face at my gala. We would’ve missed him if one of Enzo’s sensors hadn’t caught the minute camera embedded in his glasses. He must’ve thought himself brilliant enough to sneak into an exclusive gala, make videos of our transactions, and sneak out without being noticed.

“The basement,” Benjamin replied, leading the way. “He’s a tough nut and has refused to say a word since we brought him in.”

“He will talk. I just need a minute with him, and he’ll be singing like a fucking canary,” I seethe, increasing my strides.

When Enzo beeped me with the alert that they’ve got him, I was hit with both relief and anger, and I had to force myself not to leave the gala midway and smash the bastard’s head into a brick. We finally got to the basement after what felt like forever. The thick, musky air of the abandoned underground room wasnothing compared to the fog of red clouding my vision. I could taste the metallic tang of blood on my tongue as we drew closer, and I couldn’t wait to draw it out of him.

“This is him,” Benjamin announced, and the whitest looking being I’ve ever seen lifted his gaze from his position on the floor to meet mine. He looked almost transparent and ghostly with pale white skin, bright green eyes, and hollow cheeks. Despite his haunted looks, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I’d seen him somewhere or I’d encountered someone who looked like him. A haughty look of arrogance appeared on his face, and he spat at my foot, earning him a punch in the jaw from Enzo, who stood guard next to him.

He smiled. No scream, not even a little whimper. He bared his teeth like a fucking psychopath and graced us with a megawatt smile.

I watched his little display with interest, taking off my suit jacket and cufflinks and rolling my sleeves above my elbow. He was just my type of crazy, and I was going to have a lot of fun breaking him.

“Knife.” I stretched out my hand to Enzo, who already had my tools spread out next to him. He knew me so well.

I turned to Benjamin. “Take off his clothes, tie his hands and feet, and hang him upside down on the hook.”

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