Page 8 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

Whichever way it went, the most important thing was that the situation did not lead him to find out the truth about me. When I had no luck with the artwork and the living room, I slowly progressed to the rooms in the hallway. The first three were what I suspect to be guest rooms with white walls, well-made beds, and empty nightstands and shelves.

The next was an almost empty room, save for a huge table in the middle. I also passed an indoor cinema and gymnasium, and neither held useful information. I was almost giving up when I stumbled into a room that looked like it was both a library and home office, with tall floor-to-ceiling shelves covering the walls and a large mahogany table neatly tucked into the side of the room.

I quietly made my way in, scanning the roof and seams for cameras. The table had a few files scattered on it, like he had been working on them before coming to the club. I hurriedly took pictures of everything I could find. I was slowly running out of time, and I’d figure out what was important when I got home. Making sure everything was returned to the state I found it, I called James to restore the cameras, and I made my way out.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I’d been holding when I was safely out of the building and on my way back to Vivian’s. Snooping around Mikhail’s house had me tense and unnaturally alert. He had this air of chill and darkness that seemed to have soaked into everything he owned, making you feel like he was physically there watching you. Vivian was already waiting on her front porch with a mug of coffee by the time the taxi got to her house.

“How did it go?” she asked, handing me the mug. I took a large gulp, letting out a moan of appreciation when the warm burst of caffeine hit my tastebuds.

“A bit too well. I’m half expecting him to turn up here with a team of security and drag me away.” I followed her into the house, settling into the couch and kicking off my shoes.

Vivian rolled her eyes, getting onto the couch with me. “He won’t. He’s a typical male in his masculine ego. They only see women as weak breeding machines not capable of any harm even though history is littered with hundreds of men meeting their downfall at a woman’s hands.”

“I found these,” I said, showing her the files on my phone. “I took the pictures in a hurry, and I’ve not had the time to go over them. Most of them are corporate jargon. I hope there’s something useful in them. The whole house was practically empty.”

“A man like him probably has a house he takes his one nightstands and associates to and another where he actually runs his business. He has a public image to maintain.” She replied, taking the phone from me and going over the files.

I leaned into my chair as the events of last night washed over me. I could still feel his fingers digging into my hips, and my lips were partially bruised by his harsh kisses. I was certain he left bruises and hickeys all over me, and I needed to hop into the shower and scrub every evidence of his touch from me.

Men were funny creatures, and it was almost laughable how much you could get from them if sex was on the table. I learned very early to weaponize my looks. It made things extremely easy. No one expects a beautiful girl to be smart. The generalmisconception gives me a headstart while they underestimate me.

“Did you find anything yet?” I pulled myself from my head and focused on Vivian, whose brows furrowed in deep thoughts.

“They’re mostly work stuff, but this one stands out.” She handed the phone back to me.

“It says something about needing signed approval for a cargo arriving at a port in Russia in a few weeks,” she said, looking at me.

This is good. My efforts would’ve gone to total waste if I returned with nothing but a sore pussy to show for my night.

“This might be from his illegal shipping, maybe the ammunition or children from the trafficking. Get me your laptop. We need to report back to Father immediately.” I nudged Vivian and swiftly fixed myself for a video call.

“Cara.” His monotonous response poured from the speaker. No good morning, or how are you? Just straight to business.

“Good morning, Father. I have reports from the subject,” I said, sending the images to him. His brows raised in surprise as he picked up his phone and perused the contents of the file I sent him. “That was quick. This is why I gave this to you. You’re very competent.” He praised, earning him an eye roll from Vivian.

“I trust you had your tracks covered while you acquired these? Mikhail is not a man we want to mess with, and if he sniffs out the slightest fish, he’ll be onto us before we know it.”

“I was careful.”

“Good. What is the plan moving forward?” he asked, and that was Vivian’s cue to join the conversation.

“Good morning, Father,” Vivian greeted, not meeting his eyes.

She always said he scared her—not in a bad way, though. he was never mean to any of us or abusive, just very strict, and tough love was not Vivian’s style.

His eyes crinkled at the sides as he watched her through the screen. “Viv, glad to know you still remember your old man.”

“I was hoping she stays away from his radar for a while.” She went straight to business, earning her a curious look from Father, who had indicated from the beginning that this was time-sensitive and needed to be executed as fast as possible.

“And why would this be?” he asked, leaning into his chair.

“Mikhail is a man of power and affluence, and he has women trooping in and out of his bed every day. The only way Ari is going to get his attention, let alone keep it, is by acting in a way other women won’t.”

“Go on,” he urged while I sat there listening as they drafted the next phase of my life.

“She already set a tone by leaving before he wakes. Men like him are used to the women wanting to linger a bit longer. A woman vanishing before he wakes might be new to him. So, I propose she stays away from his radar for a while and let him seek her out.”

“What makes you so sure he will?” he asked.

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