Page 14 of Unwanted Marriage with the Mafia Boss

But I don’t want to think about my past. What happened, happened. There’s no reason to go back there. The Gavianis are my enemy now, a little bit different from others because of our history, but it doesn’t change things much. I’m willing to go against them if I have to, and one day, I will, but for now, I want them to witness what Icando and they can’t.

I get to my feet and get dressed because I need a distraction. It would be nice if I knew where Sunset lives. I would love to bend her over, bury myself deep inside her, and make her moan.

My cock instantly goes hard. It’s crazy what she can do to me, even when she’s not with me. It might be better to avoid her and find someone else, but I don’t want anyone else. I’ll get bored of her eventually.

I head out, looking for the first guard that I find.

“Fight me,” I say.

Sometimes, when I’m bored or I just want some more practice, I engage in some hand-to-hand combat with the guards. It’s usually easy for me to beat them, either because they’re holding back since I’m their boss—and no, telling them not to doesn’t change anything when they can’t help it—or because they just haven’t had the kind of training that I did.

As the guard throws a punch at my head, I evade and want to groan in frustration. This is going to be more annoying than anything else, but at least it will distract me for a bit.

CHAPTER 7

Chiara

I takea peek through the window. My dad is in the middle of the group formed by our neighbors and he makes a lot of angry gestures as he speaks. Is it all about that billionaire who wants to destroy our neighborhood?

I get out of my room. As I’m passing through the hallway, I spot my mom in the master bedroom. She’s putting her things into a big suitcase. I furrow my brow as I enter.

“Mom, what’s going on?” I ask as I cross my arms.

“Oh honey, it’s a good thing you’re here. Your dad and I are going to visit your uncle Nico.”

“Why? Is everything okay?” It’s got to be something important because my parents rarely go for unplanned visits or trips. My uncle is a lawyer, and if anything had happened to him, I’m sure my mom and dad would’ve already told me.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” My mom’s gaze meets mine as she places another shirt in the suitcase. “It’s because of Adriano Gaviani... That billionaire who wants to buy our neighborhood and mow it all down for his project. We now know a little bit more about him and his plans, so we think Nico can help us. Your dad will collect all the paperwork and information, and together with Nico, we can figure out how to stop Gaviani.”

“Do you think there’s something that can be done about that? I mean, that Gaviani guy can’t force anyone to sell their property to him.”

“No, he can’t, but there are other ways he can make things difficult for us. He’s already bought some properties and some people will sell for the right price, so—”

“Gaviani could end up building something right across from our home and ruin everything,” I finish for her.

“Exactly.” She nods. “But this neighborhood is very old, and Nico said that there might be a way to protect the whole area so that Gaviani can’t build whatever he wants here. Some types of buildings or activities might not be acceptable. Then he’d have to find some other place for his project and we’d be free of him. We have to protect our history and culture.”

“The guy’s a billionaire. People like him find their way around all the laws.” It wouldn’t be the first time that the people in charge looked the other way or tweaked the laws just to suit the needs of the rich.

“Sure, but we can go to the press. Catch everyone’s attention. The whole country will know about this, and people won’t be happy. But first we need to check and know all our options. It might be easier than we think. Maybe we only need to make a small move that will make Gaviani realize we’re serious about staying and preserving our neighborhood the way it is. If he doesn’t want any trouble or bad press, he’ll change his plans.”

“Should I go with you? Maybe there’s something I can help with.” This is about my future too. I can’t just sit back and wait.

“No. You shouldn’t skip your classes, and we need someone to keep an eye on the house and the restaurant.”

“Right. Of course.” I give her a small smile. “I hope it works out.”

It would suck to have a huge hotel or something just down the street. It would completely change the look and feel of our neighborhood.

“Me too.” My mom sighs. “We’ll put up one hell of a fight.”

“Oh, we will.” Gaviani will regret ever choosing our neighborhood as his target.

I siton the stairs that lead to the restaurant as I watch the sun disappear behind the houses. The whole street is bathed in a reddish glow, and the sky is impossibly beautiful.

Bianca, my neighbor, walks up to me and sits down next to me.

“Hey,” she says with a smile on her face. Her blonde hair is tied into a ponytail and her hazel eyes sparkle in the last rays of the sun.

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