Page 17 of Unwanted Marriage with the Mafia Boss

I tilt my head. “What makes you think I wouldn’t just take yours?”

“Because you’re not Adriano.”

I curl my fingers into fists. It takes all my willpower not to punch him. “If you love that asshole so fucking much, then why don’t you help him with his new project? Ah, wait, you can’t. He would put a bullet in your head because, despite what you think, he’s not your real son.”

He presses his lips into a tight line. That’s it. My father can’t handle the fact that I’m his heir and not his precious Adriano.

“I want you to go there,” he suddenly says.

“Go where?”

“Check out the neighborhood he’s planning to buy. Find out what people there think and what they know.”

“If I want to get there, I’ll have to go through Adriano’s territory... or the Ciprianis’.”

The Ciprianis are a strange family, but they stick to their territory and don’t deal much with anyone else. They’re not a threat, unless you enter their territory without permission. Wedon’t need a war with the Ciprianis, which only leaves us with one possible path.

“Yes, you’ll have to go through Adriano’s territory. Is that a problem?” My father stares at me. “Are you so incompetent that you and your men will get caught?”

“No, but you know what that neighborhood is like. Everyone will know I asked around, including Adriano, and I don’t think those people will tell us anything useful. We already know many of them are not happy about Adriano’s plan and they’ll refuse to sell, unless he finds a way to convince them.”

“I want him to know we’re on to his plan.”

I furrow my brow. “Then fucking send him a letter.”

“No. He needs to know we can pass through his territory whenever we want and that we’re ready to interfere with his business.”

“You want to put some pressure on him?” Adriano works best under pressure, and my father knows that. Great. It looks like he wants to help Adriano.

“Stop asking so many stupid questions and just do it. Go. I don’t want to see you here until it’s done.”

He doesn’t want to see me in our home until it’s done? Wow. He’s going to bring over some women to fuck while I’m gone, like he always does.

“Fine.” I’m not going to argue with him this time.

It’s a waste of my time and breath. I’ll do what he wants me to do, but I need to come up with my own plan. There has to be a way to get rid of Adriano and my father at the same time. I just need to be careful about what I do.

Then I won’t only defeat Adriano and have his territory but I’ll also take my birthright. Before the life drains out of my father’s eyes, he’ll realize Adriano is weak and should’ve never been given the Gaviani name. He’ll realize he’s been underestimating me my whole damn life, and he’ll have regrets.

But that’s not my problem. I’ll laugh last.

CHAPTER 9

Adriano

“Something weird happened,”Rocco says, his brow furrowed as he stares at his phone screen.

“What?” I don’t need anythingweirdnow, whatever the fuck that means.

“Um, Matteo. Some of his men slipped through somehow. They went to talk to the people we’re currently negotiating with and those we were about to contact.”

“What the fuck? How did that happen? And they got there through our territory or the Ciprianis’?”

“Ours.” Rocco’s face is serious.

“Now that’s just fucking great! Where are they now? What did they want? Are they trying to buy too or just messing with my plan?” I expected it, especially because Matteo had already been sniffing around, but my men shouldn’t have let it happen.

Matteo and Gennaro must’ve been watching my territory more carefully than everyone thought, and they somehow figured out a way to sneak around without getting seen.

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