Page 16 of Unwanted Marriage with the Mafia Boss

“Terrible idea. If they get you entangled in their world, they’ll never let you go. Our neighborhood would become theirs, and that’s even worse than Gaviani.”

Bianca laughs. “I was joking.”

A smile spreads across my lips. “I know, but I still don’t want any mafia anywhere near us.”

“Agreed.” Bianca gets to her feet. “I have to go. My mom wants me to look at some apartments with her, just in case.”

I sigh. Many people said they were willing to fight for our neighborhood, but what if they change their minds? We can’t let Gaviani win and get what he wants. We came here first, and he’s an intruder. He doesn’t belong here, and it’s not like he intends to live here himself.

All he wants is to get richer and richer, which is ridiculous, considering he’s already a billionaire. Why does he need more money? More projects? Why doesn’t he care about anyone other than himself? Has he even seen how beautiful our neighborhood is? Does he know any of the people who live here? Like, really know them? I’m sure he doesn’t.

He’s a villain, and villains don’t win in the end. I just know it. Gaviani isn’t going to get what he wants. We all need to stick together. Then we’ll be unbeatable.

CHAPTER 8

Matteo

“What the fuck is he doing?”I whisper under my breath as I study the latest reports on Adriano’s movements.

He’s up to something, and it’s not anything good. He’s been buying properties in all the wrong areas, and there are strong whispers about his special Gaviani project, or whatever the fuck he calls it.

I don’t know what he intends to do. The area he’s focused on is close to the sea and right next to his territory. Building anything there would be great because of the view and closeness of the city center.

It’s perfect, but it’s also highly problematic and that’s why no one has ever tried to control that area. The neighborhood is very peaceful, quiet, and old, and everyone knows everyone there.

Trying to send someone to spy on Adriano and his men would be complicated—although not impossible—and he’s making his moves right from his territory. He’s only crossed over a little bit so far, but I’m sure he’s going to expand.

Will people sell their homes to him? It’s a risky investment and it could catch a lot of attention, but that’s exactly why Adriano wants it. If he has his way, he’ll get richer and morepowerful, maybe even become the biggest boss in town. I can’t let that happen.

I grit my teeth. I shouldn’t have let Adriano keep his territory and my family name. Now I’ll have to go through his territory to find out exactly what his plan is.

Maybe I should let him handle the complicated neighborhood and set it up for business. Once all the pesky people are gone, I’ll defeat Adriano and take everything that’s his. Let him do the dirty work for me.

A soft sound in the hallway makes me close the laptop on my desk and turn around. My father enters the room. His gray eyes are narrowed, and his gray hair is starting to peek out from under the dyed black strands.

“Why are you still here?” he asks, raising his eyebrows at me.

“And where am I supposed to be?”

“I don’t know. Out there. Doing something!”

“Maybe I would be... if you finally let me take control of things.” I push my lips up into a smile that I don’t feel.

My father is getting old, but he still wants to be the one to rule the Gaviani territory on his own. He keeps saying I have to wait for him to retire or die to become the boss, but I’m running out of patience.

At first, I thought that working for him and doing what he wanted would make him see that I was ready, but now, I no longer want to jump every time he barks. His decisions are stupid anyway. He didn’t let me go after Adriano, and that was his biggest mistake.

Now things are more difficult for us, but there’s still time to salvage the situation. The only question is, does my father want that? He’s always had a soft spot for that street rat he found. I can’t believe that he used to call Adriano his son, even though Adriano has zero Gaviani blood.

“You? Take over?” My father laughs. “Not with that again. You haven’t shown me a single thing that would make me think you’re worthy of taking my place.”

I scoff and start for the door, but he gets in my way. We’re face-to-face as he stares into my eyes. It used to terrify me when he’d do that because I knew bad things were coming, but not anymore. I’m taller and stronger than him. If he thinks he can scare me, he’s wrong.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asks.

“Didn’t you just say I should be out there? If you don’t think I’m worthy, then maybe I should leave, and you won’t just have Adriano as your enemy.” I glare at him.

“Don’t be dramatic. You don’t even have your own territory.”

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