Page 74 of Filthy Little Games

“Izaiah…hethoughthe was her father.”

“You’re telling me that Emilio Rovina didn’t demand a DNA test before taking her from you?”

Zara shakes her head. “No. Emilio did a DNA test, but he had someone fake the results, letting Izaiah believe he was her father because the piece of paper and his father said so.”

“Then why the hell did Emilio keep her from you?” I must be more exhausted than I realized, since I can’t figure out why the mobster would take Zara’s daughter if he knew his son wasn’t the kid’s father.

Zara stares up at me, her green eyes brighter from the tears. “Creed, are you really going to make me say it?”

“Say what?” I ask in confusion, right before one of the missing puzzle pieces slides into place.

“No.” My hands fall away from Zara because I want to ram my clenched fists into a fucking wall. “Jesus Christ!Emiliois her father?”

Zara scrubs her palms over her face. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I try not to think about it. I know that sounds stupid, but it’s true.”

Pacing away from her, I press my fingers to my forehead, trying to wrap my head around this shit while not wanting to think about it either, but goddammit I have to. “You fucked Emilio? At the same time, you were fucking Izaiah?”

“Yes.”

My feet finally come to a stop as my soul breaks in half for her. “Did you…did you want either of them?”

She shakes her head emphatically. “Absolutely not.”

“Then how…”

“It’s a long shitty story.”

“Tell me. Please, Zara.”It occurs to me that when I stopped touching her, she probably thought it was because I’m repulsed and no longer want her. But nothing could be further from the truth.

I still want her, more than ever. I need to wipe both of those sons of bitches out of her mind forever.

Closing the distance between us, I gently cup her face in my palms. “I want to know,micetta mia; I just want to understand. I’m not angry at you for keeping this secret from me. It’s none of my damn business.”

“You told me you’ve been going to all this trouble to find Oriana, and I knew you deserved to know the truth. Even if you change your mind about helping me get her back, since her father’s not dead. He’s very much alive, and one of the heads of the Five Families.”

“Of course, I’ll still help you get her back! That’s all I’ve been doing for weeks. She’s your daughter. She deserves to be with you. That’s all I care about.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, visibly deflating.She bites her bottom lip. “Could we maybe sit down for the rest of this conversation?”

“Yes, of course. Sit.” I turn each of the two chairs in front of my desk to face each other, and once Zara takes the one on the left, I take the right.

“So, I first came to the city with Emilio seven years ago. I was only twenty, not even old enough to drink yet.”

“How did you meet him?” I ask, wanting to know everything.

“Through my parents.”

“Your parents?”

“I’m not close with them anymore. I haven’t been, since they sent me to the city with him that first weekend. If they know they have a granddaughter, well, it’s not because I told them…”

“Your parents encouraged you to what, date Emilio?”

“They knew I dreamed of moving to the city, to try and make it as a model, you know? Emilio was one of their customers, a rich customer who came in whenever he was traveling through Pearl River. Our, their brewery was struggling. He convinced us that hehad contacts that would help me get signed to an agency. So, at first, I went with him to the city on weekends. They had to have known what he did to me when I stayed in one of his apartments for free. My mom told me I wasluckyto have caught such a wealthy, important man’s attention, one who could help me chase my dreams. I had never even had a boyfriend or dated anyone before he came along.”

“Emilio Rovina was your first?” The words taste bitter on my tongue.

“Yes. And when he helped my parents with a loan to save their brewery and helped me get hired with one of the best modeling agencies, I was sent to live in the city with him permanently. It felt like my body was part of the whole transaction, a ‘buy a struggling business, get our daughter free’ kind of deal. So, I lived in one of his properties for almost three years. He paid for everything while I got to do some photo shoots here and there, making a little money but not enough to pay rent or anything, especially not in the city. Emilio visited me whenever he wanted, which was…often, usually two or three times a week, all behind his wife’s back.”

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