Page 168 of What's Left of Us

The woman nods once. “I will. Thank you.”

When she disappears, he turns back to me. “I thought this might be the best place to speak. For comfort reasons.”

I highly doubt he cares about my comfort. “It seems like a…” Nice isn’t quite the word I’m looking for, so I settle with, “busy place.”

Humor dances in his eyes. “It could use some work. The owners are interested in working with me to get a loan of sorts to fix it up.”

A loan. “That’s kind of you.”

He smiles. “Believe it or not, I’m not an unreasonable man. However, if people make deals with me and then choose to back out on them, then it becomes a problem. I can’t afford problems in my line of work.”

“Investments,” I say carefully.

He chuckles. “Among other things.”

Gathering what little courage I have, I sit straighter in my seat. “My father doesn’t love me as much as you think he does. If he did, none of this would have happened.”

Interest arches one of his brows. “And what is ‘this’ exactly?”

“You believe in close family values, right?” I question.

Stefan Mangino dips his head. “Yes.”

“Then would you turn away your child the second you realize they can’t give you what you need anymore? Would you send them off with no knowledge of the world for anybody to take advantage of? I know…” I pause. “I know about your son. I’m sorry for your loss. I imagine you cared about him and wanted a lot for his future.”

Something passive darkens his face. “I did.”

“My father’s actions don’t seem like love to me. He was trying to make sure he kept his business.Thatis what he loves. Money.A good reputation. At this point, I’m a faraway thought in the back of his mind.”

His head tilts as he studies me. “Why exactly did you want to meet me?”

Wetting my lips, I rip the Band-Aid off. “I wanted to believe that the man I knew could be saved, but he’s gone. He’s been gone since my mother—” I swallow the words. “That version of him has been gone for a very long time. It doesn’t exist anymore. If you truly want to take away the one thing he loves, I can help. All I ask is that you leave me and my husband out of it when it’s done.”

The smile he offered me before stretches wider across his face. “Has anybody ever told you that you’re very much like your uncle?”

Uncle William? “I hear I’m more like my mother than anything.”

His smile doesn’t fade or waver. “I knew them both, and you’re a perfect mixture of the two. Beautiful and ruthless.”

I cringe at the compliment that doesn’t feel like one.

“In this world, my dear,” he muses, “that isn’t a bad thing.”

“But I don’t want to be part of it,” I tell him, meeting his eyes and holding them. “I never asked for any of this. All I want is to be far away from here, where my father’s indiscretions can’t follow me.”

“How exactly do you propose to do that?”

“I’ll sell you The Del Rossi Group to do as you please with,” I answer. “I don’t want to know what that is, frankly. But we both know that my father is slowly cracking. Do you want to keep doing business with somebody who could put yours at risk or take it over so you know it’s in capable hands?”

Something sparks in his eyes. “And what exactly do you plan to do about your father?”

“The same thing I’m sure you’ve been planning to,” I reply easily. “Set him up to take the fall. After all, you don’t invest in failing businesses.”

A group of people walk in and greet the women behind the counter by name. This place may not be aesthetically pleasing, but the food must be good enough to look past.

Stefan Mangino leans forward. “And how do I know you’re serious about this? Offering me a company you don’t have any say in is a very risky move, Ms. Danforth.”

That’s where he’s wrong.

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