Page 41 of That Time I Accidentally Took Over the Mafia

“Oh, so sorry I didn’t obey my orders,” I snap, my anger rising, bubbling to the surface like the heat surrounding us. “I just needed a second, Enzo.” I return to scrubbing my hands.

“You needed air. Not to disappear.” His voice is just behind me, almost a warning, but I refuse to let it sway me.

I turn to face him. His large frame fills the space, and his expression remains unreadable. His eyes lock onto mine, a mix of frustration and concern.

“No, I needed some fucking space, Enzo,” I say, my words clipped. “Since you knew not a single one of those men would have anything useful for me. I was just a pawn for them to see how close they could get to you and suck your cock.”

He steps forward, closing the space between us. His eyes narrow with that familiar intensity I can’t escape. The heat radiating from him makes the air between us crackle. But I refuse to back down.

“You needed to see this for what it is, Delaney.” His gaze hardens, the lines around his mouth tightening. “This is your reality now. The power, the position—it all comes with a price. You think you’re going to waltz in, and these men are going to bend a knee to you for a sweet smile and your pretty face?” He lets out a harsh breath. “You’ve got to be stronger than that. They won’t respect you until they see you’re willing to bleed for it.”

I stare at him, my breaths ragged, my chest aching. My head pounds with the adrenaline coursing through me. I want to scream at him, tell him how much he’s hurt me, how much he’s fucked up my life.

But it’s not just him. It’s me, too. I’m caught between this world, between the man I once trusted—the man who made me feel something I thought I’d never feel again—and the cold, harsh reality that he just used me like a pawn in a game.

“You put on such a big production, making me feel good about myself, pretending like we had some agreed-upon plan, while you really just sat back and watched me get passed around to all these men with eligible sons like I’m a fucking hooker.” My voice shakes, the heat of the room closing in around us. “I’m not going to let you treat me like that again, Enzo. I’m not your plaything. You can’t just use me and throw me away whenever it’s convenient for you. I know how you love doing that.”

His jaw tightens, and for a brief moment, his eyes soften with regret, but it’s quickly masked by his usual hardness. “This isn’t a game, Delaney. I’m here to make sure you’re ready for what’s coming.”

“Why is that your fucking job? And why do you have to treat me like I don’t matter in the process?” I snap, my voice cracking with emotion I didn’t expect.

Enzo reaches for me, his grip tight around my wrist as he pulls me toward him. I push back against him, my heart pounding, confusion, and rage swirling together. He’s so close, his breath mingling with mine, his eyes locked onto me like he’s trying to find a way to get through to me.

“I never said you didn’t matter,” he says, his voice low and controlled, but with an undercurrent of pain. “You matter more than you’ll ever know.”

“You don’t need to say it. You show me I don’t fucking matter when you make love to me for days, tell me I’m yours, and hold me like I’m something important.” Tears threaten to surface, and I barely hold them back. “Then you show me I’m nothing more than trash when you throw me away. Is that what will happen at the end of the week after you parade the Caputo heiress around your town?”

Pain flashes across his face like I’ve slapped him. I push away from him, and he takes a step back.

“You should’ve tossed a roll of bills at me when you threw me out of your building too. You never paid your whore for services rendered.”

Something snaps in him. He surges forward, leaving no space between us. The marble counter bites into my back as his hand grips my throat, holding me still.

“Every word I said was true. Every touch, every fucking kiss.” His gaze falls to my mouth like he’ll die if he doesn’t claim it soon. “You don’t know what happened that day. Why I?—”

“Then fucking tell me, Enzo.” I grip his wrist with one hand and the counter with the other. “Stop acting like I’m supposed to just erase all the pain because you’re here trying to do some noble thing for your mafia empire.”

“I’m not doing this for me, Delaney.” His voice rises, filled with frustration. “I would burn all of this to the fucking ground if it could die, but it won’t. This beast is rooted too deep to ever be destroyed, and it will never stop coming for you.”

“I’ve been fine all this time until you three showed up.”

“You haven’t been fine. It’s been coming for you for years. You just never knew it because we were always there. In the background, in the shadows, making sure none of it touched you. We thought—fuck!” He releases me and turns away, pacing.

He paces twice more, running his hands through his perfectly styled hair. “We thought we could protect you better if we stayed away.” He stops, placing his hands on his hips and shaking his head like he’s replaying his regret.

“I didn’t want that weekend to end,” he says, his voice softening, his chest heaving with the effort to control his emotions. “I wanted to spend more time with you. I had Sandra clear my calendar for the week. I—” He swallows hard, his gaze flicking to the floor before returning to me. “I got one of the interns to cover your duties.”

He looks at his reflection in the mirror, guilt shadowing his features.

“I had them come in early so, when you got to the office, I could surprise you. Take you away and keep you all to myself.” His voice drops lower, as if confessing this secret makes it real all over again.

My breath catches as he looks back at me, his eyes soft but heavy with pain.

“You used your fake name when you came to work for me. I didn’t know you were Caputo’s daughter until after.”

“After what?” My voice is barely above a whisper.

“After the intern was shot in the head by a long-range sniper who mistook her for you.”

---