Page 114 of The Deal

Chloe

I’m back to working again—with numbers, my favourite thing—and it feels so damn good. It’s been almost a month, and during this time, I’ve been buried in the maze of businesses that make up the Mancini portfolio, not to mention interviewing people to join my team. There’s no way I could manage it all alone.

I’m slowly starting to grasp things. My predecessor left things in a bit of a mess, so we’ve basically had to start from scratch. The program Prescott Enterprises built for us has been a lifesaver, making my job much more manageable.

I’m not naive enough to think everything was above board before I took this role. I know there’s been some shady business dealings going on behind the scenes, but with Giovanni Senior now out of the picture, I’ve been working closely with Alex to clean it all up.

Alexander has been getting Dante involved as much as possible, but he hasn’t made it easy. His antics crack me up. He busts his brother’s balls every chance he gets, but I’ve loved watching them bond again.

The three of us make a great team.

I’monly working from nine to three, so I can drop Giovanni at school and be there to collect him in the afternoons. We’ve slotted into a nice routine.

I log off my computer and grab my bag before heading for Alexander’s office. I find Dante and Antonio in there with him, so I remain in the doorway. “I’m heading off now,” I say.

All three heads swing in my direction, and when Dante rocks back in his chair, giving me a flirtatious smile and a wink, I know it is purely for his brother’s benefit.

“Out,” Alexander barks. “Both of you!”

Antonio rises immediately, but his brother does it begrudgingly with a long, drawn-out exhale. As he passes, he bops my nose with the tip of his finger and adds, “See you at home, darlin’.”

When Alexander audibly growls, Dante throws back his head and laughs.

These two.

“He does that purposely to get under your skin,” I say, closing the door behind me. “He knows you’re going to bite.”

“He knows how to press my buttons, that’s for sure,” Alexander replies as he pushes his chair back from the desk and taps his upper thigh with an open palm. “He’s a little cocksucker. He’s been doing it my whole damn life.”

“Maybe stop biting.”

“Easier said than done,bella.” He juts his chin towards the door. “Lock it.”

I arch an eyebrow. “I have to go and get Giovanni from school.”

“Your mum is getting him today.”

“She is?”

“Yes, I asked her to.”

A surge of hope bubbles up inside me. Maybe he does know what today is and has just been holding out on me. I hadn’t expected him to wish me a happy birthday—I never told him when it was—but I’ll admit, I was hurt when my mother didn’t say a word this morning before I left the house.

I know she’s been absent from my life for years, and even though I found all the birthday cards she wrote during that time, I’m not sure if she remembers the date or if she just picked a random day, assuming I’d never get them anyway.

“Why did you ask my mum to collect him?”

“Because I wanted some alone time with you. You’ve been working with me for a month, and we’ve yet to christen my office or this desk. Those sexy little skirts you wear every day drive me fucking wild.”

I force a smile, doing my best not to let the disappointment show. It’s been a long time since I’ve celebrated my birthday. I’m not sure if my father didn’t know when it was or if he just pretended not to.

Maybe because he couldn’t afford to get me anything, but for me, it was never about the gifts … it was about the recognition. Initially, it stung, but over time, I began to treat it like just another day.

Alexander crooks his finger. “Come here,amore mio, I have something for you.”

“Let me guess, your dick?”

He chuckles as I approach. “Perceptive and beautiful … a lethal combination.”

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