Page 83 of Wicked Rivals

I nodded. I would absolutely have that investigated.

“So you researched me? And Benedict Capaldo as well?”

I paused, inhaling her distracting scent while giving her a minute to consider how she wanted to continue responding to my questions.

Christ, why hadn’t I ever completed that background check on her? I’d started the process, but something inside me just couldn’t do it. I was blind to what I thought was her innocence.

She pushed at me again, gently this time, and nodded.

“Yes, I guess you could call it that. I keep my eyes open. For Enzo’s sake, how could I not? There are thousands of blogs written about New York’s mafia dons and countless articles published about the city’s wealthiest families.

“God, Stefano, Benedetta Capaldo walked right in and introduced herself to a stranger using her very recognizable name. I can’t even tell you how many articles I’ve seen about her father. It makes sense for someone like you to marry a woman like her.”

“Well now I'm not marrying her,” I said, staring at Val.

Val’s explanation might have made sense, might have been logical, but it didn’t feel right in my gut.

Sure, I could successfully threaten the editor ofThe New York Times. But I couldn't shut down the social media giants. I couldn’t take down every blogger writing about their mob conspiracy theories. Most of them were full of shit anyway and had zero evidence to support their claims.

Now and then, when one of their claims hit a little too close to home, my lawyers handled those.

Most of those websites didn’t report the full truth about mafia life, and Val certainly didn't seem like the type to waste her time with conspiracy theories.

If she had been so worried about me finding out about my son, why didn’t she leave the city instead of staying in the same fucking place?

I scoffed at the thought of it all and then narrowed my eyes.

Something still didn't add up.

“Social media, blogs, that’s it?”

“That’s it,” she hissed.

Then, after glancing down at the bulge in my slacks, she tore away from me with a new fire lit in her eyes.

“Are you happy now, Stefano? Did you squeeze all the information you needed out of me? Yes, okay? I spent more time than I should have scanning those ridiculous websites for stories by amateur journalists because I’m afraid. I wanted to know how to keep you from corrupting my son.”

“Our son,” I corrected.

She pushed out a heavy sigh.

“Are we done now?”

My paranoia had subsided. To be fair, she’d been right about our son, but now it was too late for that.

We still had some unfinished business.

“Not quite yet, Valerie.”

She put her hands on her hips and gave me a fake smile.

“Oh, don't worry. As soon as you eliminate this threat against my child, we’ll be out of your way, and you can get back to your plans for world domination. You can build your empire as vast and as brutally as you like… just leave me and my son out of it.”

Not an option. She had to know that by now. She had to know I would no longer let them go. Didn’t matter what I had to do or say to make it so.

She belonged to me. And she would only be safe with me.

No world existed in which I would not be in our son's life.

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