Page 57 of Angelo

“I am ready, and I want to know.”

There’d always been an unflinching directness to Mariposa's attitude. Elyse had noticed it during the first time they played poker together. The De León girl possessed spunk and mettle in spades. But did Mariposa possess the capacity to forgive? Elyse felt uneasy. Alessandro and Valentina had shot and killed Mariposa's closest kin. She didn't know how the younger woman would react.

"Your father is gone," Elyse finally confessed, keeping her gaze locked on Mariposa, "Orlando and Soren are dead, too."

The girl's complexion turned ashen."Dio santo..." Oh, my God...

"I’d extend my condolences, but it feels insincere considering how they lost their lives," Elyse mumbled in distress.

The younger woman seemed to catch her drift. Dark eyes narrowing, Mariposa demanded, "Howdidthey die?"

Guilt weighed on Elyse's tongue, but she forced herself to answer, "Alessandro shot your father. Then, Valentina took out your brothers."

She wanted Mariposa to hear it from her instead of another source.

Fists clenching at her sides, the younger woman demanded, "I understand Valentina has always been a wild card. But why did Alessandro betray my father? Our clans are allies,no?"

"Your father betrayed him first."

Mariposa's jaw locked. "What did my father do to Alessandro?"

Elyse studied Mariposa closely. Had the younger woman been aware of the hit her father put on Alessandro? She searched for flashes of awareness on Mariposa’s face while letting the cat out of the bag, "Not too long ago, Alessandro discovered that Aberto hired an American hitman named Tommy Wilkes. Tommy put a bullet in Alessandro's stomach when he was in New York."

Mariposa looked genuinely shocked."Manache! Cane non mangia cane. Mio padre dovrebbe saperlo meglio." Oh, hell! Dog doesn't eat dog. My father should know better.

Elyse pretended not to understand her. "The only reason my husband didn't die that night was because I saved him."

Mariposa gave a troubled frown. "How do I know this is true?"

"Your father went through the Santos brothers to hide his hand in the matter. It took a bit of careful digging, but our men found proof. I can show it to you."

Almost unnoticeably, Monte squirmed and shuffled behind them. His face stayed emotionless, but a troubled flicker appeared in his eyes. Never one to wear his heart on his sleeve, only Elyse picked up on his unease. If they hadn’t spent so much time together in the past few months, she would’ve missed it, too. What was bothering him? Monte had been assigned to prove Aberto’s guilt. Perhaps, he didn't wish for Mariposa to know about his involvement in her father's murder?

Elyse couldn't be sure.

Mariposa remained oblivious to Monte's strange mood. She appeared lost in thought, falling silent for a stretch. She appeared to be struggling to process everything. It took her a while to respond. "I would like to see the evidence later, but, for some reason, I think I believe you already."

With a touch of skepticism, Elyse cocked her head to the side. "How come?"

Bitterness seeped into Mariposa’s voice as she shared, "As you know, only my brothers were welcome in my father’s inner circle. They liked to keep me in the dark. But I am not stupid. Even though they did not tell me much, I learned to use my eyes and ears to fill in the blanks. My father has been taking out his rivals behind their backs for as long as I can remember. It is not in his nature to shootenemies in the face. He finds other ways to kill them."

“You seem to know your father well even though he hid everything from you.”

“He always underestimated me.”

“A fatal mistake.”

Mariposa scoffed, but she looked quite pleased with Elyse’s remark. "What about Orlando and Soren? How did they die?"

"Valentina took out Orlando and Soren when they pulled their guns on Alessandro. They were about to avenge your father's death."

"I see."

Elyse winced. "I know this must be a lot to take in."

Mariposa looked visibly shaken, but her voice didn't waver when she stated, "Do not get me wrong. I am distressed by the fact that they are all gone. But their deaths do not come as a shock.”

Elyse eyed the younger woman with trepidation.

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