Page 100 of Ruthless Mafia Boss 3: Vino and Claire

He hung up.

I doubted Vino wanted to see me right now. It seemed neither of us was ready to face the other.

Even though he resented my clinic visit, he still intended to eliminate Ivan and Polina for harming me. I sighed as I walked into the bathroom. Vino and I had a long way to go to mend our relationship. I disliked his approach to pursuing me, but part of me understood. My heart was guarded, and settling down wasn’t on my agenda. Yet, he showed me what true love felt like.

I looked at myself in the mirror. “Claire don’t fall for his beautiful eyes or his sweet words,” I told myself. “You can resist your charming fiancé.”

But could I, really?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

VINO

THE TRIP TO RUSSIA

I slumped into the black plush leather seat on the jet, the one nearest to the aisle. Resting my elbows on my knees, I cradled my head in my hands. It was painfully clear that tampering with Claire’s birth control pills had been a huge mistake. I should’ve waited until she was ready to start a family, but given her busy career, it seemed she wouldn’t be ready anytime soon.

Now, I was determined to speak with her and make sure she understood that I would raise our children on my own, allowing her to devote herself fully to her career. Claire was twenty-seven, and I was thirty-four; it only made sense that I was prepared to start a family.

I hadn’t planned to see her until next week, thinking that the extra time would help me overcome the bitter reminder of her decision to abort our child. My anger had been uncontrollable since we parted ways.

The living room was unrecognizable. I’d tossed the furniture around the space like they were building blocks. And I savagely killed my enemies every time I thought about Claire.

“Vino, she’s here,” Glacier announced.

My heart pounded as I ran my fingers through my hair and stepped into the aisle. Claire walked toward me with her eyes fixed on the floor.

Her bodyguards weren’t joining us on this trip. They were remaining in New York to keep a watchful eye on her business due to our ongoing war. Renato mentioned that Claire had put Porsha in charge. During Claire’s absence, only a select few employees were permitted on the premises. Hopefully, my brother kept his shit in check when it came to Porsha. I didn’t want to find out he’d been fucking her all over the studio while Claire was away.

I had a team of bodyguards with me on this flight; there was no way I would travel to Russia without an entourage. We were ready to fight Claire’s war. Her war was now mine.

“Good morning, Claire,” I said, peering down at her. She wore skinny blue jeans, a tight-fitting yellow tank top, a cropped blue jean jacket, and nude stilettos.

She lifted her eyes briefly, taking in my attire. I wore a navy blazer, white dress shirt, cream slacks, and brown loafers. “Morning, Vino. Thanks for letting me join you.”

I hooked two fingers under her chin and raised her face until our eyes met. “I wasn’t ready to see you.”

“I figured you weren’t. I wasn’t ready to see you either.” She tried pulling away and I gripped her chin.

“Vino, you tricked me into falling in love with you.”

“Yeah, well, I won’t apologize for that. I also won’t apologize for becoming your benefactor. I might have taken the Angelo persona too far, but both Angelo and I managed to win your heart.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, you took it too far.”

“I’m distraught you aborted our child.”

Her eyes squeezed shut at the mention of what she’d done.

“Let me get this out, Claire.”

Her eye lids fluttered open. “Okay.”

“In the near future, I want to start our family. I’ll take care of our children. You can focus on your career.”

Her lips parted. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” I then pulled her into my arms and crushed her lips.

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