Page 88 of Ruthless Mafia Boss 3: Vino and Claire

I contemplated the idea of moving to Milan and asking Gia for her protection. Gazing at my reflection in the mirror, my hand brushed over my flat stomach. Did this man really get me pregnant? Silence enveloped me. “I can’t keep it,” I whispered.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

VINO

Seeing my woman sitting behind my desk with the mask in her hand stole the air from my lungs. I couldn’t hide the truth any longer. I realized there would’ve never been a perfect moment to reveal that I was Angelo, her mysterious benefactor. Chasing her through the woods was never something I’d consider, but when she mentioned that bastard Ivan, something feral inside me snapped.

I knew I’d uttered some painfully hurtful things to her. Naturally, I would never inflict physical harm. I wanted to love her, protect her, build a life with her.

After Claire left the house, I heard a noise coming from down the hall and headed into the bathroom. I discovered my white dress shirt. The one she’d worn crumpled and stuffed in the toilet. The moment I pulled it out, water spilled over the rim, a clear sign that Claire despised me.

Leaning forward in the black leather chair in front of the stage, I drew on my cigar as Jasmine twisted on the pole. Her leg curled around the top, brown hair swinging free.

“I can finish early for you, Vino,” she shouted over the blaring music.

“No,” I replied, motioning for her to continue.

She clutched the base of the pole, bending her legs forward until her stilettos met the stage, her porcelain breasts jiggling with each movement.

“Vino,” she purred, slipping off the stage in nothing but a pair of yellow thongs. “I haven’t seen you in months. What’s wrong?” she asked, trying to shake her hips seductively in front of me.

I grabbed her waist and moved her aside. “I’m here to watch the show, not to fuck you,” I said, stretching back in the chair.

I took a sip of whiskey as I thought about how the only woman I truly wanted was

Claire—though she clearly wanted nothing to do with me.

“Nothing personal, Jasmine. I just want to be left alone.”

“I’ve always been your stress reliever,” she cooed.

“You heard him. Get lost,” my brother barked, sitting beside me.

She rolled her gray eyes, tossed her brown hair over her shoulder, and walked away.

“You can’t just sit here drowning your sorrows in whiskey. We have a war to manage,” Vince said.

“I know, Vince. I just needed this week to think and release my frustrations. I messed up.”

He squeezed my shoulder. “Yeah, you screwed up. But you’ll fix it. She loves you.”

I met his gaze. “I’m pretty sure Claire’s pregnant with my baby.”

His brows rose.

My voice was low as I continued, “She never wanted a baby. I tampered with her birth control to get her pregnant. Now I believe she’s carrying my heir.”

My brother covered his face. “You’ve completely lost it when it comes to Claire.”

“She knew I wanted us to have a child, but she kept insisting we wait until after marriage. Her career was always her top priority. I’m fine taking care of our child while she works.”

“Explain that to her,” he suggested.

I exhaled deeply. “Yeah, I will. I was just trying to give her another week alone before bringing her back. We’re getting married soon.”

His eyes widened. “Really?”

“Fuck yeah. I’m shoving that engagement ring right back on her fucking finger,” I declared, taking a long drag from my cigar.

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