Page 61 of Ruthless King
“You never listen to me. Get that girl out of your system. There’s something not right ….”
“I don’t need advice from you, Dante,” I hiss and slap his finger off. “Not in my business and certainly not in my love life.”
His eyes taper at the edges. “Guess you didn’t see the headline ofThe New Yorkerthen? Too busy with your head between your new toy’s legs?”
My heart kicks at my ribcage. Did Jones not pull through after all? “What was it?”
“You and your Italian princess on the cover.”
I heave out a breath of relief. At least it wasn’t of me knocking the shit out of Bo. A fake girlfriend I could handle.
“I wouldn’t breathe easy yet, little brother. I was scrolling through the comments online, and the Chinese Triad is calling for your blood. Hers too.”
All the remaining air squeezes from my lungs.
“And one of the commenters claims he’s got a video of your new girl acting like aputtanawith Bo Zhang.”
Red hot fury uncoils in my gut, and I let my fist fly. Right into my asshole brother’s face. He staggers back and lets out an indignant cry. No one calls Stella a whore and gets away with it. Even my own flesh and blood. “It’s a lie,” I roar. “And I already told you to keep her name off your filthy lips.”
“Damn it, Luca, stop fucking hitting me!” Dante rubs his jaw and wipes away the dribble of blood from his cracked lip. He spits on the ground and shakes his head. “Get your fucking head in the game. That girl should be the last thing on your mind. You turn on me, for what? Because I called it as it is. Get a handle on yourself before this all blows up in our faces.”
“I’ll handle my fucking business, Dante. Just like I have all my life.” I spin around and stalk back to my bike, rage surging through my blood. Could Bo really have a compromising video of Stella and him? The image makes my gut roil. His dirty hands on her perfect form, defiling her, spoiling what’s mine.
As soon as I reach my bike, I grab my phone and shoot a message to Jones. I need him to remove every blasphemous comment from that article. Then when I return to the city, I’m going to pay Bo Zhang a personal visit.
* * *
Once Dante leaves Mamma’s, I breathe a little easier. Having one nosy relative to deal with is more than enough. And at least I like my mother. Stella sits across from Mamma at the table, sipping an espresso. The pair have gotten along like long lost sisters. I’ve never seen this relaxed, chatty side of Stella before. And I can’t get enough.
At home, there’s always tension, even when she doesn’t know I’m around. I’ve caught her and Magda talking, but Stella never seems truly at ease, not like she is now with my mom. The realization pricks at my heart, and I have a hard time swallowing down the unwanted emotion.
A few weeks with Stella and the vision of my future is muddled, blurry like never before. Everything was so clear before she was dropped into my life. Now, I find myself wanting things I know I don’t deserve.
“…certo, Luca?”
I glance up, Mamma’s words drawing me from my thoughts. “What?”
“I said, you’ll bring Stella up for a visit more often now that we’ve met,certo?”
“Mmm.” I nod.
“Luca likes to keep me prisoner in his penthouse.” Stella’s cunning gaze meets mine over the rim of the small cup.
“It’s true,” I retort with a grin. “I hardly ever let her out of that gilded cage.”
Again, Mamma’s smiling so hard; the guilt of deceiving her is like a punch in the face. I clear my throat abruptly and push out of the chair. Wrapping my hand around Stella’s forearm, I tug her to her feet.
“Luca!” Mamma scolds. “Sei impazzito?”
Yes, I have absolutely gone crazy. There’s no denying it. But right now, I need to get Stella away from my mother before she starts planning our wedding. “I’m sorry,” I say to Stella and loosen my grip. “I just want to show you something before we go.”
“Go already?” Mamma rises and wrings her hands in her apron.
“Si, soon. But first I want to show her my old room.”
She nods, that happiness sparking in her weary eyes. “I’ll wait for you down here and get the leftovers ready.”
“Mamma, remember we only have the motorcycle so please, don’t give us too much.”
