Page 108 of Scorned Beauty
“Hmm…”
“Sloane might have an assessment.”
“I don’t want her thinking about that bastard.”
“Are you going to tell her about Boris?”
“Not yet.” I read the therapist’s notes. I’d seen her prescriptions. Everything hinged on whether this project was going to jump-start her enthusiasm for life. I couldn’t fix Sloane. Margo was right. Sloane needed to see that she was perfect for me on her own. I’d seen what depression could do to a loved one. I’d seen how Dad struggled. It was all about her self-esteem. Sloane protected her worth by setting limitations on herself. But I believed in my girl. She was as good as any heiress and deserved all the luxury and support I could give her.
The last thing Sloane needed was a reminder of her life under Grigori’s thumb. The man was responsible for her brother’s death. We hadn’t talked about her unexpected pregnancy. I didn’t know how she felt about it. I didn’t know how I felt about it other than I would have wanted that child and I was angry that she wasn’t given a choice whether to keep it or not.
Sandro continued to keep me in brooding company. Finally, my phone pinged.
Bianca
Sloane’s on board, and she accepted the two cards. And I quote, “He’s gonna regret giving me his card.”
A smile pulled at my mouth as I texted back.
Me
Tell her, bring it on.
Sera
She says you can quit lurking and join us.
My heart hammered inside my chest and I swore I emitted a strangled sound as if I’d won the lottery.
The sound might have been louder than I perceived because Sandro scoffed and repeated, “Pathetic.”
I glared at Sandro. “You know, sometimes I wished I’d left you floundering for a few days when Bianca’s dad and brothers didn’t want her to see you.” Not to mention Cesar wanting to draw up divorce papers. He’d had to run it by me because it involved relations with another crime family.
Sandro’s eyes narrowed, and his mouth flattened.
A derisive huff escaped my lips. “What I thought.”
Me
Be right over
I loped across the street, thinking Sandro would continue lurking. Sometimes, when the girls were together, their husbands weren’t far away. But he followed me.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Sloane’s like a sister to me,” he replied. “I’m making sure to keep you in line.”
I stopped at the sidewalk in front of the café. “Keep me in line? She has free access to my bank account.”
He shot me an evil smile and walked past me. “Then I’ll tell her how to spend your money.”
“Don’t you have a crime family to run?”
“Tommy can handle things for a while,” he replied. I followed him into the café. Renz was behind the counter and shot me a shit-eating grin. My situation was a novelty to them. I was the one who mediated their messes. Now they seemed to relish that I was flopping miserably in my attempts to win back Sloane.
Not that I didn’t deserve it. Women were never a problem to me until they tried to pin a paternity suit on me. But the grief I felt when I found out Sloane had lost our baby sent me into profound reflection.
She was the one I wanted to be the mother of my children.
