Page 76 of Sinful Mafia Prince

“I love you, and I love our family, but you’re right,” Dom said. “Coming here has opened my eyes to everything that’s missing. To everything we gave up for this path of revenge we took. We’ve been so caught up in this prison of sadness that we lost sight of everything else. But now that Fiore’s dead, now that what we set out to do is done, I don’t know that I want to keep denying myself what makes me happy.”

“And Luca is who you want? Who makes you happy?” Vincenzo walked over to Dom. “You’d be willing to give it all up…for him?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Dom ran his fingers through his hair again, gripping the ends in frustration. “Why does it have to be one or the other? We’ve spent all these years chasing the power we now have, and you’re saying we still have to choose? What’s the point of all this if we can’t have it all?”

“We can—”

“You’ve made it clear I can’t. That no one will accept me the way I am.”

“No… That’s not true. You’re my son. I love and accept every part of you—”

“But others won’t. Got it.”

“Goddammit, Dom, don’t you understand what could happen? You think I’d be able to live with myself if I lost another child? If I lost you? When I could’ve protected you and prevented it? Do you?”

All the loss and pain inside his father was right in his eyes for Dom to see, and it was then that he finally understood why Vincenzo had tried to deny him. It was because he cared too much.

But Dom was no longer a child, nor was he innocent to the ways of the world. He lived it; he bled for it.

“This whole life of ours is a risk,” he said. “You’re the one who’s made me the man I am today. The one you’ve chosen as your heir, which means you trust me enough to know I’ve only ever had our best interests at heart.”

Vincenzo nodded. “Yes.”

“If I chose to be with someone—whether that person is Luca or not—would you be willing to lose your heir because of that decision?”

“You know I wouldn’t. But the pushback from others—”

“Fuck the others. Fuck anyone who has a problem with me, whether that’s someone in our family or otherwise. I’m pretty sure my reputation precedes me, so if anyone wants to take issue with the way I live my life, I can take care of it.”

Vincenzo let out a weary sigh. “I know you can. But this life isn’t easy. Being who you are makes everything so much harder. And after everything you’ve been through… I just didn’t want you to struggle more than you have.” He laid his hand on Dom’s shoulder and squeezed.

“I’d rather have a hard life than a miserable one. And you raised me to be brave, not a coward. But if this is something you can’t bear, then maybe you should start looking for someone else to take the job.”

“Never.”

“You say that. It’s always been a blood heir in families like ours, but things are changing, especially with the Fiores gone. I can’t imagine they’ll languish in the shadows; they’ll rebuild. And not with a blood heir. Luca would never consent.”

“Listen to me. Whatever you choose, I’ll stand behind you. We weren’t only fighting for your mother and sister; we were fighting for the power to run the city the way we wanted to. Without fear of those disgusting Fiores hurting others the way they did us.”

Dom let out a sigh, the weight he’d felt pressing down on him the night before lifting somewhat as everything his father had just said sank in.

“Is Luca who you want?”

An image of Luca’s smile flashed before Dom’s eyes. Yes, Luca was whom he wanted. Whom he wanted to spend his time with. But how in the world could he ever ask that of Luca? What could he possibly offer Luca to make him want to stay in this life?

“It doesn’t really matter, does it? I ruined his life. It’s hardly the start to a great relationship.”

Vincenzo clapped Dom on the arm and squeezed. “I might’ve agreed with that before I arrived here yesterday, but I don’t know, son. He’s a very…opinionated young man, and I don’t know that I’d be making his decision for him. I think this is one thing you need to let him decide.”

Dom frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I think it’s time to return him to his life and see what he chooses. Connecticut or Manhattan.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO

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