Page 60 of Arianna

The Irish.

The Cartels.

They are all waiting patiently, as I did once, for an in to take the—oh so-powerful families down.

Until her.

I might have waved the white flag when I took Parisi for my own, but one wrong move against her will surely start a war.

I don’t start wars, contrary to what the brat might think, but I do finish them.

They will not like it when I do.

“She won’t make it easy for you, boss.” Banning’s concerns bring me back to the now. I stare into his eyes as he leans back on the chair and looks at the monitor before his eyes return to me. “Arianna is a wildcard. These two years with her have taught me that she’s not all bark… she bites hard when provoked.” He laughs, finding the girl amusing. I know they formed some sort of bond or understanding, yet the thought bothers me to the point I sometimes want to punch the smile off his face whenever he talks about her.

Like right now, if he does not lose that goofy grin off his face.

Fixing my tie, I stand from my seat and hand him what is left of my whiskey. Friends or not, what is mine will always be mine until I say otherwise. And for the moment, the little Parisi princess is mine, and I don’t share well. Never have. Most likely, I never will.

“Sandoval reached out with news of threats being made to one of the Nicolasi princesses from some woman-hating freak. It’s all too close to Arianna.” Walking towards the exit, I stop and say the last word. “From this moment on, you become her shadow. She does not make a move without you being there with her. Train the new team to serve as your backup. If anything happens to her on my watch, it’s your head.” With that threat to my longtime friend and trusted ally, I close the door behind me.

Whatever threat comes our way, I will handle it. Because like I wish for my child, the same goes for Arianna Parisi.

My current obsession.

The sins of the father will not fall upon the shoulders of the daughter.

Not while I am breathing.

Fuck.

This is the moment I should have realized my life would never be the same. All because of the beautiful ice princess currently sulking under my roof.

ARIANNA

Gucci Wheels

“He likes them young.” - A

It has been days since I arrived at the moody asshole’s mansion and since I last saw him. The man gets up at dawn and arrives home late to avoid me. I am sure of it.

The lengths he is going through to not run into me annoy a part of me, but another part, the petty part, enjoys the power shift that happened the night he tried to push my limits and didn’t succeed.

I didn’t back down, and it changed something between us. I saw it in his eyes the moment I pushed back.

Yes, he has all the cards on his side, but I showed him I would not back down on any of his threats or challenges. I am not so easily scared or intimidated.

At least, not when it comes to him.

Besides, I’ve never felt both scared and excited at the same time, and it’s all because of him.

Now, thoughts of him plague me.

Taking a seat on the kitchen island, I look for the newspaper as I do every morning and notice someone left the politics section next to my plate of food. Looking up, I see Benjamin staring at me as if I’ve grown two heads overnight.

I take a sip of my coffee and then ask, “What?”

Shaking his head, he chuckles as if he knows something I don’t, which irks me this early in the morning. “Nothing.” He points the eggbeater at me. “Would you like your eggs scrambled, or do you want an omelet?”

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