Page 63 of Beautiful Devil

“Wh-what do you mean ‘no’?”

“You heard what I said.”

“But you said—”

“It's not safe right now,gattina”

I walk out of the closet and sit on the edge of the bed to put on my shoes. I glance up to see her facing me with a look on her face that says if she were given half the chance, she’d kill me with her bare hands. I half expect her to make a move on me, but she doesn’t. Instead, she stands there with narrowed eyes.

“I want to see Elle. You said you would never stop me from seeing her.”

“Look, I don't have time for this right now. We’ll talk later.”

Before she can think up a reply, I slip out of the bedroom and head for my office in a hurry.

When I enter, Marco, Luca, and Luigi are already waiting for me. Jeff is lazily stretched out on the floor in front of the window. He’s not big into mornings. Sitting down in my chair, I take a sip of my coffee, courtesy of Maria.

“So, what happened?”

“They lit the place up like the Fourth of July. That’s what happened. I checked the security footage and can’t make anything out. Their faces were covered, and they were all wearing black. Came and went without leaving a trace. They must have parked far enough away and walked. No footage of any vehicles on the CCTV footage,” Luca replies, bitterness evident in his tone.

Just as he finishes speaking, the door to my office swings open and Gia storms in. Not noticing my men present, she starts yelling at me.

“You lying bastard! You told me you would NEVER stop me from seeing Elle again. God I should have known you were like every other man. Tell a girl what she wants to hear just to get in her panties.”

A low burning fire starts to swell in my belly. I can't believe she's speaking to me like this, especially in front of my men.

Who the fuck does she think she is?

“Not now, Gia,” I spit.

I’m doing my absolute best not to lose my shit. I do not have the time for this.

“You son of a bitch. Why the fuck am I even here? Why do you care if I live or die? I tried tostealfrom you, remember?”

Her emphasis on the word “steal” sends a hard hit of guilt to my gut, but not hard enough to back down. I’m out of my chair and rounding my desk, not giving a fuck that we have witnesses watching what’s happening right now. I’m towering over her, getting a clear view of her velvety smooth neck, when she tips her head up to meet my eyes, and just like that…I’m hard.

I feel Jeff's wet nose nudging my hand. Looking down, I see that not only has my dick betrayed me, but so has he. He’s sitting right up against Gia’s leg, nudging my hand again as he lets out a low growl when I flick my eyes back to hers.

Bastard.

I turn my attention back to my men, listing off orders.

“Marco, call and check in with Sofia. Make sure she’s okay.” No sooner have the words left my mouth than she goes off again.

“Sofia? Who the fuck is Sofia? Is she another wife of yours? Another unfortunate soul who has the displeasure of being married toyou?”

I ignore her words and continue talking as the three men stand from their chairs.

“Luigi, take a couple of the men and head down to the yard. See if you can find anyone who was around last night or may have noticed any strange activity the past couple days. Luca, check the surrounding buildings for any surveillance footage to see if they picked up anything. Now, gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me. It seems my darlingwifeneeds my attention.” I turn to look back at Gia and although she still looks as pissed as before, her breathing has calmed down ever so slightly.

Marco, Luca and Luigi all give a quick nod before making their way out of my office as fast as they can.

Once I hear the click of my office door close, I’m on Gia before she can even register. I pin her up against the wall, one hand in a tight grip on her hip and the other around her throat, lowering my face close to hers before speaking.

“You willneverspeak to me like that again.Especiallyin front of my men. Do I make myself clear?”

When she hesitates to answer, my grip around her throat tightens just a little, causing her to inhale a quick sharp breath.

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