Page 44 of My Mafia Queen

“What?” he says, flashing a knowing smile.

“How do you know all the time?” I murmur, fascinated with his ability to know everything.

“Why do you think I’m the boss?” he tosses at me cockily. “I know stuff other people don’t.”

“Did you always know you wanted to be a boss?”

He clicks his tongue, a serious expression sliding over his face.

“I didn’t want to be a boss, but I suspected it might happen.”

“Just like that?”

“Mm-hmm. Just like that…” he says, amused.

His smile fades while his eyes remain closed.

“It had to do with my family. And some other things,” he says, no longer smiling.

“You could’ve done something else,” I argue after a moment.

“I could’ve. But I wouldn’t have been here with you if I did.”

“Ahh…”

“What?”

“Are you saying I wouldn’t have been attracted to you?”

“I don’t know. You tell me. You were with a bad man before… I thought you liked bad men,” he says.

“I don’t think you’re bad.”

My words are at odds with his life, so he opens his eyes and studies my face.

“You know what I do for a living,” he says seriously.

“Yes, I do. But I don’t think you’re bad. Do you think I'm bad? I’ve done bad things.”

“Like what?”

“Ran away from home. And now I’m trying to get my sister away from my abusive father.”

“Those are not bad things. You did what you had to do.”

“That applies to you, too,” I say.

He looks at me, grinning.

“I did worse things than what you did.”

“Because you were dealing with worse people than me.”

“True.”

“Hmm…”

A soft smile tilts his lips.

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