Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 148962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Nonna shrugs, not bothered in the slightest. “My business. Not yours.”
“I’m disowning all of you.” Mariella sits back and takes a sip of her espresso.
More speculation over Romeo’s mystery girlfriend ensues, and I zone out, not wanting to hear about it. After an appropriate amount of time has passed and I don’t think it will be too obvious, I announce that I have to leave.
Nonna fusses over me, giving me a to-go package with some of my favorite desserts, and everyone else offers me their goodbyes before Abella joins me on the walk through the house.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“I’m fine.”
It’s my default response in situations like this.
Abella sighs. “I knew he’d been sneaking off somewhere, but I didn’t know where.”
“How long has it been going on?”
“Since Angelo and I took our honeymoon, at least.”
“Oh.” I nod.
That means, apart from the other obvious reasons, like him having a girlfriend, he definitely couldn’t be Eros. We haven’t known each other that long, and he didn’t even come to see me until recently. So that means Romeo has been secretly dating someone for well over a year now.
That thought curdles in my stomach.
“It’s good.” I force the words out. “He should be happy.”
“And so should you,” she says softly.
I know she’s referring to this doomed marriage to Riccardo, and I need to address it, but I don’t have the bandwidth for that conversation right now.
“We’ll catch up later this week, okay? I’m tired, and I just want to go home and relax.”
“Alright.” She offers me a warm smile. “Text me when you get home, so I know you made it okay.”
21
ROMEO
[ENTRY 007] — INTRUSION ATTEMPT
> She smiled at me.
> Breach confirmed.
> Logic override requested.
> Denying request…instability rising.
> She’s not your girlfriend, fuckface.
I spend the entirety of the forty-five-minute trip to the city thinking up new ways to fuck with Riccardo.
I’d rather saw off both testicles with a blunt knife than let him near Gabi. On a related note, I shouldn’t be near her either. If anything, today only proved that I can’t trust myself with her. Logically, I shouldn’t even be here after what happened. But I’ve reasoned that my failsafe will be enough to let me indulge this fucked up fantasy for a while longer. Julian has explicit instructions to put me down permanently if I ever lose my shit when I’m alone with her.
I haven’t had an episode since the night I interfered with Imperium’s plans for Gabi, and only by some stroke of luck was I able to bring myself out of it before I touched her. Today, all it took was Riccardo getting near her to send me over the edge. If Angelo hadn’t stepped in, I probably would have painted the ballroom floor with his blood.
I can’t keep her for myself. But I’m also certain I’ll have to murder every other marriage prospect her stepfather tries to arrange.
It grates on me that Michael allowed this clusterfuck of an engagement to happen in the first place.
So with that thought in mind, I rifle through my stash of dirty little secrets and fuck up his week, too.
A minute later, Gabi’s sperm receptacle of a mother receives a string of anonymous photos, letting her know that her husband has been fucking his sidepiece at the club every night.
It’s not a fatal shot, which is what Michael really deserves, but it’s enough to make his life uncomfortable for a while.
When I’m done with that, I move on to Riccardo. Everything I’ve done to fuck with him so far has been a temporary fix for the homicidal rage I’ve had since he made an offer for Gabi. It isn’t enough, and if Angelo doesn’t secure this fucking deal with the senator soon, I might have to implode his plans. I doubt Emilio would still be amenable to helping us curry favor with the senator if I brutally murder his son. But at this point, I don’t really care.
I scroll through Riccardo’s search history over the past few days, noting it’s even more pathetic than usual.
How to tell if a woman’s faking it.
Why won’t women come when I fuck them?
How to be the alpha male in the room.
Testosterone supplements.
How to tell if a paid escort really likes you.
Alpha male workout routine.
I screenshot that for more ammunition later, then make another large transfer to Jasmine and Honey with instructions for tomorrow night.
Riccardo is hosting a networking summit, and it will be the perfect opportunity for a public scene in front of his investors. While most of them have their own skeletons, they prefer to keep them in the closet. It isn’t a good look to have two sex workers calling you out at a business event about money owed for services rendered.
I have ample leverage on Riccardo from the last month alone, and I’ve seen enough of his micro-dick to last me a lifetime. It’s time to give him a cold, hard reality check. Even the women he pays can’t pretend to like him.