Filed To Story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
â??Besides,â? I say, shooting Daniel a dirty look of my own. â??Itâ??s not like Daniel was playing Mr. Attentive Fiancé all night â?? he was off playing volleyball for hours. What was I supposed to do â?? just not talk to anyone because he wasnâ??t at my side?â?
Daniel and Kent both glare at me then and I realize, suddenly, that this is what they both would have preferred.
â??Seriously?!â? I exclaim, throwing my hands up in the air. â??Are you guys serious? How the hell was I supposed to know any of this? I didnâ??t know who Ivan was until we were already talking with each other â?? and, to that point, nobody told me I wasnâ??t supposed to talk to some guy named Ivan anyway!â?
I glare at both of them then, though neither flinch.
â??Honestly,â? I continue, exhausted by the whole situation, â??you two, you hold me to some seriously unfair standards. I donâ??t know these people, I donâ??t know what the rules are. And yet you expect me to intuit them and act precisely how you want me to.â?
I shake my head, my lips drawing to a firm line, and then I cross my arms over my chest, just as theyâ??re both doing. Thereâ??s silence between us as we all glare around in a circle.
Daniel gives first. I see him sigh and loosen his arms, putting his hands in his pockets instead. He sees that I have a point and he looks down at the floor, a little ashamed of himself.
Kent, however, doesnâ??t give an inch.
â??Leave us,â? he says to Daniel, not looking at him.
Daniel opens his mouth to protest, but Kent cuts him off.
â??Leave us,â? he repeats, not taking his eyes off of me.
Daniel just shakes his head and leaves without another word, not even looking at me. I watch him go and then turn back to Kent.
â??Youâ??re on dangerous ground, Fay,â? Kent says, his voice low.
â??Wha â?? why?â? I ask, honestly confused. â??Because I still canâ??t see anything that Iâ??ve done wrong â?? I just went to a party and talked to my fatherâ??s guests. If you didnâ??t want me to do that, then you shouldnâ??t have let me go to the party!â?
Kent slowly shakes his head at me then. â??No, Fay,â? he says evenly. â??You misunderstand. Youâ??re not on dangerous ground with me. Youâ??re on dangerous ground in this world.â?
I frown at him, confused. So, he obliges me with an explanation.
â??You see, Fay,â? Kent says, unfolding his arms and looking down at his desk. â??Your father changed the game tonight, and you let him do it.â?
He takes a handful of change from his pocket and scatters it on the desk. I look between him and the money, confused. Then he slides one penny forward out of the mix.
â??The only thing that was protecting you in this world, Fay,â? Kent continues, â??was your engagement to Daniel. As a soon-to-be member of my family, you had my protection.â?
He takes two quarters, placing them next to the penny, blocking the penny off from the rest of the change.
â??But,â? he continues, â??tonight your father opened the opportunity for you to show the world where your allegiance lies. And, in leaving Daniel behind,â? he moves the penny around the quarters so that it mingles again with the rest of the cash on the table, â??youâ??ve left yourself open. For anyone else to claim, should they wish it.â?
I stare at the cash on the table, realizing, suddenly, the seriousness of what happened tonight.
â??You see, Fay,â? Kent continues, picking up a little dime and holding it towards my face. â??Your dad, in this world? Heâ??s not a penny like you, but heâ??s small shakes. And heâ??s getting weaker. I want him on my side, because he has resources Iâ??d like to use.â?
Kent puts the dime back on the table, mixing it with the rest of coins. â??But,â? Kent continues, â??Aldenâ??s trading you,â? he slides the penny to sit next to the dime, â??to the highest bidder. For his allegiance. Seeing if he can get a bigger fish than me to bite.â?
I look up into Kentâ??s eyes, then, understanding.
â??Ivan is that fish,â? I say quietly.
Kent nods and I look back down at the desk, the money scattered there.
â??Iâ??ll let you think on it, Fay,â? Kent says quietly. â??About where your allegiances lie. About where it is that you want to be in this world.â?
I donâ??t look at him then, but I hear his footsteps cross the room. Hear him open the door, hear it close behind him.
I stare, instead, at the coins on the desk. I reach forward to touch the penny, thinking deeply about where it is that I do want to be.
Again, Iâ??ve greatly misunderstood and miscalculated the complicated politics of this world. A party is never just a party, and Iâ??ve again fallen into that trap.
One thing in Kentâ??s little metaphor doesnâ??t quite add up.
I reach out, picking up the little shiny penny that represents me, my eyes glancing at my million-dollar engagement ring as I do.
If all of these men are going through all of this effort to figure out where I land, then Iâ??m certainly not a one-cent piece. Iâ??m certainly not the least valuable coin on the table.
And everyone â?? Kent, my father, Ivan, Daniel even â?? they all want me to think that I am, that I am some penny or some pawn.
But what Iâ??m starting to realize, through all of this, is that Iâ??m worth much more to them, and to myself, then theyâ??d like me to believe.
After all, if a pawn crosses the entire chess boardâ?¦she becomes a queen.
I smirk, slipping my penny into the pocket and quietly leaving the room. I head upstairs to bed, not bothering to say goodnight to anyone.
Kent climbs out of the second of three cars that take him and his captains to the meeting. He has shown up in force today, his overblown security force a deliberate message to Alden. Kent is done being pushed around and will rally his superior forces to stop it, if necessary.
Climbing the short few steps into the strip club, Kent remembers the last time he was here. When he had followed Fay into the Champagne Room, saw that pig of a man pressing her up against the cocktail table, ready to do as he pleased with her.
That moment had set his blood on fire. He had acted mostly on instinct that night, thinking he was helping a pretty young girl who didnâ??t deserve to be wrapped up in Deanâ??s particular brand of sexual depravity.
Little did he know what a diamond heâ??d found in this rough space.
Kent and his crew enter, heading directly for the back of the club, ignoring the pounding music and the dancers lighting up the stage. Instead, Kentâ??s crew works their way towards a back door where one of Kentâ??s security detail is already waiting.
The security agent nods to Kent, letting him know all is well, so Kent pushes through the door.
Alden is there already, waiting, as Kent knew he would be. Kent had delayed deliberately, had let the man wait.
â??Lippert,â? Alden says, tapping his fingers against the low coffee table set in front of him that has a spread of food and drinks already laid upon it. The room was nice, for a strip joint â?? the nicest they had. Leather seating ranges around the room with purple and chrome accents.
Alden has brought his own small crew â?? certainly fewer than Kentâ??s numbers. They look around anxiously as Kentâ??s people fill the room.
â??Sorry to have kept you waiting,â? Kent says, still standing, looking down at Alden. Letting him know precisely his place in the relationship.
Alden sneers at Kent, just a little, his lip twitching with displeasure. He understands everything Kentâ??s late arrival, his increased forces, and condescending manner are trying to say to him. And he doesnâ??t appreciate it.
â??Sit down, Kent,â? Alden says, leaning back on his chair and pretending a casual attitude he doesnâ??t actually feel. â??You called this meeting, pulled me out to this ratâ??s den in the middle of the day. What is it you want to say.â?
Kent does sit, one of his captains pulling over a chair for him.
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