Filed to story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
“Is nothing,” Bianci snaps, slamming his espresso cup down on the little table next to him. Behind him, Natalia smirks, pleased. “And even if the woman has some value, it was not what we agreed upon. You, Kent Lippert, do not manage the terms of this deal. That is for me to decide.
And you failed to uphold your end of the deal, offering a cheap substitute in its place -“
“Cheap substitute!?” My words are appalled as I stare at this man, aghast. “On top of everything I own industries worth millions I saved you from her plan to take you down, and then I gave you my mother!”
My final word is a shout, ringing out into the room, which falls silent as everyone stares at me.
Bianci’s stare bores deepest of all.
“Yes, Fay,” he says, turning his head consideringly after a long moment of silence. “Why did you give me your mother?”
I gape at him, not knowing what to say. I mean, as far as I’m concerned, that question has been answered.
“Why,” he continues, steepling his fingers and resting them gently on top of his knee, “would you Daniel’s soft-hearted bride offer everything you own for his rather estranged father’s freedom? And Gios, on top of it? Two men who are largely strangers to you. And yet you trade your mother for them.”
I stare at him, remembering how Kent pointed out this hole in my plan that day in the shower. And I come up blank. I hitch Dominic a little higher in my arms, glancing down at him, but I have. absolutely no answer to that question.
“None of that matters,” Kent growls, stepping to my side.” What matters is that Fay has paid enough the deal is complete. You accepted Victoria Thompson she’s in your power now. If you felt her an insubstantial replacement for Monaco, you should have sent her back -“
“That’s not how it works, boy!” Bianci snaps, leaning forward to meet Kents glare.
“It is,” Kent seethes, leaning forward to tower over the smaller, older man.
“Be very careful, Kent,” Bianci says slowly, holding Kent’s gaze, “because you are very close to sparking a war between our families. And considering that you cannot go back to America, you are on my territory? I will destroy you if it comes to that.” Bianci moves his gaze now to me, to Daniel, and my heart goes cold as his eyes finally land on my child. “I will destroy all of you if you push me to it.”
I find myself absolutely shocked to see this frail man speak so boldly to Kent, who could so clearly kill him with a swipe of his hand. But Bianci’s power it goes deeper than that, doesn’t it?
Not an ounce of me doubts that Bianci could do it that’s the true power he holds over people. Kent’s power is at least in part his extreme physical prowess but Bianci? He makes you believe that he can destroy you without even lifting a finger. If we don’t bow now, if we don’t give into his terms, it will be war between us. And Bianci will win it.
“I’m not giving in on this, Bianci,” Kent snaps and my eyes go wide as I glance up at him. “You accept the exchange the American FBI agent for the Monaco deal. Everything else is the same. If you do not accept it, I’ll take your offer of war. And I will destroy you.”
Kent stares into Bianci’s eyes then and I go completely cold, my knees starting to again go weak in my exhaustion and my fear. Because this this was the opposite of everything I wanted
I wanted peace, and freedom and safety
War, between these two men what does that even mean?
What would it look like? What
I stumble back a step, my eyes shutting for a second as my vision darkens in my sudden panic
Kent gasps, grabbing me instantly, one arm around my waist, the other at my elbow where the baby is. He takes my weight against his arm and I work hard to steady myself, to find my feet again
God, I’m just so tired
“Is this your final word on it, Kent?” Bianci snaps, his voice cold. “Because I am prepared to do this. Do not try to bluff me, boy.”
Kent whips his head to Bianci, his arm still hard around me, and opens his mouth to reply
But before he can do anything, a door at the back of the room a door I didn’t even know was there suddenly bursts open.
“No!” A voice shouts, and small footsteps pound into the room. I blink in surprise to see nonna stride forward, her hand held high above her head, a single finger pointed into the air. “No!” she shouts again, and then she faces her husband, who stares at her in shocked surprise, before beginning to hiss at him in fast, vivid Italian.
“What..” I say, working hard to stand up straight again as Kent keeps his hand firm on my waist. I glance between him and Daniel. “What is..happening?”
Kent doesn’t answer, but Daniel leans closer to me.”
Nonna’s taking our side,” he whispers to me. “She says she won’t have war. Give me a second, I’ll translate…”
And the three of us listen, rapt, as the old Italian couple begin to argue in a language I don’t understand.
“It is enough!” Daniel says, translating nonna’s words for me as she says them. “That girl has given you enough.” ‘
“Get back, old woman,” Bianci growls, and Daniel translates these words for me too. “It’s none of your business what happens in this room -“
“It is my business! It is all my business!” she shouts, throwing her hands into the air. “This is my family and you -” here she points her finger into his face again, “you talk on and on about the importance of family how family is above everything but when my son comes home, you threaten war!?”
She hurls her finger in Kent’s direction now, again claiming him as her son the child she raised, the boy who married her daughter so many years ago.
“You do not understand what you are talking about -“
Bianci snaps, glancing over at us and then up at Alessi and Natalia. I get the distinct impression that he is out of his element that this has never happened before. His good, sweet Italian wife who always knows her duties and keeps his perfect home for him interfering in his business?
I can’t help the little smirk that finds my lips now. Because it is nice to see Bianci unsettled, even if just for a moment.
“I understand everything,” Nonna hisses, glaring into his face. “You go too far, old man. You are greedy that girl has given you too much millions of lira the skin off her back her own mother handed to you on the day she gave birth to her first child, a mark of fealty to you, to a man who does nothing but press her for more simply because you are an old, greedy, fat -“
Daniel stutters over this last word and presses his lips closed for a second. I stare up at him, shocked to see him working hard not to burst into shocked laughter.
Bianci bursts into angry words at his wife now, getting to his feet and towering over her. They speak so fast I stare up at Daniel, shocked, but he just shakes his head and murmurs that he can’t quite follow.
I glance over at Kent, to see his eyes likewise wide with surprise. This, clearly,
is a first for him too.
“Enough!” Nonna shouts, and I stand still and straight when see that Bianci actually does as she says, shutting his mouth and glaring at her while he holds his tongue.
Natalia stares at them with her mouth open.
“If you push our son away again,” Nonna says, her words slow and dangerous enough now that Daniel can resume whispering his translation in my ear, “I will never forgive you.”
“He is not -” Bianci begins, looming over the smaller woman, but I actually gasp when she reaches her hand up and smacks him on the cheek
Not a real slap, not anything violent, just a tap a reminder that she is speaking, and that her words carry weight.
Bianci clenches his jaw and slowly slips his hands into his pockets as he glares down at the tiny woman. Again, I am absolutely floored by the power she holds over him.
“That boy is my son,” Nonna hisses as she points over to Kent, and Daniel’s voice a little choked as he whispers her words. “We lost him for twenty years when you made him go to America, but he is mine, he is ours. Don’t you remember the day he came to our doorstep, just a skinny, sad, lost little boy? We raised him from that boy into the man he is we loved him so much we gave him our daughter to wed we held him through his sadness, and he held our daughter when she died -“
Tears spring to her eyes now and even Bianci works hard to manage his emotions.