Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Horrified, I stare at him. “He would have hurt her?”
“Do you believe he wouldn’t have?”
No.
I don’t believe that.
He treated my mother poorly, and he treated me poorly. He didn’t have respect for women, they were simply things he needed to make himself feel good or to make himself look better. It is very logical that he would have made Romeo’s mother disappear if it meant he looked good in the public eye.
That poor woman, to hand over her child must have been the hardest thing in the world for her.
“Did Manny ever know this?”
Romeo shakes his head. “No, he did not.”
“And your mother ... is she still around?”
Romeo nods. “She is.”
“Does she ... does she know about Manny?”
His face tightens. “Yes.”
“How ... how did you find me, and why?”
Romeo leans forward, placing his hands together on the table and meeting my gaze. “It wasn’t hard to find you, Aviana. I have been searching for information on you for quite some time, I thought you were dead but then ...”
“You learned I’m not.”
“Yes.”
“What is it you want? We both know it’s not to sit here and get to know me,” I snap.
He tips his head to the side. “You’d be wrong about that. I do wish to get to know you. You were—you are—my sister. That’s not the only reason I’m here though, you’re right. I am here to offer you a deal.”
“What kind of fuckin’ deal?” Cohen growls, glaring at Romeo.
“You have people after you for the money and assets you’re sitting on. I happen to know who those people are and exactly where to find them. I can make them disappear, I can take that away completely so you’re safe.”
“What’s in it for you?” I say, narrowing my eyes.
“Our father’s business.”
“Like fuck,” Cohen barks. “He’s just after you for fuckin’ money, we’re done here.”
I reach over and take Cohen’s arm, squeezing it. “It’s okay.”
“He’s fuckin’ using you, Aviana. He, like everyone else, is in it for fuckin’ cash.”
“You’re wrong, biker,” Romeo growls. “And you’re really starting to get under my skin. Back off, this has nothing to do with you.”
“Why would you want his business?” I ask, heart racing.
“Because it’s a solid business with a lot of potential. I’m a powerful man, I also have plenty of my own money. That is the only legacy left behind, and I would like it to be mine.”
“And that’s it?” I ask, glancing at my cold burger in front of me I haven’t touched. “That’s all you want.”
“Yes, that’s all I want. We can have it done legally, I’m not here to take what isn’t mine.”
“How do I know this isn’t ... this isn’t some sort of trick?”
He shrugs, slightly. “You don’t, Aviana. You simply have to trust that I am not like the rest of your family, I was raised differently, and I am not a bad man. I’m a smart man.”
“That business could be worth fuckin’ millions,” Alarick says, shooting daggers in Romeo’s direction.
“Billions, actually,” Romeo corrects him.
Billions?
Holy shit.
“And you want her to pass it all over to you?” Cohen shakes his head, horrified. “Fuckin’ no way.”
“I want her to sign it over to me, yes. I will also offer her a certain percentage of the turnaround, yearly. Besides, the accounts and real-estate he’s sitting on will leave Aviana with millions of her own, not to mention a constant income from what she will get out of the business. It’s a win-win, it’ll set you up for life.”
He’s looking at me again now.
I can’t wrap my head around all of this.
I don’t know if I trust him, I don’t know if what he’s saying is legit.
What if this is a set up to take everything from me?
But what if it’s not?
What if this man, my brother, actually wants to do a good thing here?
Does he want to be part of my life?
Does he want to be ... family?
“Can I think on this?” I ask, my voice low.
“Yes, of course,” Romeo says.
“What about those men after me, you can really make them go away?”
Romeo smiles, and it’s terrifying. “Without a trace.”
Jesus Christ.
“How the fuck do you know so much about who is after her if you have nothin’ to do with it?” Cohen questions, his voice more than a little skeptical.
“Because I was looking for her too, and in doing that, I stumbled across them. I told them who I was, I told them what I wanted, and I told them I’d help them find her. I never planned on doing that, I simply wanted to get close. They thought if they got hold of her, they would get her fortune. They agreed to sign the business over to me if I helped them.”
“How the fuck do we know you’re not helping them then?” Alarick snarls.
“Because if I wanted to do it that way, I would have taken Aviana and you never would have known about me. I’m here, because I want her in my life. She’s my family. It’s up to you if you choose to believe that.”