Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Fuck yeah. I’m a free man,” Matteo celebrates.
I tap my nail on the desk thoughtfully. “Just don’t mess it up.”
Andreas has been quiet since our last meeting. The way he’s been looking at me, it’s as if I’ve grown a second head. I thought he would be much more high-spirited, as opposed to how he now stares miserably at his nephew.
“Come on, Uncle Andreas, isn’t this great?” Matteo asks.
“It is. Of course, it is,” Andreas says, snapping out of his stupor. “Thank you for all your help, Miss Ricci. We won’t be any trouble for you going forward.”
I shake his hand, a little confused by his words. “Well, if you need my services, you know you’ll be paying for them,” I joke.
He seems to pale. “As in because my services aren’t cheap,” I explain, feeling awkward as I pull my hand back.
“Oh, of course.” He offers a polite enough smile. “I’ll be depositing the final amount owed this afternoon. And if there is anything you need from me or the Torrisi family, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Okaaay,” I say, still confused by his behavior. Did he snort too much of his own product again?
“Come on, Matteo, let’s not take any more of Miss Ricci’s time.” He grabs his nephew by the back of the neck and basically shoves him out of the office as he flees after him. Matteo looks as baffled as I feel.
Okay, that was the first time I’ve ever had someone run out of my office after winning a case.
A ping comes from my phone. I check it and see I have a new email from Crue and an unread message from my mother, so I read the message from my mother first.
Mom: Congrats on the win, sweetie! I’ve had an idea. I need to return to Italy for a few weeks. You should come back with me. Take some time off before you accept that new promotion of yours.
Italy? That’s a random invitation, and I wonder what Mom has back in Italy.
I check my emails.
Dear Miss Ricci
Congratulations on your win. We’ll celebrate accordingly.
I’ll pick you up at seven. It’s the least you can do after ruining my shoes.
Don’t be late.
Reply.
Crue
I smile at the screen, although I know I shouldn’t. But the thought of seeing Crue’s face when I vomited on his shoes while his cock was hanging in the wind is hilarious. And truthfully, how can I say no to him now? At the very least, I can give him one more night to make up for that little transgression. But, of course, and as usual, I don’t reply. Knowing that Crue Monti always keeps to his word.
Without permission, he will still be at my door at seven.
And I’ll be late.
CHAPTER 50
Crue
While sitting on the couch, I finish watching another news channel. Something I’ve been doing frequently in recent weeks so I can watch Rya on screen. I knew she would win, but pride touches me in the way you can see her eyes dance with adrenaline from the win. Her fire blazes through, making me hard as fuck when I imagine this powerful woman on her knees in front of me.
“You can come in now.” I permit Dominic to join me. I light a victory cigar as I turn the television off.
“She won then?” Dominic asks as he enters and tosses documents on my desk.
“Naturally,” I say around my cigar.
I look over the documentation. One report is from Slimy Jim. Rya’s mother ceased the need for his services. That didn’t sit well. Most with a curious mind don’t stop hunting for answers until they are satisfied. And I very much doubted Rya’s mother is the type to drop something. I can confirm that she and Rya are similar in that sense. But perhaps when she understood who exactly I am, she thought it best not to dig up anything she couldn’t handle, including my wrath. She is a smart woman, after all.
The second set of documents were ones I’d been anticipating for some time. “So it’s all ready now?”
Dominic replies, “Yes. The countdown is on. It’s definitely going to create a stir here with the families.”
“Then it’s lucky I’m the best at damage control. And sometimes it’s simply best to wipe everything out so there’s nothing to recover or left to squash.” I made that mistake with the Torrisi family once. Sometimes, cutting off one head isn’t enough. You have to cut them all. My attendance at the party ensured I got everything I wanted from them.
I flick to the third report.
Dominic’s gaze lands on it. “Are you sure she’ll go through with this?”
I kick up an arrogant smile. “She’ll have no choice.”
CHAPTER 51
Rya
As expected, Crue is on time. And I chose to sit on my couch for another fifteen minutes in order to be late.