Unwanted Marriage with the Mafia Boss (Mob Boss’s Unexpected Twins Duet #1)

6. Adriano

CHAPTER 6

Adriano

“I have some bad news,” Rocco says as soon as he enters my office.

I narrow my eyes at him. “What is it?”

“Remember that offer I sent this morning? Well, it was insta-rejected. It looks like one of the neighbors started some sort of protest group, and a lot of the others joined him. It’s basically the whole street, and once the word spreads, there will be more of them.”

I lean back in my chair. “That’s only a small setback. Who’s the guy who started it all?”

If we get the guy to back down, the rest will follow. They might feel brave right now, but it won’t last long.

“Paradossi.”

I tilt my head. That name rings a bell. I have a feeling I’ve dealt with him before.

“Is that the Paradossi who owns that restaurant...? Rosa Bianca?” I ask.

“Yeah, it’s him.”

I laugh. “He took a loan from me, and he’s still paying it off.”

“True, but he doesn’t know the business guy everyone is talking about is the same guy he signed the deal with.”

“Then we should inform him of that little detail.”

Rocco presses his lips into a tight line.

“What now? What are you thinking about that I’m not?”

“The Paradossis are one of the first families that moved into that neighborhood. Their house and the restaurant were the first buildings in that area. Sure, they looked different back then, but the current buildings are old too. Even when they renovate, they make sure it all keeps its original look.”

“So? Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Paradossi can react in a different way from what you expect. He only owes you about five thousand euros, and he’s never been late with his payments. If he finds out who you really are, he’ll probably find a way to pay off the debt completely and keep going against you, maybe even harder.”

“I helped him save his restaurant when no one else would have. He was drowning in debt, and I was the only one who offered him a loan in his situation. He should be beyond grateful to me and get out of my way.”

“But he’s also the kind of guy who never would’ve gone to someone like us unless he was completely desperate. He’s willing to do anything for his home and his restaurant, even things that go against his beliefs. We can’t expect him to just walk away from all of it. He’s going to be our hardest target.”

“Do you think he’d risk death too?” Staying alive should always mean more than some building.

“Probably, and if anything happens to him, the rest of the neighbors will go wild. The whole thing will make all the headlines. Actually, I got information that they’re planning to contact the local newspaper. I reached out to some of my contacts, but it’ll be difficult to contain them. They could contact some bigger newspaper or someone hungry for blood, and—”

“The whole project would be in jeopardy.”

Rocco nods.

“Does Paradossi have children?”

“He has a daughter. She’s in college.”

“Right.” I spread my lips into a smile. “Find me the contract he signed and bring it to me.”

Usually, when people are so desperate that they need a loan from the mafia, they don’t read the fine print. Those who do either don’t have a choice, so they sign anyway, or they run away screaming. I don’t know which one of my men closed the deal with Paradossi for me—I never deal with trivial stuff like that myself, except approving the deal before it’s done—but I know my contracts.

If it’s anything like I think it is, I’ll solve my Paradossi problem easily. Paradossi will have to choose what he wants more—his precious home or his daughter. Even if he doesn’t make the choice I want, I’ll still have a way to get him out of my way. His daughter is the key to everything.

“Why are you still here?” I raise my eyebrows as Rocco hesitates in front of the door.

“There’s something else. Your... um... Matteo was seen close to your territory.”

My ex-adoptive brother, or I’m not even sure what I should call him, lurking close to me is never good. He probably suspects I’m up to something, and he wants to figure out a way to stop me. I’m sure he heard about the Gaviani Resort, and he’s pissed.

But he’s not going to stop me either. No one will. I’ll use his father’s last name and be the only Gaviani worth mentioning.

Better than Matteo, and better than his father.

“Have someone keep an eye on him. I want to know right away if he comes any closer,” I say.

I could take care of Matteo once and for all, but I just want him and his father to watch my road to success from the front row, and they can’t do that if they’re both dead. They better not get in my way, though, because I’ll be merciless if they do. It wouldn’t be a smart move for them, but Matteo has always been reckless.

Rocco dips his head and rushes out of the office. I stare through the window. The sun is about to go down behind the horizon.

Sunset.

The woman who shines brighter than the sun when she smiles. I shouldn’t be thinking about her at all, but here I am. What is she doing now? Where is she? Is she going to be at the club tonight?

I could send someone to track her down, or I could do it myself. Follow her home. Find out all about her and satisfy my curiosity. Maybe then I would get her out of my head.

But now’s not the time to get distracted. She makes me lose control in bed. But she can’t affect my life outside of Amore Bruciante. I won’t let her.

I’m in a familiar car. A black sleek car that I haven’t seen in years. It’s moving fast and everything is blurry... until a red car appears right next to mine. I grip the steering wheel, but I already know what’s coming.

There’s a bump in the road that I don’t see as I try to pass by the red car. I lose control and we collide. The red car skids off the road as I try to regain control of my own car. Somehow, I manage to stay on the road and stop just in front of my adoptive father—Gennaro—and his men.

I stumble out of the car, looking for Matteo. He was in the red car. Before I can go find him, Gennaro grabs me by the shoulders.

“How the fuck did you do that?” he asks.

I open my mouth, but words don’t come out. I’m slightly dizzy, and my heart is still pounding in my chest. All I can think about is Matteo. Is he okay?

Gennaro narrows his eyes at me, and fear washes over me. I hurt his son. His heir. His biological child.

“You want to keep your secret, eh?” Gennaro laughs, clapping me on the back. “Well done, son. You passed your test. Now you’re a true Gaviani.”

His laughter gets louder, and my eyes fly open. I’m back in my room in my apartment. The stupid dream is over. It’s been a while since I dreamed about my old family. It must be because Rocco mentioned Matteo.

I sit up and run my hand over my face. Matteo was lucky enough to have come out of that accident alive, with barely a scratch. The car was totaled, though, and Matteo has never forgiven me for that, or for making him look bad in front of his father. That night changed our relationship forever. It started the beginning of our end.

But I don’t want to think about my past. What happened, happened. There’s no reason to go back there. The Gavianis are my enemy now, a little bit different from others because of our history, but it doesn’t change things much. I’m willing to go against them if I have to, and one day, I will, but for now, I want them to witness what I can do and they can’t.

I get to my feet and get dressed because I need a distraction. It would be nice if I knew where Sunset lives. I would love to bend her over, bury myself deep inside her, and make her moan.

My cock instantly goes hard. It’s crazy what she can do to me, even when she’s not with me. It might be better to avoid her and find someone else, but I don’t want anyone else. I’ll get bored of her eventually.

I head out, looking for the first guard that I find.

“Fight me,” I say.

Sometimes, when I’m bored or I just want some more practice, I engage in some hand-to-hand combat with the guards. It’s usually easy for me to beat them, either because they’re holding back since I’m their boss—and no, telling them not to doesn’t change anything when they can’t help it—or because they just haven’t had the kind of training that I did.

As the guard throws a punch at my head, I evade and want to groan in frustration. This is going to be more annoying than anything else, but at least it will distract me for a bit.