Bought by The Mafia Boss

Chapter 30

My heart was beating just a little faster in my chest. I felt confused at this point, having longed for him for a while and yet now that he was just right outside this door, I couldn't quite bring myself to go to him. I wasn't just angry with him, but saddened. My body remembered how safe, how confident he had made me feel, but my mind couldn't move past how he had treated me in those last moments.

I hoped his mother was ok, but that no longer seemed like an appropriate excuse for how he had spoken to me. "How did things go?" He asked, speaking in English which surprised me until his companion responded.

"As expected. They suspect nothing but how do you plan to get your money back?" James replied and I heard a shuffle of footsteps across the floor before Oliver answered.

"Good. I'm not too worried about it." He said. He sounded nonchalant and like he didn't totally care what they were conversing about but I did.

"Not worried about six hundred million dollars?" James cried back and my mouth literally dropped open. The number was so large it seemed fake as he spoke.

"It'll go missing from evidence like it usually does and one of the guys will bring it here." Oliver responded and I was surprised I didn't feel more guilty upon hearing that statement.

"Liliana is back with her father, Riccardo is pissed that the rest of his Capos and those under him are dead and I'm pretty sure you pissed off his boss. Are you done pretending to be the underboss?" James replied and I expected my insides to curdle as I processed what he said but instead I felt a shocking wave of satisfaction. My captors, my abusers were dead and while I didn't wish death on anyone, this seemed to be a fitting end. Then my mind honed in on the last question James asked. Huh?

"Yes. You can go back to that and Antone can resume his role as Consigliere." There was a pause and then two words were spoken quieter than the rest. "And Aedlin?" I heard Oliver ask, his words were laced with hesitation and anticipation. I wanted to shoot out of the dining room, see this man that had been the desires of not just my dreams but waking moments as well, but something held me back. Something I hadn't placed until this moment as a small tear crashed down my cheek.

So I remained still, pressed against the door as James answered. "She's here, Renzo." My mind was reeling with confusion over what I had just learned and who the h*** was this Renzo person? The name also sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place it.

"Where?" Oliver asked and I pushed my back against the cold door. Sliding down to the floor, I pulled my knees to my chest and felt a wave of numbing grief wash over me. Too much time, too much lying had passed between him and I for me to be able to stay. No matter how much my soul ached for him, it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough.

"I saw her go into the dining hall." James answered, and I heard footsteps gradually getting closer. I knew I needed to pull myself together, so I wiped the tears off of my cheeks and stood up. Dusting off my legs, I placed my hand on the doorknob and took a steadying breath before turning it and opening the door.

There he stood, his fire eyes piercing into my soul, reaching into my green ones with that mischievous desire that I had fallen for. He stopped in his tracks and I watched emotions of guilt and grief crash across his face. His large right hand clasped his left wrist and rubbed it, showing his first ever sign of being nervous.

I glanced at it and saw massive bruising before he adjusted the cuffs of his shirt and took a slow step to me. "Tesoro mio." He whispered and I shook my head as my heart shattered against my ribs.

"Don't." I stiffly said back and he clenched his jaw.

He stepped towards me again. "I am so sorry. I shouldn't have ever spoken to you like that." He quietly said, the softness I had been so fond of was clear as day in his body. But it didn't make much of a difference as I backed away.