Betting On Him

Prologue

MEETING THE IN-LAWS

⋆♞⋆♞⋆♞⋆

With a name only heard in whispers of the wind and without a face to attach it to, she was the simultaneously the most well-known heiress and her uncles' mob's greatest secret. Keeping her identity, a secret meant that she had a normal childhood, she got to see things that most children born into the world of the mob didn't get to see until she felt she was ready to begin learning the ways of the mob.

There was no pressure put on her to learn how to be a great or feared leader; her uncle allowed her to do everything in her own time, knowing she was capable of making her own decisions for herself without other people breathing down her neck. And being a young woman aspiring to be the leader of her business meant she was tested almost everyday to prove herself as people worried that giving a woman so much power and freedom would damage the business and cost them billions.

Perhaps that was why she was so sceptical about meeting with the Holland's when they first proposed their deal to her uncle, because after her long fight to earn her title she didn't want a husband to swoop in and take over her life while taking her business along with it. Afterall, with a family like the Holland's they could easily have her killed without batting an eyelid if they wanted to, taking a business away from someone's wife surely wouldn't do anything to their collective conscience.

Yet as Y/N sat before them with armed guards on the other side of her uncle's office door and her uncle himself sat beside her, Nikki and Dom appeared relatively calm as they talked over the details of their proposition with her while one of their sons stood behind them. They could almost pass off as a normal family if it hadn't been for one of their other sons walking into the meeting late and looking dishevelled with splatters of blood decorating the cuffs of his white shirt.

As he took his place beside his twin brother, Y/N didn't react as he smirked smugly at her as if daring her to ask him how he stained his shirt. Instead, she turned to Nikki who appeared apologetic as she introduced her sons as Harry and Sam respectively before adding,

"And I must apologies for Tom's inability to be here today, I know he would've loved to meet you both if he had been able to,"

Y/N didn't believe her words for a moment but still, she smiled politely and told her it wasn't a problem while thinking silently to herself, what sane person would want to meet their potential fiancée anyway?

"Now you've mentioned you have some demands?" Dom began to press on and Y/N didn't miss the way that both Harry and Sam both seemed surprised by the statement, their eyebrows twitching in humorous synchrony before the both of them recovered quickly and continued to stand like emotionless robots with blank masks covering their faces.

"Yes," Y/N begins, taking a sip of water before continuing on, "I want to be clear when I say that in order for this arrangement to be successful, I want to continue to have control of my business, with the same responsibilities and authority that I have always had. I refuse to be just a trophy wife in this marriage, nor will I be a decoration to be worn on your son's arm at exclusive events."

Sitting back, Y/N watched as Dom began to think things over and she could almost see the gears turning as he processed her 'demands' as he'd put it. Meanwhile, she could all but feel the pride radiating off of her uncle from where he sat from the armchair besides her and from the look on Nikki's face, she too was impressed with how Y/N had handled herself.

Still, the room was filled with a few more moments of silence before Dom finally broke it saying, "And are those your only terms?"

Slightly surprised by how compliant he appeared to be, Y/N only nodded her head before finding her voice again, "For now,"

Then it was Dom's turn to nod once before clapping his hands together and standing up. This appeared to be a signal for everyone else to follow suit, standing up from their seats before Dom outstretched his hand to shake Y/N's uncles, "Well then, I think we have ourselves a pretty damn good deal, don't you?"

Only, Y/N's uncle merely looked at Dom's hand without making any notion of shaking it. Instead, he looked from the hand to Y/N and then back to look Dom in the eye as he cleared his throat and adjusted his tie around his neck. Taking the hint, Dom shuffled uncomfortably and moved his hand over so it was then outstretched in front of Y/N who took it confidently with a grip almost too-tight for comfort and a completely fake smile plastered to her lips.

"Thank you Mr Holland. You can expect my call with my official answer soon enough," Retracting her hand, Y/N adjusted the hem of her dress before smiling politely at Dom's practically dumbfound expression.

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, I have much to think over and this is a marriage after-all. I wouldn't want to make any rash decisions, would I?"

Obviously disgruntled, Dom muttered a taught response of "Very well," before storming from the room with his sons in tow behind him. Y/N almost didn't notice that Nikki was the last to leave the room until the quiet, petite woman embraced her in a comforting hug.

"I have to apologise for my husband's behaviour too it seems, it's the stress of the job, is all. You understand of course,"

"Of course," Smiling politely as Nikki released her from the embrace, she watched her walk to the door before stopping in her tracks in the open doorway, turning to look at Y/N once more before saying,

"I think you'll be a perfect match for my Tommy,"