They should never have met.
Each one of them lived in different parts of the world. She lived in the light, an ordinary existence while he kept to the shadows, the underworld.
But one fate encounter brought them together and no matter how hard the...
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Maximus
"I agree with your choice of woman." Looking up from paperwork I watch Esperenza stroll into my office. "Stella is stunning, intelligent and genuine. I see myself approving of her for you."
Raising my brow, I looked at her sceptically. "So, you did go meet her. Cazzo cousin. Did you behave?"
My cousin rolled her eyes. "Of course."
"Does she know who you are?" Glancing down at my phone I looked to see if I had any messages from Stella that mentioned meeting a family member.
I put my phone away seeing I had no messages and watched Esperenza sit down. "She doesn't know about our connection. We chit chatted when I was getting a dress fitted from her."
"You chit-chatted?" Slowly anger began to spread in my veins, I love my family but they need to back off.
Esperenza shrugged. "I asked about her life and she told me about being knocked up. Can't give you a transcript, she talked to me not you."
Burying my anger, I shake my head. "Esperenza you can't use your grift skills on my woman to get her to talk to you. She is the woman I'm getting to know and who is carrying my child. She is not a part of a con for you to toy with, imagine what she would think if she knew you were using her. I'm trying to convince her I'm worth taking a chance on!"
Esperenza took an even breath. "I wasn't toying with her, I went to her store for a dress and the girl was bubbling with anxiety and I can see the overthinking in her eyes. We only had a simple conversation in a theoretical sense."
I ran a hand over my face trying to think how Stella will respond when she finds out she casually met my cousin who she apparently vented to. Shock then anger would be my firecracker.
Looking out the window I thought of Stella and I. "We're taking it slow, can't spook her."
A snort brought me back to Esperenza. "That girl needs to talk to someone Maximus, she needs someone who understands one hundred percent what her life is and what it is going to be."
"We talk."
Esperenza gave me a sympathetic look. "She needs someone to talk to about her mafia baby-daddy. You told her about the mafia, right?"
I nodded. "Yes cousin, I have told her about the mafia and what being with me entails. We covered that after Carnellio and now we are going on dates to get to know each other. For her to see me."
My fingers tapped on my chair. I had only gotten rid of my brothers and now here is my cousin. I swear, if one more person tells me what to do about Stella, I'm breaking a rule about shooting family.
"Maximus, Stella can get to know you all she wants but that doesn't help her visualize what her life with you will be like." Esperenza took a pen from my desk, putting it through her hair to make a bun on top of her head. "She knows you are an underboss, heir to a mafia empire and that it's a family. But that doesn't make sense to someone who doesn't understand this world. She needs to understand what that means before her head explodes. Bring her to meet the family."
