"That was your girl?" Dante asks, a smirk across his lips.
"I'll fucking kill you." I sit back down on the seat.
"I was just asking." He laughs, "She's hot."
I glare at him and his smile dies down. I look at Luca who laughs, clearing his throat. "I'll buy the chains on the west side."
"That's random." Dante cocks an eyebrow. Not for Luca, Arabella enjoys most of the small business chains over on the west side, buying them from Dante will grant them his protection and also allow Arabella to eat there without any problems.
"I want them, all of them." He licks his teeth, "And Bangs Korean BBQ." He adds on.
"That's on the North side." Dante taps his fingers off the table. "Russians."
He's an old business partner, this meeting is to determine which of us buys the businesses for protection. Russians are hanging around, trying to buy the businesses and the Italians have no option but to stop them.
"I like the BBQ." Luca says, Arabella likes the BBQ, "So i'm going to take that too."
"I want to include it into the casino as well." I add on.
"Roman." Arabella shouts from next door.
I get up, covering my body with the door as i walk into the office, i close the door straight away to not give them the privilege of looking at her.
She points to the corner of the room, her eyes wide.
I look in the corner of the room, there was a spider on the wall, a big spider. "Get it. Right now."
"It's nowhere-"
"Roman." She snaps.
I walk up the spider, cupping it in my hand. "Happy?"
"Yes." She frowns, "I want to cuddle."
"I'm working, love-"
"And i'm touched deprived." She deadpans.
"I will after i'm done." I open the door with my elbow and sweep the spider away, closing it again, and locking it. I don't trust her in here alone.
"Now." She pouts, "I'm bored."
"I'll be done soon." I tuck a loose piece of hair out of her face, "Go on the phone."
"It's dead." She shouts.
I've never seen her drunk.
"I'll get the charger, i won't be long." I walk back into the conference room.
"What's she doing?" Asher asks.
"She's drunk, can i use your phone charger?"
Luca just hands me his phone and i walk back into the office room, giving her Luca's fully charged phone.
"When's my sushi coming?" She asks.
"On its way." I look at the candy wrappers dropped to the floor. I keep candy in my blazer for her, because she likes chewing things when she's bored, or sometimes she's hungry and we're driving or out and i can't stop to get food, the candy is sufficient.
She settles down again, flicking through Luca's phone. When she's quiet, i leave.
"If you always give her everything she wants, she be a true Italian woman." Dante laughs, a lot of the guys laughing too.
"I'm not going to take advice from a man who's wife killed herself. Carry on." I sit down.
Dante's smile drops and i could see the hatred as he looked to Luca, "I want the west side."
"No matter what, i'm still going to end up paying more than you. They'll choose me anyway." Luca shrugs him off, he knows it's a good investment, he's been local around there since a boy. Not to mention, his bigger reputation.
The door opens and before i even get a chance to stand up, Arabella walks in with a bag of food. "Hello, boys." She bows, but walks straight to me.
"Arabella-"
"Shush up." She presses her finger against my lips, sitting on my lap, "Carry on."
They all watch her like a movie as she puts everything i ordered her on the table and then disregards the bag. She put my blazer over her properly so it hung low, thankfully covering her body.
She picks the chopstick up and digs in, still, no one talked.
"All of you, stop looking at her like that." I shuffle a little closer so she's not crouched over, she gets tummy aches when she sits crouched over.
"Thank you." She mumbles, shoving a piece of sushi into her mouth.
I wrap my arms around her, enjoying her touch. "Continue." I look at Dante.
He licks his lips, before turning to Luca, "Can i keep four stores on the West side."
"Depends on what four." Luca looks away from Adabella.
"Laundromats, all of P's. We smuggle drugs in them." Dante says.
Luca looks at me and with one singular nod of my head, they secure the deal. Now it's on to the more gory stuff.
Arabella finishes three whole platters of sushi, one of the younger guys looked absolutely star struck. I am too. It's so attractive when she eats.
She turns sideways and i make sure the blazer is covering her ass, her cheek presses against my chest and she picks up Luca's phone again.
"Arabella go back in there while we talk." I look at the screen and the youtube videos she was scrolling down.
She shakes her head no and presses on a true crime documentary. The video plays quietly in the background.
"Feds are on my back." Dante says, "Especially that Hamada guy, he's close as well."
"Hamada's a good agent, if you're not quiet enough, he'll get you."
"I found his girl-"
"You won't lay your dirty, fat fingers on her." Arabella says from her seat on my lap.
"And who are you to tell me what to do, pretty girl?"
"Trust me, you touch her and i'm going to kill you myself." She says calmly.
Dante growls, ready to reply but i stop him with the raise of my hand, "She's right. Hamada will make your life hell if you go next to his girl, stay away from her. All of you."
He sits back in his seat, "So i'm just supposed to let Hamada arrest me? Taking his girl would give me leverage."
"No. Taking his girl will give you a hit on your back." Asher speaks up, "Hamada isn't just a fed, he's not someone you can try and manipulate- have you seen the guy? His second has leads to Italian gangsters. His team is good. You take his girl and best believe the hell he will rein on you."
"So what do i do if i get caught?"
"Call your fucking lawyer." I say as if it's obvious, "I'll be updated, i'll get you out of it if worst comes to worst."
"How come he hasn't gotten you yet?" Dante's eyes narrow, "Are you siding with the pigs?"
"I'm not dumb enough to get caught. That's why."
Dante rolls his eyes and i hoped for a small part that Hamada did arrest his ass.
Save me a hell of a lot of trouble.
"Chicago capo wants one of his daughters to marry someone from New York to join the two. I sent Luca's name." Gio says, another older capo who takes care of the gangs downtown. They all report back to me.
Arabella stiffens on my lap and i bite back a smile, possessive.
"I'm not interested in marriage so take my name out, and ask me next me time." Luca folds his arms across his chest.
Gio's eyes wander to Asher.
"I... Uh... Mamma has a girl for me in China." He lies, but Arabella shoots him a glare anyway.
"Well somebody needs too."
"There's hundreds of candidates. If she doesn't need to marry someone big-"
"She does need to marry someone big-"
"How about we don't make decisions on behalf of a girl that's not even here to have a say in the matter?" Arabella sits up, "Jesus christ, Roman, your meetings are boring as hell."
"Does that hit a bit too close to home for you, pollo?" Dante mocks.
"Watch your mouth around my wife." I warn him.
"Your wife is talking to a capo like shit." He spits.
"And you're talking to your capo's wife like shit, so watch it." I point at him, "Remember your fucking place Dante, you might be able to boss around the rest of the guys wives but not mine. You talk like that to her again and i'm going to cut out your tongue."
Arabella smiles a little, leaning back into me and holding her up middle finger to Dante.
"You behave as well Arabella. This is business-"
"It's not business. Let the girl meet a few people first for fucks sake." She rolls her eyes, "What's her name?"
"Alana Ricci." Gio answers.
"I want to meet her." She smiles, "And help her find a good husband."
"Roman excuse your wife." Gio glares.
"Hey, you might Romans bitch boy." Arabella points at Gio, "But shut the fuck up. I'm not talking to you. God Italian men are all so fucking annoying."
"Okay we'll do this deal another day whenever a childish female isn't present and making decisions." Gio stands.
"Sit down." I say, and he listens. "Now apologise, and call her by her name."
His whole face scrunches up, "No."
"Now." I make voice a little sharper.
He looks at Arabella with a tight jaw, "Sorry, Arabella."
Arabella smiles, satisfied. "You'll call Alana and arrange a date for my wife to meet her, and you'll also find capable men with respectable names. None from the South side." I say, merely for the fact he's on the south side.
"But-"
"No buts. Call Asher when you're done. Now all of you fuck off."
They all grab their shit and leave, just Asher and Luca staying.
"You're causing trouble, princess." Luca looks at her, smiling.
"Why do they just marry off their daughters?" She faces me.
"Business-"
"Is that why you married me?"
"Arabella i have confirmed i'm in love with you. You're not a business strategy. Ricci family is a big one, with threats from the Russians it's better for Chicago and New York to unite and the only to do that is though marriage."
She rolls her eyes, "Poor girl."
"Not every girl hates the marriage." Asher says.
"That's just what you think." She gets off me, and walks to sit with Luca. "If there isn't a good man for her, would one of you two marry her?" She looks between Luca and Asher.
"I'm yours." They say in harmony.
"You can't be mine forever."
"Watch me." Asher smiles, "I don't want marriage anyway, and if i do then it is just going to be a marriage for business."
"Why not?"
"Because it can be a distraction." Asher says.
She looks at me, "That's what you think i am?"
"You're drunk, let's go home-"
"No. I want to know. That's why you said i make you weak, right? Because made men can't have a distraction. Business over family?"
"I just put you over business, Arabella." I stand up, "Make that deduction for yourself."
"Roman i just want to know if you see me as a weakness."
"Yes." I say truthfully, "You are my weakness Arabella. And that is bad, you may not understand it but the second people figure that out, they're going to use it against me. You. That's who the target will be."
She looks down, "Okay, i wanna go home now."
"Arabella-"
"I don't want to talk. I'm drunk, my head hurts and i'm fucking tired. Just take me home."
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"you're my weakness" 😩😩😩😩
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