Mia Figlia

Chapter 22 ✔️

PoV Riccardo

Grumbling I left my room. Despite having showered earlier, I still felt dirty. The sex with Cleo had not been as satisfying as it used to be. It had been a disaster and that stupid woman was convinced I had enjoyed everything. I could hardly wait for her to leave the building. Despite her being my type, blond, double D and a nice bubbly butt, it felt wrong to fuck her last night. Every time I looked at her while our bodies collided, my mind compared her to a certain fragile brunette woman. As a result, I had not even been able to finish inside her. I felt like being suddenly impotent.

It was official. I had lost my mind.

Shaking my head, I went for the gym. A decent training would take my mind of things. Energetically, I pushed open the door and entered the room. My eyes briefly wandered over those present, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Stella was not here. That was a good beginning. The corners of my mouth went slightly up, and I hummed to myself.

Some of my men glanced at me. They noticed my inner restlessness; they knew me too well. Cazzo! If I did not pay more attention, they would soon discover the reason. Then it was only a matter of time before my father found out about her. So far, I had been able to keep him away from the estate. Not even Mario had betrayed me, although he had entered the service of the family many years before my appointment as don. But he was bound by the oath and had no choice but to obey. I was aware that sooner or later my father would find out about her. Most likely too soon. She had to fall in love with Romano as fast as possible, and he with her. That was her only chance.

I got on the treadmill to warm up before I started weight training, when something dawned on me. When was the last time I had fought in the ring? After a few minutes of thinking I remembered. I was surprised to discover that it had been several weeks. I could not afford to be this careless and neglect my fighting skills as a mafia boss. Gritting my teeth, I decided to spend the evening at a friend's boxing club. A good fight would take my mind off things if nothing else helped. I felt the energy rushing through my body. Yes, some boxing would aid me to focus again.

Satisfied with my idea, I lifted the weights on the bench press. Distraction and training, that was all I needed. Since I had taken in Isabella, I had become far too effeminate. My grandfather would be turning in his grave that the once hard-nosed businessman and don preferred to watch children's movies with his daughter instead of taking care of the family's business. Both my sotto and consigliere had been doing the bulk of the chores for the past few weeks. That was about to change!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stella and Romano enter the gym. The slender brunette magically attracted the attention of my men. Her soft clothes caressed her body like a second skin. I fought the impulse to stand protectively in front of her or better, to throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of the room. Clenching my jaws tightly, I turned away when I saw Romano touch her gently on the upper arm. I was not allowed to intervene, to scare him away. The knuckles of my fists whitened, and I cursed my idea of pairing the two of them together. After all, I did not want Isabella to possibly see him as her rightful father. She was my daughter. But that was precisely why I had to protect her mother from my family.

Secretly, I glanced at Stella again. She was completely focused on the treadmill and did not notice me. Or she ignored me skillfully. I growled softly to myself. How dared she to not give me the respect I deserved?

Lucius stormed into the room, and I stiffened briefly when I noticed his restless gaze. He searched the place. His behavior could only mean that there was trouble. Most likely in one of our warehouses. Immediately I rose from my training device and went towards him, but to my surprise he turned to Stella. He spoke to her softly, and to my disappointment, I did not hear one single word. The brunette's eyes widened for a moment, then she jumped off the treadmill and ran out of the gym, followed closely by Romano and Lucius.