Vengeance.
It's something I've been taught as the son of a cruel mafia don; something I've comforted myself with for years.
When the one thing that kept me grounded is yanked away so ruthlessly, it's only in my nature to strike out in the only way...
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"The tension in the air will be high tonight. Don't do anything stupid," Nicholas warned as I buckled the straps of my heels.
Weeks had passed since the little bonding we did in the kitchen, and while there weren't many changes in our relationship, we'd learned to tolerate each other better.
We had our dinners together, usually in silence, and sometimes, I talked about how my day went. He couldn't talk about his for obvious reasons.
Not once did a thought of stabbing him cross my mind during that time, and I was glad for the change. I didn't like the confrontations between us in the past.
"And by stupid, you mean?" I asked, spritzing my perfume on.
Nicholas came to stand behind me. "Don't run your mouth. Others might not appreciate your temper and sharp mouth."
"And you do?"
He slipped his hand down to my neck, tipping my head back. "Did I say nude was my favorite color on you? My bad, dolcezza. Nothing trumps this color on you."
And by this color, he meant the deep red lipstick I wore to Daniella's house.
"Your parents will be there," he said.
"I know. The party is for the Five Families to interact, isn't it?" He nodded. "My father is one of the five bosses, remember?"
"I'd rather he wasn't, but we can't have what we want all the time."
I chuckled at that. There was hardly a person who met my father for the first time and didn't find him annoying.
I knew from eavesdropped conversations that our family was the weakest of the Five Families, and Father was an ass kisser who wanted to be relevant at all costs. Hence, the reason he slapped me in front of all those people in the church.
"Let's go. I can't wait to reconnect with my mother."
I hoped we wouldn't interact with my family, but until we got there, I could never know. I exhaled, mentally preparing myself for the interaction.
***
"I didn't know it was an auction," I whispered as we took our seats at a table reserved just for us.
We were the last people to arrive, and to say I was mortified was the biggest understatement of the year, but Nicholas just strode in like he owned the place.
The impact of his presence had everyone turning in their seats to look at him. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a few women shamelessly eyeing him like they'd like to strip off his clothes and have their way with him.
I couldn't exactly blame them. I had the same reaction when I first saw him. His choice of clothing was effortless - a velvet tuxedo - but he was still drop-dead gorgeous.
"Now, you know."
The rest of his family sat at a round table, just like us at different tables of their choice. They sectioned different areas for the Five Families with a huge center stage.
