Stella (Book One of Dark Souls Series)

Meringata

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pistola - a weapon that shoots metal ammunition/bullets
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Daniel fucking Lopez.

The smug bastard was easily one of the worst men on the planet, disguised in an officer uniform. The problem with most American cops was that they were the devil in blue. From killing innocent African Americans to getting away with heinous crimes such as rape, theft, fraud, etc. they were the damn devil. Luckily for the victims, I could be Lucifer: beautiful on the outside, decent on the inside, but terrifying to people like Daniel fucking Lopez.

I looked at Ella who seemed uncomfortable with her baby father's company. From the look on her face, I could see that she regretted calling on him for help.

"You're asking me to take down the Verettis, Estella," Daniel repeated for the third time this morning.

It was the day after the altercation with father and Stef. He hopped on the first plane to Sicily but couldn't do the same for a simple visit to his daughter. Stella warned her last night that he would be here and she was uninterested in seeing him.

Since it was early in the morning and she didn't want to see him, we left her asleep while we sat in the lobby of the penthouse building.

"We want you to solve this issue and use it as blackmail until the day the last Veretti dies," my fiancé corrected him calmly. "You get to pull the string whenever Adonis or I give you the OK."

A smug smirk rested on his tanned features. He was so American-washed, his skin and hair were the only features that reminded me he was Italian at some point.

"And if I decide to take this back to America and expose you, what's stopping me?" he asked me. The question was only aimed at me because I had not said a word to him since he'd met us here half an hour ago.

"I will expose you for all that you've done to me," Stella answered instead of me. "I have the rape kit with your DNA, a child as proof and the dates will match up if a detective wanted to conduct deeper investigation, and I have the physical and emotional scars. Do you really want to go down that road, Daniel?"

He paled at her response and I smirked.

"And we want full custody of Eva," I decided to intervene on everyone's behalf.

Stella's head snapped in my direction so fast, she grimaced from whiplash pain. I focused on Daniel instead of her.

"Why would I do that?" he asked, keeping a calm composure. I could see him clenching his teeth, grinding them into nothing more than fossil powder.

"You came for what you truly wanted; my family. Now you can be on your merry way and never have to set foot in Italy again. Stay away from Eva and stay further away from my fiancé."

His eyes widened before his eyes traveled down her body, landing on her hands which were folded across each other on the tabletop. Her engagement ring glistened from the natural lighting pouring through the curtain-less room. He swallowed before looking at me and I knew what he was thinking.

He thought that no one would want Estella. He thought she was tainted, rotten, destroyed, and damaged just like everyone else had assumed. He thought she would be miserable and would soon ask for him to come back.