The Business Arrangement | Mafia Romance 18+

Chapter Twenty-Three (part 2)

POV: Henry

"You sure you weren't followed?"

Cian closes the door to the apartment behind him, then locks and deadbolts it shut. The room is so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Tension riles my back, and I do my best not to react.

"Positive." When he turns to face me, his expression is triumphant. He slips a hand inside his jacket, then retrieves a silk bag and holds it out as proof. "Had to give Ronan the slip, though. Pretty sure your girl ordered him to trail me."

I can't help but smile in approval.

"Smart girl."

Cian sighs, then slumps into a seat in the armchair across from me.

"Yeah, yeah. Pain in my ass, more like."

"Careful," I tease, "That's my future wife you're talking about."

He narrows his eyes, like he can't quite tell how serious I am.

"Right," he hesitates, "So, you want to see the goods?"

I hold out a hand in answer, and he sets the silk bag into my outstretched palm.

It's heavier than I expected, but nothing out of the ordinary.

"You double checked my...requirements?" I ask.

He nods.

"Triple checked, more like. Though I still don't understand why you couldn't pick it up yourself, if it means that much to you."

"It's meant to be a surprise," I explain, for the millionth time, "And as you've seen firsthand, Maya is more than capable of predicting my actions. She's suspicious."

"What, she doesn't trust you?" he scoffs, eyes twinkling with humor.

"Oh, too well. Well enough to trust that I'll go behind her back when it comes to things like this."

I open the silk bag, then pour the contents onto the surface of my coffee table.

Images of Maya spread across that same surface come to mind on instinct, but I shove them away.

There'll be time for that later, once she gets home.

But right now, I need to make sure everything's ready.

The bag Cian brought with him contains three black suede boxes, all of which cost a small fortune. Not that I'm going to tell Maya the details of this particular arrangement.

I swear, that girl has no idea how much she's worth. I'd buy her an entire jewelry store if I thought it would make her happy, and it would be worth every cent.

But for now...

I pick up the smallest of the boxes, then open it tentatively.

Just as I'd ordered, two identical diamond earrings glint up at me.

I had them custom made to match her grandmother's ring, using photographs and measurements taken the night her father delivered it to me. If all goes to plan, they should be a perfect match.

But not the only one.

I close the box and set it back down, content with its contents, then move on to the next one.

Again, it's just as I ordered. A custom diamond-necklace almost as beautiful as Maya.

And, finally, I move on to the third box.

Like the first two, it's part of a matching set.

Inside is a diamond bracelet with a tiny, intricate watch face set into one side.