He's Mine - How to 'illegally' tell people HE's MINE in 99 ways

Chapter 7

"Be a weapon rather than waiting for weapons to save you."

~~~

"So, you're saying that Maia, your daughter, will be leading the Romanos business?" Darius speaks slowly, his tone almost condescending, as if addressing a child.

"Yes," my father replies, his smile polite but firm.

Darius shifts his gaze to me, skepticism written all over his face. "And you, girl. Do you really think you have what it takes to be as ruthless as a man in this line of work?" His eyebrow arches, his challenge obvious.

"If I were you, Mr. Xavier, I'd reconsider that tone," I respond, a smirk playing on my lips as I lock eyes with him. "I've silenced people for less." I pause, letting the weight of my words sink in. "And yes, I do have what it takes. Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant. I've been handling guns since before I could string together a full sentence."

Darius glances at my father, then back at me, disbelief etched across his features. "You must be joking, Massimo. She's just a girl. She's meant for marriage, not for business. You can't be serious about this decision."

"He's pushing it, boss," Alessandro's voice crackles through my earpiece. Same here, buddy. Same here.

I scoff quietly at Darius' feeble attempt to undermine me, keeping my expression neutral. Leaning forward, I make sure I have his full attention. "I don't know why you think your opinion matters, but let me make something clear: it doesn't. If you have a problem, bring it to me."

Rising from my seat, I kiss my father on the cheek and wave a casual goodbye to Jared. Just as I'm about to leave, I pause beside Darius, lowering my voice so only he can hear.

"You're my father's old friend. Stay in that role. Step out of line, and you'll regret ever crossing paths with me. Get that through your thick skull." I deliver the words coldly, then flash him an innocent smile.

"Your attitude's going to get you killed, boss," Marco chuckles through the earpiece.

"Maybe," I reply, a hint of amusement in my voice. "But at least it'll be a good fight." With that, I step into my car and head to my next location.

I dial Matteo's number, and after two rings, he answers. "What did you do?" he asks immediately.

I chuckle at his accuracy. "Why do you always assume I've done something, Nerd?"

"Because I'm at the Maniac Mansion—or penthouse, whatever you want to call it. The team's keeping me in the loop," he replies, and I hum in acknowledgment as I stop at a red light.

"Glad to see you're getting along with my crazy bunch. Any new intel?" I ask, glancing at the traffic.

"He's on a mission. Your team's still digging, but it's clear he's not here to patch things up with dad," Matteo sighs on the other end.

"Yeah, I figured as much. After Dad told him, he confirmed three times that I'm next in line, then tried to turn Dad against the idea. I shut him down for now, but he'll make a move soon. The fact that he's pushing so hard for Dad to step down has me thinking—I've got a few theories on why," I inform him.

"Be careful, hellion. No matter how skilled you are, he's still dangerous," Matteo warns.

"I know, Nerd. I'll be careful. But right now, I need a break from all this. I'm off to see what my obsession's been up to—need something normal for a change," I say, feeling a need for some semblance of normalcy.

"Take care," Matteo says before hanging up.

I take a deep breath before resuming my drive. With Darius around, I've had to spend a lot of time away from Raze. If this were a normal Sunday, I'd be tailing his car, making sure to threaten anyone who dared mess with or flirt with him.