His Proposal

His Proposal - 16

Jai's POV

At 3:40 p.m., I pulled my car in front of a mansion. The gates are close to a brick wall with barbed wire on top, so people won't be able to get onto the property. An iron gate with a tiger and the letter M stands on the gate. A couple of cameras face the driveway, and an intercom is on the driver's side of the driveway.

Pressing the button, I wait for someone to answer.

Voice: Hello,

Me: Hey, I'm here to see Amara.

Voice: She's not expecting you. I can't allow you to be here without her permission.

Eliana unbuckles her seat belt, climbs on me, and presses the button.

Eliana: Amara isn't expecting a male, but she is expecting her cousin Eliana. Can you buzz us in, or will you have to deal with the consequences of not allowing us in?

The box is quiet momentarily before a female voice comes over the intercom.

Voice: It's not nice to threaten my people, Eli. I've killed people for less, cousin. You may come to the house, but I think I will need manners for my family.

Eliana doesn't respond to her cousin's words, so she returns to her seat. She puts her seatbelt on, and we wait for the gate to open.

Irina's phone starts to ring, and she shows me the screen. "It's Riker. Should I answer it now or call him back?"

"Answer it. If you ignore Riker's call, he'll call mine, and I'll have to listen to him as he curses me out for his girl not answering her phone." the gates open, and I drive through the property.

Palm trees and different types of flowers line the driveway. There are blue, red, pink, black, yellow, and purple flowers. Leaves are falling from the trees, littering the ground near the driveway. The sprinklers turn on.

A few kids are running under the sprinklers, and a few have water guns and spray each other.

Coming to a stop in front of a Victorian-style house, I see it's been freshly painted. It has a wrap-around porch and a table on it. There's a door knocker with a tiger and the letter M engraved in it.

The front door opens, and a beautiful woman with dark hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin walks out. She is holding a gun in her hand, and she doesn't look too happy at all. Her eyes scan the group until she looks at Eliana. She walks down the stairs. "I'm glad you made it in one piece. So, who did you bring with you today?"

She points at Riley. "That's my younger sister, Riley. Standing next to her is Riley's best friend, Irina. She's with my brother, Riker. So, if anything happens to her, you'll have to deal with my big brother, and my good friend, Jai Marshall, is standing next to her."

A smile spreads across her face as she recognises my name. She moves towards me and holds her hand out for me to take. I place my hand in hers. She says, "Amalia Marino, it's good to see the right-hand man of Riker. I've heard good things about you. If you need a change, you can join me."

Taking my hand out of hers. "I'm sorry, Amara. I'm not looking into getting involved with another family. I left the one with Riker, and now I'm alone."

She laughs. "You may be out of the one from New York, but I don't think you're completely out with my cousin Knox living in the same city as you."

She's right. I'm not entirely out of the mafia family, especially when I am in contact with the one in the city where I reside.

She walks over to Irina. "You're wonderful. I'm glad that Riker found you. I wish he would move on from the things his father drilled into him."

Irina looks at the ground and not into her eyes.

Amara lifts her head. "You don't need to do that with me. I'm family." She drops her hand from Irina's face. "Besides, a woman standing beside the head of the family needs to show people she's not afraid of things to come. I know you're not afraid of me, Irina. It's just a respect thing that your boyfriend taught you, and I'm pleased that he did that."

Riley walks over to Eliana, and she whispers something to her sister. The sisters start laughing.

Amara turns her attention to her other cousin. "Riley, I'm glad you also decided to come on this trip. I know you've been told terrible things about my family and me, but they're not true." She takes a step back. "He's responsible for my family's downfall, but at least our empire isn't crumbling like the Mesi's."

That's a cruel thing to say, though it shouldn't surprise me since their family mistreats her.

My phone went off, and I pulled it out of my pocket to see a message from Chloe.

She beat me to messaging her today.

Opening the message, I read it.

Chloe: Did you get to Miami safely?

Me: Yeah, I'm just meeting the host now. I'll talk to you when I go to my room.

Chloe: Okay, I'll hear from you then.

Amara looks at me. "Was that you're girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend. I'm just talking to one of my employees."

Riley moves over to me. "Are you still speaking to that Chloe girl?"

"Yes, I am." I slip my phone into my pocket. "She's a great girl, and I like talking to her a lot. Is there a crime against messaging a beautiful woman?"

Amara walks over to the stairs and sits down. "Why are all the great guys taken? When will I have a break and meet someone of mine?"

Walking over to her, I take a seat. I place my hand on her shoulder. "You'll find a guy, Amara. The guy for you will be someone strong who can be part of the life we live. You're the head of the Marino Family. The guy needs to know how to handle himself, and he can't be weak."

She looked at me. "You're everything I need, but the way you talk about the woman from Los Angeles, I know she's the one you want to be with. When you get home, ask her out for a coffee and get to know her."

"I will, Amara." I stand up and hold my hand out for her to take. "Can you show me to my room? I need to rest from all the driving I've done."

"Sure," she says, placing her hand in mine. I help her stand. "How long are you staying, Jai?"

"I'll be here for the night. Is that alright?"

"That's perfect. Are you taking the car with you?"

"No, I was going to get an Uber to the airport."

She shakes her head. "My guests aren't going to take an Uber to the airport. I'll arrange a ride for you." she leads the way into the house, and the girls follow us inside. Amara takes me to my room first. "This is yours."

"Thanks, Miss Marino."

"Just call me Amara. I don't like this formality from family." She walks away with the girls, and I close my door. I walk over to the king-sized bed and lie on it. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I Facetime with Chloe.

Chloe: Hey, Jai. Why are you calling?

Me: Hey, I just wanted to see your beautiful face. I'll be home earlier than expected, and I can't wait to catch up on everything that's happened while I was away.

Chloe: Can you give me a minute, Jai?

She puts the phone down, and I slightly hear the conversation on the other side. "Yes, that's fine. I must organise some time off work, but that won't be a problem." Chloe picks up the phone, and she looks at me.

Chloe: Jai, I need to take a night off from work. There's been an emergency, and I can't get anyone else to help me.

Me: That's okay, Chloe. Take the night off, and I'll call someone to cover for you.

Chloe: Thanks.

Chloe and I go quiet for a moment, and there is a comfortable silence between us. I smile at her.

Me: I'll see you tomorrow.

Chloe: Bye,

I put my phone on the nightstand before I fall asleep.