Scorned Obsession (Scorned Fate)

“So where do we stand, nephew?”

It was just me and Raffa in a meeting room at the Wisteria. Gian and Tommy were outside. This was so Raffa and I could speak freely.

With Bianca safe with her family, I was done humoring his long-running grudge against the De Luccis. I had a feeling he was waiting for either me or Bianca to call his bluff.

“You’re going to accept that I don’t answer to you anymore,” I told him. “You have disrespected my wife for the last time. I should kill you, but I won’t. The morale of the Rossi crime family has been in the trenches since Frankie took over.”

Raffa removed his glasses as if he wanted to see me clearly without them. His eyes had taken on a grayish hue and, it used to be when he did this, it was to intimidate. To let the person know he could see right through them despite his blindness. But I stared right into his soulless eyes. Finally, he put his glasses back on and said, “What do you need from me?”

“You’re going to back me up when I announce to the other crime families that I’m the new don.”

After we got rid of the cocaine, the weight on my shoulders eased. I was a quick fixer. I got rid of threats. Negotiations weren’t my thing, but I could learn it. I could learn it as long as Bianca was at my side and that was the only way to keep her.

“Really?” His brow hiked up. “You’re not planning to hand it off to Tommy?”

“No. I’m the only one who deserves that position. Not even Gian.”

“Gian said you played Russian roulette with his head.”

His tone sounded serious, but I detected a hint of amusement, even pride. It’d been years since Raffa had been my ally. He’d been one of my staunchest supporters after I got rid of Kaz Doku. I fell out of favor when it was clear I had no plans to be more involved in the family business. Sometimes I wondered if his ridiculous impositions on my marriage to Bianca were not only to get back at Cesar, but also at me for resisting his attempts to mold me into the next boss. Vindictive bastard.

“It was an expedient way to get my answers,” I told him.

“He’s my son.”

“Your adopted son. I’m more your blood than he is.” I didn’t have to point out that if his men had inflicted lasting trauma on Bianca, I would have razed the entire family to the ground.

He leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers over his protruding belly. “So tell me. Where do you expect to take the family? You have no club to launder the money coming from drugs. Oh wait, you don’t even have the drugs. Protection rackets are not making enough money. You have the smuggling of goods, but you’re in competition with everyone else.”

“Put the Rossi mansion up for sale. It’s our biggest asset.”

Naked anger contorted Raffa’s features. He leaned forward in his seat. “Are you out of your goddamned mind? You grew up there. I grew up there.”

“Doesn’t hold fond memories for me. It’s where Frankie was gunned down.” Where I chose Bianca over my half brother. “I’m sure there’s going to be some rich schmuck who’s gonna drop a obscene hunk of cash for the notoriety.” Maybe even make it into a museum, but that wasn’t my scene. “We’re gonna get around a hundred fifty mil easy for those structures and the property. The basement vault contains artwork that would fetch another two hundred million at an auction.”

“You’ve given this a lot of thought. What about your legacy?”

“What legacy? My mother—real mother, was kept captive in that mansion,” I gritted. “Repeatedly raped by Carmelo until she gave birth to me. Then he had her killed. You think I wanna stay there? You think I wanna raise a family haunted by the memories of his despicable acts?”

I couldn’t even call Carmelo Rossi Pop anymore. He was nothing but a sperm donor.

Raffa averted his face as if he couldn’t stand the anger I was radiating. It took me years to come to terms with my origins. I was a product of a heinous crime kept in secret by the Rossi leadership. But I didn’t want to dwell on the past because I saw a future with Bianca.

“We will use the money and build new infrastructure,” I said. “Gambling and gaming. Real estate.”

Raffa faced me again. “Who put these ideas in your head? Luca?”

“You never liked him, did you? But he’s at the top of the food chain now, even when people try to tear him down,” I said. “My club remains mine. I don’t intend to use Rossi money to rebuild it. It has insurance.” And I had my own money. I wanted full autonomy in the running of it. “It should be ready in two months. Leave Manhattan, Raffa. Spend your miserable last days in Italy. Be a gangster there if you want to. But in my organization, you will cease to have a say.”

“Not everyone is going to be happy with this.”

“The only one left with discontent is Gian. And I think I made it clear what will happen to anyone who defies me by going after Bianca.”

A slight sneer curved his mouth. “You’re going to become a puppet of the De Luccis.”

“I didn’t become your puppet, Raffa.” I smiled grimly. “Are you saying they’re more ruthless than you?”

I stood, leaving him fuming in silence. “This meeting is over. Have a comfortable retirement.” It was more than he goddamned deserved.

Bianca

“They’ll come around.” Aunt Lottie glanced over at where Uncle Paulie was saying goodbye to Dad and my brothers.

Mom threw an impromptu dinner and I considered it a success. Most of my immediate family opposed to my marriage didn’t make any derogatory comments about my husband or try to talk me into a divorce.

Aunt Lottie was the only one who was giddy with the situation. “Paulie was the same when Dom announced he wanted to go into the family business, but see, they come around.” I remembered the agreement was that Dom had to finish college first.

She cupped my cheek. “Now, my niece is married to a boss.”

“Why didn’t you?”

She glanced over my shoulder and beamed. “Paulie was too charming.”

My uncle walked to our side and gave my aunt a fond kiss. “You were my perfect fit, cara.” During her heyday, Carlotta Moretti was the sought-after mafia princess. She was the gorgeous, spoiled daughter of Emilio Moretti from his first wife. Paulie wasn’t even a consideration because he wasn’t in the mafia or a made man. Offers came from top crime families all over the world, but she fell in love with my uncle and fell out of favor with Emilio because she followed her heart.

Before his death, Emilio got his wish, though. Dom became a made man and the chill from the Moretti side thawed, especially since Dom and Luca dealt with a lot of inter-organization business.

Speaking of Dom, he joined us by the door.

“You’re leaving, too?” I asked.

“Duty calls. Sandro wants a word. Apparently, he had a meeting at the Wisteria with the Blind Don.”

Anxiety bloomed at the pit of my stomach. “It all went well?”

He glanced at his parents and winked. “We’ll discuss later.”

Paulie rolled his eyes. “Stop rubbing it in. You’re making Cesar and his boys nervous.”

And as if not listening to his dad, Dom hugged me and said loudly, “Welcome to the dark side, cuz.”

“Fuck you, Dom.” That came from Nico.

He and Ivy were behind me. Matteo and Sera, Renz and Liz with Sam were behind them.

“What is this? A mass exodus?” I asked.

“I think you and Dad have plenty to talk about,” Nico replied.

“Not sure I’m ready for it,” I spoke through the corner of my mouth.

Sera pulled me into a tight hug. “You got this.” Besides Lottie and Dom, Sera was the most pleased with my marriage to Sandro. She teased Matteo that she was living vicariously through me.

“Congrats again on the pregnancy.” Sera was three months pregnant with the baby due in April.

Her face glowed. “Thank you.”

“I’m sure you’re going to spoil her,” I told Matteo. He scratched a brow and breathed out a rough laugh that held a tinge of anxiety but I had no doubt he would make a great father. He was known as the Raptor of Wall Street after all. Laser-focused on a goal. And right now, that was creating his own family with Sera.

Before my thoughts could veer into the direction of Sandro and me starting our own family, Renz and Liz were next to say goodbye. I became teary-eyed all over again. Those two days Renz and I had spent in captivity forged a different bond. Hard to define, it stretched between us whenever our eyes locked.

“Hey, no more tears,” Renz said in a tone that steadied my unraveling emotions. It was as if he wanted to put the whole experience behind us so I could stop blaming myself. “I’m stronger. And I always had faith in Sandro.”

“Is that why you didn’t add your two cents and kick his ass?”

“Oh, I intend to challenge him in the boxing ring when I get back into fighting form.” He glanced at his brothers. “Like grown-ups would do.”

Matteo coughed into his fist. “Like Dad?”

Sam tugged on my arm. I glanced down at her. “Yes, sweetie?”

“Can I be your flower girl?”

“Well…”

“You know you’re going to have another wedding, right?” Ivy’s eyes danced with laughter.

No question about it, and Carlotta confirmed, “We won’t accept anything less.”

“All right, guys, we better go,” Liz announced.

My heart was brimming with happiness after they left. I missed them more than when I was on my three-month sabbatical. I guess because I could talk to them at any time and return when I was ready. Another reminder not to take them for granted. I thought I needed to find myself outside of family. I didn’t need to go far away to do that.

My new phone was in my pocket. I didn’t know what happened to my old one. Sandro probably had it. Or it had been destroyed. But Trevor had deactivated that one and cloned me another one with the same settings and contacts.

I turned to face my parents. Mom was in the kitchen, finishing cleanup. I headed in her direction to help her when she glanced up. She smiled at me briefly while tilting her head toward the living room where Dad was pouring himself a drink.

There was no avoiding this talk. Dad hadn’t been chatty at dinner, letting Aunt Carlotta and Mom carry the conversation. My brothers were careful with what they said. I think because their wives were there to keep them in check. But Dad let the bantering slide off him. Gave one-word answers. Brooded and stared at me when he thought I wasn’t looking. I could hear the gears turning in his head. He’d probably already mapped out the steps to sever my ties with Sandro. Draw up divorce papers. Pack me into a plane with a new identity. He’d probably already chosen a destination.

It was up to me to convince him that Sandro wasn’t a phase. The sooner he understood this, the better.

I stopped at the mouth of the living room and leaned against the arch. “So…”

He turned around, and without Mom and my brothers, I’d never been more awkward with Dad in my life. More than the time he glared at my prom date the whole time the poor guy was here. Well, maybe less than the time he caught me at Sandro’s apartment and dragged me home. Dad had always been the number one man in my life. Sandro and my brothers came in second and that depended on who pissed me off the most. But Dad? No matter how many times his protective actions irked me, he was forever on that pedestal.

“I know you feel I let you down.” Might as well rip off the Band-Aid. “And at first I thought I’d be disappointing you.”

“Disappointment was never a feeling I associated with you, Bianca,” he said, dropping his gaze to the amber liquid he was twirling in the glass.

I entered the room cautiously. “There’s a but there…”

He exhaled a heavy sigh. “It’s not disappointment, but failure.” He glanced up. “My failure.”

“Dad…”

He gestured to the minibar. “Do you want anything to drink?”

When I shook my head, he walked to the brown leather couch and sat. I sat beside him, rigid and unsure of what to say next. I linked my hands together on my lap. I used to lean against him and he would have an arm around me. But the wall of words we couldn’t say to one another kept us a foot apart.

Dad broke the silence first. “All my life I wanted to see the Rossis rot in hell. It had been my mission.” He took a sip of his drink. “Now I have to give that up.”

He said it in such a petulant, grudging way, a small laugh escaped me. “I’m sorry I ruined your plans.”

He glared at his drink before glancing my way with a rueful smile, briefly disrupting the taut lines of his countenance. “They’re not in the best financial situation.”

“Sandro is looking into it. There seems to be a problem with the accountant.”

Dad scoffed. “Their accountant is a weasel. Carmelo, Frankie, and Joe weren’t the brightest bulbs when it came to fiscal responsibility. I don’t want to see my daughter want for anything.”

“And any help you give me would be helping the Rossis,” I said. I put my hand over his. “I’ll be fine. You can only offer guidance. I’m not expecting you to bail the Rossis out simply because I’m a part of their family now.”

We fell into silence again. But the silence was rife with Dad’s simmering thoughts and his misgivings about my husband, but specifically, who he represented.

He drained his glass and blew out a breath. “Are you sure this is what you want, carina? Just say the word and I’ll have you out of the country. I can make this whole thing disappear.”

“Sandro isn’t backing down.”

“He couldn’t find you those three months you were in California,” he pointed out.

“Things have changed between us, Dad. I’m his wife now. And you saw him. He finally claimed me in front of everyone.”

He didn’t answer.

“I’ve loved Sandro Rossi all my life. I’ve loved him since I was five years old.”

“That was hero worship.”

“Agreed.” I pursed my lips. “Let me put it this way: I’ve had affection for him all my life. There was a time, I admit, I was obsessed with him.” I grinned at Dad. “It’s not only the men in our family who get hit with obsession.”

“That was my worry. I was afraid Sandro would take advantage.”

“He never did.” I raked my bottom lip, not sure if Dad wanted to hear about my less than stellar behavior, but he needed assurance that Sandro did all he could to respect me. “Even when I threw myself at him.”

Dad gave a pained chuckle and scratched his brow the same way Matteo did when he was unsure or embarrassed. It was a rare occasion when the men in my family found themselves in situations where they didn’t know what to do. “That’s…good,” he said gruffly.

I rolled my eyes. “What? No reprimands? You think your little princess can do no wrong?”

“You’re always going to be my little princess,” he said sharply. “He’s not taking that away from me.”

“Oh, Dad.” This time I scooted closer and picked up his hand. “You’re not losing a daughter. Can’t you see you’re gaining a son in Sandro?”

He stared at our joined hands. “I took advantage of him having affection for you. It was like having another son to look out for my youngest child.”

My mouth twitched. “So you did see him as a son.”

“It didn’t worry me at first until you were old enough to date.”

“Let’s not talk about my dating life.” All the men I dated paled in comparison to Sandro, especially now that I’d experienced the intensity of what it meant to belong to him.

“I should’ve sent you to a convent.”

I laughed. “I heard Sera had also been threatened by her nonno and Luca.” I gave Dad a reassuring smile. “Sandro is not a phase. Yes, I was forced to marry him and he did so to protect me. But it gave us a chance to explore the feelings that were there all along. Sandro has always felt unworthy.”

“No man is worthy of you.”

“Says every dad about his daughter.”

“I just worry, carina.”

“I can’t stop you from worrying, but I hope you’ll let me make my own mistakes.”

Dad didn’t answer except to harden his jaw. I was afraid by the time this was over he would need to see a dentist to check the condition of his molars from all that grinding. I didn’t know how else to soothe him. I myself didn’t know what the future held. But I admit it was a mixture of excitement and anxiety. I needed Sandro right now, but the Rossis needed him more. It wasn’t an overnight fix anyway. To convince Dad I was going to be okay was to show him proof. In time, I could give him that proof.

I was committed to this marriage. It had been my dream. A dream that had taken a detour into a nightmare, but its challenges were exactly what I needed. I didn’t need a change of place to find myself. I needed to get thrown into the deep end and claw my way out of it on my own. Because to exist in the darkness of Sandro’s world, I needed a little darkness in myself. To survive, I needed the grit. Not to be sheltered from it.

Mom walked in with a tray of milk and cookies. “How are you two getting along?”

“We’ll get there. Right, Dad?”

After my epiphany, the pull of leaning into my old man was automatic. His arm came around me and he kissed the top of my head. I spread my palm over his chest, feeling his heartbeat. The heart that was full of love for his children. It was soothing to know in all this turmoil I would always have my parents’ love.

“You never thought that I would become your most problematic child, did you?” I teased.

Mom laughed, handing me a glass of milk. “I think he’s always known you’d be his biggest headache.”

I straightened on the couch and protested, “Hey, I’m not bad.”

“I thought three older brothers would be enough to keep you out of trouble, but I forgot you have McGrath blood in you,” Dad teased back. The grimness in his features was gone. Without a doubt, it was largely due to Mom’s presence.

“Hey, is that a jab at me?” Mom mock-glared.

“Do I need to give you two a moment?” I asked dryly.

“No, carina,” Dad said. “Just sit between us, would ya?”

I resumed leaning against him. “Let’s watch a movie.”

And with my parents on either side of me, that was what we did.

We were back to a semblance of what was familiar, and I should’ve been content, but deep down was a gnawing ache of something missing.

Or someone.