She snuggles against me and sucks her thumb until she falls asleep.
After an hour, everyone creeps out of the kitchen, and Valentina says, “It’s time for bed.”
“Aww…” Asher begins.
“Listen to your mother, little man,” I say, which has him letting out a huff.
He gets up and switches off the TV, then he comes to give me a sideways hug and mumbles, “Night, Uncle Christiano.”
“Sweet dreams,” I reply while carefully passing Talia to Valentina.
The instant it looks like Will wants to go upstairs with them, I say, “Take a seat, Will.”
I savor the pain tightening his features as he sits down across from me, and while we wait for my sister to return, I glare at him, loving how terrified he looks.
When Valentina comes down the stairs, relief washes over his face. He’s gravely mistaken if he thinks my sister can stop me from killing him.
I hate how exhausted she looks and pat the space beside me. As soon as she sits down, I wrap my arm around her shoulder and press a kiss to her temple, then I level Will with a look that has him shaking in his shoes.
“If I ever see you sitting on your ass while my sister runs herself into the ground when she’s fucking sick, I’ll kill you.” I feel her stiffen against my side and brush my hand up and down her bicep. “I never fucking liked you, Will. This is my one and only warning out of respect for Valentina.”
His head bobs like crazy while he swallows hard, his Adam’s apple moving visibly. “I’ll try to put in more effort around the house.”
Slowly, I shake my head. “Tryagain.”
Sweat beads on his face, the drops forming rivulets from both his temples to his neck. “Sorry. I will help out more.”
I press another kiss to my sister’s hair, then order, “Go get some rest.”
She turns so she can hug me, and whispers, “I’m so sorry about this. You caught us at a bad time.”
I push her back so I can lock eyes with her. “You deserve so much better.”
“Don’t start. Please.”
Because she’s not feeling well, I let the subject go, and as I climb to my feet, I give the worthless piece of shit another look filled with warning.
When I let myself out of the mansion, Nico falls into step beside me and mutters, “Look at you learning to control your temper and not killing him.”
“I did it for the kids.”
But if he fucks up one more time, I’ll rid them of their useless father. I’m sure Remo wouldn’t mind stepping in to do a much better job of loving my sister and raising her kids.
Chapter 5
Sienna
After seeing Christiano at the wedding, I spent the whole day in bed yesterday, watching Big Bang Theory for the hundredth time. There’s just something about the show that’s calming and allows my mind to shut off.
I’m actually looking forward to today.
As I bring my Porsche to a stop near the coffee shop where I’m meeting Raya, my phone beeps.
While Alfio, the guard who’s assigned to me, parks behind my car, I reach across the console. Grabbing my handbag, I pull the device out of the pocket I always keep it in. Seeing another message from Christiano, I read the short preview at the top of the screen.
Ignoring me won’t make me go away, princess.
I swipe across the screen, and just like I’ve done with his other messages, I don’t reply.
