I had a feeling a bit of a brat tamer was lurking underneath the surface, and I can see how true that is now that I'm engaging with a supreme brat all day.
That doesn't change the fact that she's the client's daughter, though. Or the fact that Boss is adamant about us not doing this sort of thing. Or the fact that she's over a decade younger than me.
This is nearly as forbidden as it gets.
My dick doesn't seem to care very much, though. Nor does that desire to keep her safe, to keep her close, to be the one who watches her break just so I can put her back together.
Which isn't something I need to be thinking about right now, considering I'm standing in front of her father's office door, and I have to tuck an erection behind my waistband.
Carefully, I grip the doorknob and push open the office door. But I stop because as I do, I can hear two voices engaged in a heated conversation.
"This is getting out of hand," Reginald bites out. "That bastard thinks he can toy with my daughter. He is a means to an end, and I believe his usefulness is running particularly thin."
"He kept word about Bellavita positive, Reginald. The flipside of that coin isn't pretty. Cilento's assistance is getting far too expensive, though. I hate to say it, but you might need to come up with a new plan to protect your assets."
I can tell it's Kyle who's speaking. Even though we interacted for such a short time, there's no mistaking that pompous voice.
They're also discussing something I haven't heard about. Apparently, Reggie has been keeping a great deal of information to himself.
Bellavita is Wellward Technologies' most successful product—a weight loss drug that's FDA-approved and promises incredible results.
And it seems there's something the company doesn't want people to know about when it comes to the wildly successful injection.
It doesn't bode well, and I don't fucking like the way they're talking about Lila, either. Or rather, how they're not talking about her.
The focus is on how Cilento is screwing them, how the cost of his "help" is running up the tab. It reeks of underhanded shit, and their concern for Lila sounds entirely surface-level.
"Wellward is top priority. I won't let some Italian crime boss outsmart me. He will not get away with this. Last night? He's on thin fucking ice."
"But what if the truth gets out? Cilento knows the script. He sent his men to intimidate people in that study into fudging the results. If he lets that out?—"
"No. That can never happen. If anything…Christ, we might just need to get an outsider's perspective. Maybe this Boss has someone else he can send to do a little housekeeping in Cilento's organization. That'll give him something to think about."
My entire body goes stiff as an I-beam. I'm made of steel as I digest what the two of them just said.
Reginald is thinking of putting a hit out on Cilento's men, using my company to do it. We'd be smack dab in the middle of a war.
Fuck no. Terrible idea. No way Boss would say yes to that. No matter the price tag.
It also appears that good ol' Mr. Kendrix and company have been lying about Bellavita. I'm not surprised, but that is a problem.
Blackmail, threats, hits. This is a damn clusterfuck because Reggie thought he could work with the mafia and not expect the typical pay raise. Of course Cilento is looking to squeeze him for more cash.
Turning on my heel, I hurry away from the door, silent as the grave. Lila knew something was up, but she's going to lose it when she hears the truth.
Still, someone needs to tell her, and it might as well be me. Plus, this changes things. Cilento means business.
Sure, the odd threat here and there, but he also carries through with those things. As "merciful" as he is compared to other bosses in the city, he's still a violent criminal when it comes down to it.
Cilento isn't going to stop. Lila is in real danger, and her father is a piece of shit who isn't going to back down either.
Not fucking good.
When I reach Lila's room, I knock as I open the door, relieved to see that she's still sitting on the bed like before. She actually fucking listened for once, and hell, did I need that more than ever right now.
"Marcus." She straightens, her brow creased with worry as she eyes me from her cross-legged position on the fluffy, luxury bed. "What's going on? You look…angry."
"Yeah, that's a mild way of putting it." I sigh, raking a hand through my hair as I approach the bed and stand in front of it. "Your father is more in bed with Cilento than I realized. He's used the mob to cover up problems with Bellavita."
