“What are they up to in there?” Avda muses.
“I hope they’re making those hot chocolate bombs they usually make,” Sasha grins.
Chapter 10 - Athena
The whole situation had me on the verge of a panic attack. It doesn’t help that Adrian and I were in the middle of a very heated discussion when his sister walked in.
But then theyall walk in.
When they all arrived, I wanted to bolt upstairs and hide away. Not only is his family massive, but knowing they are all mafia just had me on edge. There were so many questions in my mind. Are they dangerous? Should I be associating with them? What will they think of me?
It only got worse when everyone realized he’dmarried mewithout any of them knowing.
Then I thought they would be furious and assume I was some kind of gold digger who had tricked their brother. It was all a mess, and I wanted to be anywhere but there.
Thank goodness I made a literal ton of spaghetti!
The process of setting the table and eating was the exact icebreaker or distraction that I needed. And by the end of it, the panic had at least faded a little, and I was more in control of myself.
It turns out they really aren’t that scary. Sure, I’m still wary. Even now, standing in the kitchen helping his sisters clean up a bit, I’m nervous and not quite letting my walls down. But the girls are sweet, funny, and very welcoming. Nothing that any of them have said or done has actually been aimed at me in a bad way. No one has been meaning or made any accusations.
Sofie hands me a plate after drying it so that I can pack it away. We have a production line going with Raya scrapingoff leftovers and stacking the dishes, Anka washing them, Sofie drying, and me packing away.
“I think we should make hot chocolate bombs!” Sofie says excitedly.
“What’s that?” I ask, curious.
“Oh, you’ll love them. Think of it like a Warm Chocolate martini but with a twist. Hot chocolate, Frangelico, ice cream…oh, and whipped cream. It’s delicious.”
“Won’t you go and ask the guys if they want?” Anka says her brows raised at me, seeing as I am currently the only one without anything in my hands.
“Oh, yes, sure,” I stammer, my cheeks already flushing with anxiety at the idea of walking into the room full of his brothers.
“They won’t bite,” Sofie giggles.
“Not unless maybe you like that sort of thing?” Raya calls after me, laughing.
I’m grinning as I walk away from them. They are full of jokes. They’re all so confident, too.
Rounding the corner to the living room, I hear someone ask, “Did you do a history check on her father?”
My heart stalls, and my breath catches in my throat. I stop walking, my feet glued to the ground.
Adrian is talking now as I press myself closer to the wall so I can listen, but still keep myself hidden.
I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but I can’t stop myself. They are talking about my father after all. It’s my family, which means it’s about me too. And for all I know, they have mestacked on the same shelf as my dad, viewing me as someone who stole from the warehouse, too.
“We ran a facial recognition scan over our internal security footage, and every video with his face in it was reviewed. The guy has been stealing for a while. He’s been messing with the warehouse, taking things, not only products… equipment, machine parts, anything he could sell for a buck.”
Adrian speaks again. “The guy’s a fucking idiot. He takes without consideration for anyone else. He even stole from some of the other workers. What kind of an asshole steals from people who work at his side? Not rich people. Hard-working people earn the same as him. He’s scum.” Adrian’s voice is angry, and I can’t blame him. I had no idea my father was also stealing from the other workers. People with families, kids, wives, homes to pay for, and food to buy. That isn’t fair at all.
My heart sinks.
I already had enough evidence to confirm that Adrian’s account of my father was true. But when he spoke to me about what he’d done, he was gentler than this. He told me in ways that helped me process things a little easier. He didn’t go into this much detail.
But now this is him talking to his brothers, and he isn’t holding back, telling them exactly what type of man my father is. No filters. No gentle delivery. Just the raw truth.
I can’t believe he stole from other workers, too. And he stole from Adrian more than once.
