I blushed. "Th-thank you."
It sounded like he was smiling when he spoke again, and I could picture it vividly. "You're welcome. Your men will understand. You just need to not put the blame of a situation you had no control of on yourself. And if they don't, I'll just kill them."
I rolled my eyes. "You can't just kill everyone that disagrees with me."
"I can and I will."
I shook my head and chuckled, despite everything.
"Do you feel better?"
"Yes, thank you, really."
"Anytime. I promise to always be there when you need me. Now, when are you planning on being back in the office?"
"Around three." I picked at the helm of my blouse, trying not to take his promise to heart.
"Okay. I'll see you soon with your favorite sushi."
I still felt his presence and strength within me when we hung up the phone. Marco's words grounded me, reminded me of who I was and what I was fighting for.
With a deep breath, I stood, straightened out my clothes, and reached for the doorknob, ready to face my capos. Whatever came next, I could handle it. I wasn't alone, at least for now.
I walked backinto the office, an extra spring in my step, feeling lighter than I had in weeks. The meeting with my capos had gone better than I could have ever imagined. Instead of blame or resentment, I was met with understanding and support.
They had all but applauded me when they learned about everything I was doing to take care of their families and rectify Fernando's wrongs, and they promised to help in any way they could.
For the first time since I'd taken over, it felt like we were all on the same page, fighting on the same side. A small part of me dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, I could finally trust them.
The thought thrilled and terrified me, but I stuffed the fear away, because I needed this. We needed a win, and this felt like the start of one.
I decided to throw a dinner over the weekend for everyone to commemorate our familia's solidarity. I'd already alerted Olivia, who had immediately started the preparations in our event hall and was looking into potential catering companies.
As I entered my office, I saw an enormous bouquet of red roses sitting on my desk and frowned. Marco had bought me flowers a couple of days ago, and these didn't feel like him at all. I wasn't a fan of roses, and Marco knew that.
Moreover, these were extremely over the top. There must have been at least a hundred roses, maybe more. It felt more like a showpiece than anything thoughtful.
I plucked the card from the bouquet.
"Beautiful flowers for an even more beautiful woman. From Felipe Alvarez."
I huffed. Yet another mafia leader trying to charm me to gain whatever he wanted. It was insulting that they thought I'd spread my legs and serve myself and my familia up on a silver platter for the smallest bit of attention.
Fucking men. So many of them think they're a gift to the female race, when they're not even good enough to lick shit off the bottom of my Louboutins.
I thought about throwing the entire bouquet in the trash, then sighed. They were just flowers. As long as he didn't hide anything in them, it was technically fine to keep them. I'd bring them down to the lobby later and if anyone wanted to take them, they'd be more than welcome to.
After checking to make sure there wasn't a hidden camera or something else in the arrangement, I put them in water.
An hour later, Olivia called, informing me Marco had arrived with lunch. A smile spread across my face the moment he entered the door. Even though I'd spoken with him only hours before, it wasn't the same as being around him.
Having him near me, sharing the same air, filled me with a sense of peace like nothing else. And no matter how many times it happened, it was a feeling I still couldn't get used to. But I was grateful for it, for him. I'd never admit it to him, but he made my day, no, my life, better.
I moved to take the bags and help him spread out our lunch, when he went completely still. In a split second, the joy on his face fell, replaced with complete and utter rage.
"Who sent you flowers?" he growled.
I didn't have to tell him, and if it were anyone else, I wouldn't have. A part of me even wanted to tease him. Seeing him so jealous made me feel important, cherished, even.
