Page 83 of Married to the Ruthless Mafia Heir

Dante stared at those small white flowers for a long time before standing and coming to me.

"Elena."

"Yeah?"

"This place where you used to cry—you won't cry here again," he said. "I'll have this corner turned into a proper garden, filled with hyacinths. Okay?"

My nose tingled. I nodded. "Okay."

Dante pulled me into his arms, chin resting on top of my head. "From now on, every day you spend in this manor will be a happy one."

Chapter Thirty

Elena

When I was six months pregnant, the Lombardis came to Moretti Manor.

Luca Lombardi stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the drawing room, sunlight falling across him. Still had that unhurried air about him, coffee cup in hand. When he saw me come in, he smiled and raised his cup.

"Elena." He nodded. "Been a while."

"Yeah." I steadied myself against my lower back as I sat down on the sofa.

Dante sat beside me, legs crossed, one arm draped across the back of the sofa behind me. Looked relaxed. But his eyes stayed locked on Luca—nothing relaxed about that.

"Say what you came to say," Dante spoke first. "You didn't drive all the way out here for the coffee."

Luca set down his cup. Got right to it. "Fair enough. I heard Elena handed off that Mexico shop to Diego. And now she's getting ready to launch her own brand."

I nodded. "That's the plan."

"Perfect timing." Luca smiled. "My brand's been looking to expand into bridal and formal wear. I've got supply chains already in place, connections with the malls here in New York. I want to partner with Elena. Build this thing together."

He looked at Dante. "Mr. Moretti. You good with that?"

Dante didn't answer right away. He pulled his arm back from behind me, picked up his coffee, and took his time with a sip.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" He set the cup down, voice flat. "You've got your eye on my wife, and now you want to do business with her too?"

"Two different things." Luca raised both hands in surrender. "Besides, think about it. Our families go into business together, everyone out there sees Lombardi and Moretti are on the same side. That mess you caused at my place last time? Water under the bridge. Good for both our families, right?"

I listened. Luca had a point.

"He's right." I tugged gently on Dante's sleeve. "A partnership on the books makes the relationship between our families more solid. And my brand's just starting out. The channels and connections Lombardi's got—I couldn't build that myself in ten years."

Dante glanced at me.

"Plus," I leaned closer, softened my voice, gave it a little coaxing edge, "you're always saying you'd support my career. Now the opportunity's knocking. You're not going to hold me back, are you?"

Dante stared at me for a few seconds. Finally sighed. Reached out and tapped my nose with his finger.

"When have I ever held you back?" His voice carried a resigned helplessness. "You want to do it, do it. But—" He turned to Luca, tone cooling. "Business is business. You try anything with her, I'll set you up on blind dates. Starting next week. One a day. Until some woman drags you down the aisle."

Luca burst out laughing.

"Relax. I know my boundaries." He raised his coffee cup to me, eyes clear. "Elena. Looking forward to working together."

"Looking forward to it." I smiled back.