Page 19 of Crowned By the Mafia Billionaires

He drops the pen and comes around the desk to sit on the end of it. “Because your brother seemed to understand the assignment.”

I roll my eyes. “Cole met Luna and married her five minutes later.”

Dad points his finger at me. “And look how happy he is.”

I can’t argue with that. My brother is truly happy with his wife.

Dad crosses his arms over his chest. “He took what I said seriously.”

I nod again and blow out a breath. “So did I.”

Dad gives me a skeptical look. “You’ve got what? A few months left?”

“I know.” I’m stalling, but I know I need to tell him.

“And if you’re serious about taking over this family, you need a wife beside you.”

I lean back in my chair and take a calming breath. It’s now or never. “Yeah. That’s actually one of the things I wanted to talk to you about today.”

Dad lowers his hands to the desk. “What?”

I force a smile to my face. “I picked a wife.”

For the first time since I walked into his office, my father looks genuinely surprised. “You did?”

I nod. “Yes.”

His forehead creases. “Who?”

I don’t answer immediately, and Dad’s eyes narrow even more. “Bennett.”

I suck in a breath and say her name. “Audrey.”

He blinks. “Excuse me?”

I repeat it. “Audrey.”

There’s a long pause as if he didn’t hear me right or something, and then he says, “Audrey Sterling?”

I nod. “Yes.”

He pushes off the desk and starts pacing the room. “Absolutely fuckin’ not.”

I stay seated. I remind myself to stay calm. I expected this reaction, but I have to let him know I’m not backing down. I will marry Audrey Sterling. At least as long as she agrees to it.

Dad comes around his desk to stand in front of me. “Have you lost your mind?”

I shake my head. “No.”

He is literally spitting the words he’s so riled up. “You want to marry Victor Sterling’s daughter?”

I nod again. “Yes.”

He throws a hand up in the air. “He has spent years trying to destroy this family.”

“We already went over this, Dad. Audrey isn’t her dad.”

He’s shaking his head like he can’t make sense of it. “But she’s a Sterling.”