The Throne of Hate: A mafia romance (The Romano's Book 2) by Stella Andrews

Author:Stella Andrews [Andrews, Stella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stella Andrews
Published: 2020-09-26T16:00:00+00:00

I’m early, so I head downstairs to check on business with Marcus, but as I pass the kitchen, I hear a soft, “Dante.”

Looking inside, I see Riley sitting nursing a coffee and she appears to be alone.

Wondering what she wants, I head inside and nod, “Riley.”

“She smiles and points to the seat beside her.”

“Have you got a minute?”

“Of course.”

Feeling intrigued as to what she wants, I sit beside her and she whispers, “I hope I’m not speaking out of turn, but I just wanted to give you the heads up. It’s up to you what you want to do about it but at least you’ll have all the facts.”

If I’m surprised, I don’t show it because I’m not usually known to have a heart to heart with my brother’s women, so I sit back and say blankly, “Go on.”

“It’s about Isabella.”

My ears prick up and I feel myself tense, what’s she about to say? She appears a little nervous which is unlike Lucian’s usual brave woman and she seems hesitant as she smiles nervously.

“It’s just that, well, she told me what happened between you and I thought I’d help a little.”

I can feel my anger bubbling under the surface as I picture Isabella spilling all our secrets in a moment of gossip and my palm itches to remind her who’s in charge here. I sense a storm coming and then Riley chases it away by saying in a whisper, “I think she’s in love with you.”

Her words change everything and I say in a cool voice, “What makes you think that?”

“I’m a woman, Dante, we know these things. The fact is, she’s not an experienced one and you’re scaring her. She’s torn between wanting you and being afraid of you. She’s been holed up in that school with a bunch of mean girls for three years and the moment she’s let out, you steal her away. She’s suddenly in charge of a small boy with problems, and his father wants something from her she’s afraid to relinquish. She’s not one of your whores who knows the score, she’s alone and afraid and has absolutely no one to turn to for advice, so before you get angry, remember I was the first friendly ear willing to listen.”

Riley’s words cause me to stop and think and see things a little differently. I suppose I never really saw things from her side because I was so hell bent on getting what I wanted for me and my son, I never considered her feelings in this. For a man with no emotion I’m not surprised it escaped me, but now when it’s set out before me like this, everything becomes clear.

Then Lucian’s words come back to haunt me and I picture Isabella navigating the future being hit on and manipulated by every chancer out there. She will never be free of her past all the time it controls her future.

Riley is watching me intently and I lean back and say blankly, “So, what should I do about it?”

“It depends if you want to try.

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