Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Well, that’s done.
Lesson fucking learned.
The only person I’m letting into my heart wears diapers, has a gummy smile, and won’t screw me over.
2
Lorenzo
One Month Later
“It’s three days. One day on the yacht. The second is the wedding at a beautiful resort in Bimini. And the third is back on the yacht to return home,” Dani explains as I shake my head.
“You need a vacation,” she argues.
“My son needs stability.”
“And he has that.” She juts her chin toward the play yard I created on the floor, where he’s crawling around and playing with his toys. “You’ve been working from home since he came into your life. And from what Kathleen’s told me, you barely go into the office anymore. And when you do, it’s with Leo in tow.”
“You’ve been talking to my assistant?”
“In case you forgot, she’s mine too. I might be on maternity leave, but I still own forty-nine percent of the company, and my name is on the door—Daniella Russo, Vice President. And”—she glares—“I’m planning to go back to work part-time soon.”
“You are?” This is news to me.
When she had Alba, she didn’t give a time frame as to when she’d be back, but I honestly assumed since her husband was protective and made more than enough money to support them and she loved being home with Alba, it’d be a while.
“No, she’s not,” Matteo chimes in. “And it’s Antonov, not Russo. Add changing her name on the door to your list of things to do.”
I chuckle, but Dani doesn’t find him as amusing.
“Don’t give me that look,” he says when she glares his way. “You’re not going back to the office until we catch that bitch, Leysa Santiago.”
Leysa Santiago … the twenty-year-old psycho who has been going after the Antonovs for the past couple of years.
When Dominick’s father, Andrey, died and Dominick took over, he put a stop to several of the illegal businesses in Harbor Point, including trafficking women in and out of the port his family owned. Carlos Santiago was pissed and threatened him, and Dominick ended his life to make an example out of him.
He thought that was the end of it, until shit started going down a couple of years later. Businesses that were under their protection were getting ransacked, shipments were getting fucked up, and several of Matteo and Dominick’s men were arrested for distribution.
Then it escalated. Dani was taken from Matteo’s underground fight and tied to a chair in a cargo container. Threats were made for the Antonovs to give up their territory in Harbor Point.
When they didn’t heed the warning, the women were attacked during Bri’s bridal shower that her best friend, Nicole, was hosting. Since Bri is Dominick and Matteo’s younger sister, our initial thought was that the men who had shot up the place were gunning for her. Until one of them admitted they were there for Nicole, the mayor’s daughter—and another piece was added to the puzzle. It confirmed the mayor was working with Leysa Santiago, and when he hadn’t done as she wanted, she had gone after his family.
But of course, the psycho didn’t stop there. The most recent incident involved Bri getting taken from her Pilates studio and damn near raped on a cargo ship. Luckily, her husband, Kane, and Matteo got to her in time.
The problem is, Leysa is playing games. Rather than gunning for the Antonovs, she’s fucking with them. Trying to show that she’s in control. And because she’s so unpredictable, Matteo, Kane, and Dominick have insisted their wives keep a low profile, only going out in public when necessary.
“I hate that bitch,” Dani whines. “I’m usually all for woman empowerment, but I really hope you kill her soon.”
Matteo chuckles. “You and me both.” He leans in and kisses her temple. “But until we do, if you want to go back to work, it needs to be from home.”
She sighs but nods in understanding.
“Speaking of which …” She turns her attention back to me. “When are you hiring a nanny so you can go back to work?”
“I’ve—” I begin, but she cuts me off.
“Let me rephrase. When are you going to keep a nanny long enough for you to go back to work?”
“They keep hitting on me,” I grit out, making Matteo bark out a laugh.
I wish I were joking, but I’m not. After I kicked Hillary to the curb, the nanny who was working for me took it like I was in the market for a new mom for Leo. The first time she hit on me, I thought I was seeing shit. But when it happened again, I knew it wasn’t in my head.
So, I fired her, and the agency sent another one …
“Two nannies, and both of them were fired after they tried to throw themselves at me,” I tell her. “Is it too much to expect a nanny to … I don’t know … care for my child? How the hell am I supposed to trust them with my son when their main focus is trying to get into my pants?”