? There you go again...? he murmured against my neck, his breath igniting every nerve in my body. ?Playing the innocent mouse, when really, you're a cunning little fox begging for release. ?
Sophie Cruz, a compassionate and skilled physical the...
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(Theme Song of the Chapter: Goosebumps - Travis Scott ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Aiden◆Accardi
THE MAN IN blue was a man of a habitual routine. He would leave home in the morning and come home the next day. When he did come home, he ignored the kids who cried for him and the wife who feared his presence.
The man in blue hated affection. He hated purple prose or indirect language. He never took the same route home. He never took the same route into the city. He was always one step ahead.
So when the man in blue was pronounced dead at the scene of a car crash years ago, his children, received the news, each mourning in their own way.
I, for one, found it difficult to grieve over a man, who never taught me how to love.
As I stared into the mirror, the dark navy suit reflected back at me—a suit irritatingly similar to the ones my father used to wear—I felt a sudden wave of heat rise within me. My hands flew to the blazer, prying it off my body in a fit of temper.
My breathing came ragged with anger radiating through every exhale.
A hard knock echoed against the door, but before I could respond, it creaked open. Enzo stepped inside, his expression indifferent, his tone clipped. "I've got some bad news."
Just great.
I sucked in a sharp breath before facing his direction. "The fuck is it now?"
Enzo sighed, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration. "Word is going around about what went down with the Bruno family. The Accardi family has never been so blindsided, and it looks like a failure on our part. Now Hank and Amadeo are talking about pulling out of the New York deal."
Hank and Amadeo were key stakeholders and investors in our plan to dominate the underground market in New York. Their involvement was crucial to ensuring operations ran smoothly in the north.
"They don't want to antagonize the Brunos by doing our bidding up north." He added.
I shook my head, raising a hand to cut off further discussion. "They don't need to worry about the Brunos. Tell them I'll handle it."
Enzo stood silent for a moment, watching me carefully before speaking. "I already tried. They're not convinced."
A low chuckle escaped my lips. "We don't need them," I muttered, my tone cold and final. "They're replaceable."
All people were.
"Yes, but if they pull out, we lose one of our suppliers—Fresno. He only does business with them." He said apprehensively. "Aiden, we are this close to tripling our profits from last year. You have to find a way to get back under Hank and Amadeo's good graces."
