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I blow out a breath and move to climb off Vice’s lap, but he holds me tightly. I can tell he wants me to focus on him, but if I have to look into his eyes, I will probably claw them out.
“Aldo!” I hear Gia’s voice, which is when Vice taps my ass for me to stand.
I scramble off his lap before he changes his mind. All I want to do is run out of this fucking room, from this life, and never come back. Instead, I straighten my shoulders, keep my head high, and pretend I’m not breaking inside.
“I told you to wait,” Aldo snaps at her just before another voice speaks up.
“I’m afraid that’s my fault. I have to catch a flight in an hour. I’m very sorry.” I recognize the man as Vigo’s lawyer.
His eyes flick briefly to Vice before they land on me. “Oh, excellent. I’m glad you’re here, Nova. Your name is mentioned in the will, too.”
Nobody complains except for Gia. “Nova? What the hell is she doing here?”
“Gia, sit down. I’m sure it’s nothing but confirmation of her termination. Not that we would keep her on anyway. Clearly, she has no loyalty to the family.”
“Careful, Aldo. If you question my loyalty, I might not feel the need to keep all the secrets I’ve accumulated over the years. And we wouldn’t want that now, would we?”
“How dare you talk to my husband like that!” Gia shrieks, but I just smirk at her.
“Remember, Aldo is not the only one with secrets. Does he know?”
Her skin bleaches white as Aldo looks at her.
“Know what?”
“Nothing. She’s just being a bitch.”
“Please, everyone, be seated,” the lawyer announces.
Vice sits, and though I don’t want to, I don’t put up a fight when he pulls me onto his lap again. Gia sits beside Aldo, tossing the sheet on the back of Aldo’s chair, before her eyes move from me to Vice.
She frowns before she smiles, putting two and two together and coming up with ten. “Oh no. Have to settle for a mistress role, did we? I did mention that nobody would want you after being abodyguard, for goodness’ sake.” She giggles. “Not everyone gets to be a bride.” She flashes me her ring.
I roll my eyes and give her the middle finger, making Isaac chuckle. I see the moment she spots the rock on my hand—the one that’s three times bigger than hers.
“What—”
“Sorry, Gia, but I really don’t have much time. Okay, where is it? Oh yes, here we go.”
“To the Esposito family, I leave you fifty thousand dollars on the stipulation it is used to create a green space such as a park for children. We have seen so much bloodshed that sometimes it is easy to forget what’s important.”
I swallow as the lawyer reads my father’s words, surprised to see he still had some humanity left in him after all.
“To the Gallo family, I leave fifty thousand dollars to be used to help set up a charity that specializes in children who have been displaced either from trafficking, losing parents, or adjusting to life after trauma.”
I bite my lip so that I don’t cry because maybe, just maybe, the legacy he leaves behind won’t be all bad.
The lawyer continues, and each family is stunned to find they have been gifted fifty thousand dollars to put toward something that will be a safe space for children. Each of the dons looks humbled, except for Aldo, who grits his teeth.
The lawyer clears his throat before he continues, “Is Mr. Romano here?”
“No,” Vice answers.
“I have a letter for him from Vigo with explicit instructions.”
“If you make a copy, I can give it tohim,” I offer.
“That would be perfect, thank you. I’ll still need to see him, mind you. There’s some paperwork he needs to sign.”
