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“Huh, that’s not like her. I’ll check her office, then give her a call.”
I left the kitchen and went to my old office. Mia and I were still in the process of moving things around to make it feel more like her own space. I thought she might have not been able to sleep and gone in there to work but she was nowhere to be found.
I pulled out my phone and dialed her number but there was no answer. So, I sent her a text.
Teo: Woke up without you in my arms. Where are you?
It was several minutes before I finally received an answer.
Mia: I had a couple of last-minute errands to run before my lunch with the girls. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time with me on our honeymoon.
Teo: Never enough.
Mia:(Kiss mark emoji)
See you soon.
I caught myself smiling with a big goofy grin that I was glad the guys weren’t there to see. With that mystery solved, I headed back into the kitchen for breakfast. I had a few things to wrap up for work before my official honeymoon started, so I went into my new office. My father had insisted I go ahead and move everything so that as soon as I was back, I’d be ready to take over as don. I was surprised at how eager he seemed to elevate me to don, much more so than he’d ever seemed about Gio taking on the role.
As I lowered myself into the large, leather office chair that sat behind the impressive mahogany desk, I took a moment to appreciate what that symbolized. Once I came back from my trip with Mia, I would return as don of the entire Venturi family as well as the Monticellis. It was a massive responsibility that I wouldn’t take lightly. I was grateful that I had someone so intelligent, caring, and capable to stand beside me in leading our families.
I took one last deep breath before booting up my computer, but before I could dive into my work, there was a knock on the door.
“Entrare.”
The door opened slowly, and Dario peeked in. “Ciao, boss. You got a minute?”
“Of course. Come.”
“Grazie.” Dario looked nervous as he walked inside and closed the door.
“Please, sit. What’s going on?”
“I was hoping to discuss something with you before your trip, but I’ve struggled to find the right time.”
“Well, now seems like as good of a time as any, especially since I leave tonight. What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure if you’ve talked to Nic. I asked him to let me talk to you myself. I felt like I owed you that.”
“Talk to me about what?” My shoulders tensed as my curiosity turned to concern. It wasn’t often that Dario was so serious.
“You know that I value you as don. I know that you are going to do great things for our family.”
“Why do I feel like there is a but coming? Let’s just get to it, Dario.”
“I’d like your permission to go with Nic to Las Vegas and work for him there.”
“In Las Vegas?”
He nodded. “Nic said that he was having a hard time finding a good second who he can really trust. He said he couldn’t think of anyone better than family,blood.And after how I’ve been doing at Gio’s club, I’d like to give this a shot.”
“This is what you really want?”
Dario’s definitive nod told me everything I needed to know. He didn’t have any doubts about moving to Las Vegas or with helping Nic run the casino. It would be good for Nic to have family there to watch his back and Dario had done a really good job with Gio’s old club.
“Okay, I suggest you get packing. Nic and Mira plan to head back to the states as soon as the jet returns from dropping Mia and me off on our honeymoon.”
“Really? You’re sure you’re good with this? I don’t want any bad blood between us. I respect the hell out of you, and I want to make you proud. I want to be the kind of man who brings value to the family, not takes away from it.”
