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“You’re his family, Rome. Elena’s his little sister. I know what he said, but there’s no way in hell he’s going to cut you off."
“Alright. Thanks, Mikey.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I grab it, seeing Bianca Zanetti’s name flash across my screen. I grit my teeth before placing the phone back. Michael eyes me curiously.
“What are you going to do about Zanetti?”
I shrug. “I’m about to break a contract we signed. The best I can do is offer him something to soothe his wounded ego.”
“The man’s a billionaire. What can you give him that he doesn’t already have?”
“I have no fucking clue, Mikey.” I sigh.
“What did Maria say about it?”
“She asked if I was still planning on marrying Bianca. Which is funny because there’s no way in hell that woman’s going to marry me knowing I’ve got a kid. Right now, I’m looking into ways to break the contract. Which would go over well if my fucking consigliere would answer the phone.”
Salvador’s another person who refuses to speak to me. Which is unfortunate because I really need him right now.
“Well, you’d better figure it out fast. Time’s running out, Rome.”
“I know.”
Michael shrugs. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a niece I’ve got to meet,” he says with a small smile before walking into the house.
With nothing else to do for the rest of the evening, I decide to head over to Elena’s. Kiara opens the door, dressed up in a gold cocktail dress and white heels.
“Oh, thank God,” she says, ushering me in.
“Going somewhere?” I ask.
“Yeah. I have an event that I can’t miss. You came at the right time because I really wasn’t comfortable leaving Elena alone,” she says.
I flick an eyebrow up. “Where is she?”
“In her room. I prepared us some food but she said she wasn’t hungry. I’m really worried about her.”
Elena’s been shutting down. Ever since her conversation with her dad, it’s like she’s completely devoid of energy. It’s been eating at me, especially since she’s usually so full of life.
“I’ll take care of it,” I tell Kiara. “You can go.”
“And Cassie?”
“She’ll spend the night with my mother.”
“Alright. Just let her know I’ve gone and that I’ll be back late,” Kiara says, grabbing her purse. She pauses at the door, turning to look at me. “Roman? Thank you for being there for her.”
“I always will.”
Kiara offers me another smile before leaving. Once she’s gone, I head into the kitchen to grab Elena’s meal before heading to her room. I knock once and when there’s no reply, I enter regardless. She’s on her bed, under the covers, when I walk into the dark room. I roll my eyes, reaching for the light switch and turning on the lights.
She groans, immediately raising her blanket over her eyes.
“Hey, trouble,” I say softly.
She sniffs once and I realize she must have been crying. I place the tray of food on the bedside table before getting on her bed. I gently ease the blanket away until I can see her face. Her eyes are red-rimmed and teary.
Jesus. Sometimes, it hurts to look at her. A protective urge wells in my chest. I want to catch all her demons and destroy them. But her demons are mine as well, and until I can fix this situation we’ve found ourselves in, all I can do is be here for her.
