Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
“Daddy, look what she did. Look what she … did.” Blood pooled at the corner of Isabella’s mouth.
She’d not even hit her that hard, and yet Isabella was crying as if she’d stabbed her. Elsie saw the fake tears building. She was about to try to manipulate her father.
“You disappoint me, Isabella,” Franco said. “I thought your mother and I had raised a good girl, a nice girl, and yet you are willing to frame an innocent woman just so you can have a better lifestyle, although you want for nothing.”
“Daddy, it’s not like that.”
Elsie gasped as Franco did what she never expected a father to do. He shot his daughter in the head, and before she had even fallen, he turned his back on her.
“Will she be a problem?” Franco asked.
“No,” Massimo and Romero said at the same time.
“No, I won’t.”
“You’re curious as to why I killed her?” Franco asked.
Elsie didn’t know if she should even ask him any questions in case he decided to turn his gun on her.
“She was dangerous, and her greed would eventually get us all killed, and I cannot allow that to happen. She had to be dealt with. The family comes before everything, and I want to apologize to you, and to you, Massimo, for any damage my daughter may have caused.”
“There is no damage.”
“Now, if you will excuse me.”
Massimo pulled Elsie out of his office, and there were already men arriving, who she knew from experience were there to clean up the body. He took her straight to the kitchen with Romero hot on their tail.
“He killed her,” Elsie said.
“The man didn’t have a choice,” Romero said. “She openly admitted to wanting power, to wanting money.”
“But isn’t that a good thing for her and for women that grow up in the mafia?” Elsie asked.
“No,” Massimo said. “Because power-hungry bitches like that cause no end of trouble, and none of us could allow that to happen.” He cupped her face. “Are you okay?”
“Has he just started a war?” Elsie asked.
“No,” Romero said. “As he killed his own daughter, there is no law to answer to. He was taking care of business, and now I am going to leave the two of you alone.”
Elsie stared at Massimo.
“I will never put you in that kind of danger. What the fuck were you thinking going close to her like that?” he asked.
“I … I don’t know what I was thinking, but I needed to … take care of you. She made me so angry that she made you all about your money and position. You’re more than just figures and titles. You’re so much more.”
“Baby, I’m that to everyone else, but not to you. To you, I know I’m different. I know I matter to you and that you love me the same way I love you.”
“I do love you.”
“I know.” And with that, he kissed her on the lips.
Epilogue
Ten Years Later
“It’s official, you guys need to stop having kids,” Romero said.
Massimo laughed as he watched his twin sons, two daughters, and eldest son suddenly jump on top of their uncle. He was not going to help them. Instead, he was going to enjoy his large mug of hot chocolate as he held onto his very pregnant wife.
Ten years, with five children and a sixth on the way. He had kept Elsie as pregnant as she could be.
It was once again Christmastime, and like every year before, Elsie loved to have family around. Massimo had warned her to keep her distance from the D’Angelos and of course, his wife didn’t listen.
Much to his surprise, the D’Angelos, although hesitant because of what their daughter had done, had also embraced Elsie as if she was their daughter. For the last ten Christmases, he had them in his home.
There was Romero and his wife, and their little daughter, Francine. He’d been surprised by his brother finding love with one of the other capo’s daughters. There had been a great deal of negotiations to deal with but Massimo had done it for his brother.
Elsie included them as part of the family.
She had gone from being the gold-digging whore to the woman who had the best parties and family gatherings. Everyone within their circle wanted to get an invitation from Elsie. How quickly their opinion changed. It might also help that he made sure no one ever treated her with anything but respect.
He’d broken tradition, like D’Angelo had. Glancing at the older man, he saw the smile in the man’s eyes.
Massimo had expected there to be bad blood between them, and certainly from his wife. But it would seem they had both come to the realization about what Isabella was capable of, and it was up to Franco to deal with it.
They had talked many times, and D’Angelo believed it had been Elsie to save them. She had come into their world and made them realize how destructive their daughter had become, and with it, how dangerous.