Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
“Sure,” I said bitterly, turning away from him.
But there was no end to the amount of people surrounding me. I swallowed uncomfortably, unsure of what to do.
What had Giovani been thinking, making me the Don? I couldn’t even manage to entertain my own relatives, let alone an entire mafia. Ten minutes in and I was already a failure.
But then I remembered what Giovani had said, only a month ago.
“You handled this like a real leader.”
I glanced around at the eager faces before me, the dozens of men and women counting on me to become their next leader. Giovani trusted me to be the one to lead them, to succeed him as the Don.
I wasn’t going to let him down, not now.
I plastered on my best grin, relaxing my body as I thanked the nearest person.
“Congratulations, son,” the nearest relative said with a grin. “How’s it feel to the boss man now?”
“Eh,” I shrugged playfully, giving him a grin. “I might go mad with power later, but for now, I’m kinda just chilling.”
He barked out a laugh. “I’ll be sure to knock some sense in ya if you do!”
“I’m counting on it.” I winked at him.
“How do you expect to be our Don with that nonchalant attitude?” one man huffed, crossing his arms.
“Well, I’ll have Gio and all of you fine gents to guide me,” I smiled amicably. “I doubt anybody expects me to be the best Don right out of the gate. I’ll have to learn like my dad and Gio did.”
He raised an eyebrow but I kept my smile, not hesitating one bit. He smirked, nodding in approval as he backed down without a fight.
“Aye, we’ll see about that,” he remarked.
I grinned, buzzing with excitement as I found my spark again. I dove into the conversations with the family, entertaining them to the best of my ability with the playfulness I was best known for.
Sure, I may not have felt like the Don right then, but to enter a lion’s den, you had to convince them you were one.
I still couldn’t believe that I was the Don, that I had been given this honor and burden. But as long as I was still breathing, I knew I would do my best to be the leader they deserved.
I could only hope that with time and some space, that Alessandro would forgive me at some point. No matter how much he hated me, I still wanted him to be by my side.
*Alessandro*
“Welcome your new Don, Tallon!”
I should have known.
That’s all that ran through my head at the moment that the name that came out of Giovani’s mouth wasn’t mine. Ever since Giovani had announced he was retiring, the hope had just grown. I’d tried not to have any expectations, but it was hard when everyone around me was telling me I’d make a great Don.
“The next Don, huh?” I muttered bitterly to myself.
Despite myself, the disappointment washed over me like cold rain on a sunny day at the beach. Now, it was time to go home.
Everyone around me faded away as my eyes locked onto Giovani. He stood there, unfazed by what he had just declared as if he hadn’t just torn my heart to shred before my very eyes. Olivia stood at his side, an ever-faithful wife with a smile and a baby on her hip.
And the resentment took hold.
I couldn’t hide the ever-growing fury as I clenched my fists into balls, digging my nails into my skin until it hurt so much I wanted to scream out with the pain. But nothing could take away the utter hatred I could feel taking root in my bones.
I should have known before I got my hopes up that I never would’ve been chosen. No matter how hard I worked or how much I improved myself, I wasn’t good enough for Giovani.
I was never good enough.
But Tallon apparently was.
I grit my teeth until they ached, until I could feel them grinding down on one another.
I had never gotten anything I wanted. The position of Don had been rightfully mine, to begin with, but Giovani was given it instead. Fine, I got over it. I worked double hard to prove I was the best man for the job.
Then Olivia, the girl I’d loved since I was a kid, chose him over me. Olivia, who was kind and beautiful and sweet and smart, had never failed to accept me, no matter my flaws. She never cared that I wasn’t the Don–until she chose the man who had been picked over me.
Fine.
At that point, I’d decided that I would just better myself, to become the kind of man who could be the leader they all thought I wasn’t. I’d tried so hard to be good enough, but it didn’t matter.
“Alex?” I heard a soft whisper from beside me.
I stiffened, feeling his eyes on me as I glared down at my plate–Tallon, the new Don.
It echoed in circles in my head until I was dizzy with the thought. My younger brother was now the leader. He now had the position I had wanted for so long, that was rightfully mine to begin with.
And I was left on the outskirts, again.
And who was the cause of all of this? Who had taken away my happiness each and every time?
I lowered my glare at Giovani, the hatred in my heart growing like an infectious disease. He’d told me I was too reckless, rash, violent, and angry. My eyes flickered to the knife next to my dinner plate. I could show him just how violent I could be.
But that wouldn’t solve anything.
It wouldn’t make me the Don, and it wouldn’t make Olivia love me instead. And I was sure when it came down to it, I didn’t think I could do it either. Giovani was family, no matter how much I detested him at this point.
And you don’t hurt family.
But I couldn’t stand here and watch, either. I glared around me at the faces who had only hours ago been praising me as the next Don, sucking up to me like I was everything, and now, all their eyes were on Tallon.
The new Don.
Fuck this.
“Alessandro, I didn’t–” I heard Tallon whispering to me, but I was far too gone to listen to this bullshit anymore. I pinned him with a glare, not wanting to take my anger out on him but so overwhelmed with everything that it just seeped out like a gas leak.
“Don’t,” I bit out harshly, and he flinched back, a wounded and ashamed look crossing his features before he lowered his head, unable to look me in the eye anymore.
Good, I thought bitterly and I got to my feet, harshly pushing against the table. My chair screeched across the floor and I hoped it left scratches deep enough that he couldn’t hire anyone to get them out.
I hope it scarred like he’d done to me.
