Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
“I’m so happy you’re okay,” I sniffed, leaning over to lay my head on her shoulder. “I don’t think I can do it without you, Mom.”
“Oh, baby.” She sighed, squeezing my hand tightly. “You are so much stronger than you know. I was a mess after your father died, and I know that took a huge toll on you, too. You kept me going even when I wanted to give up and if I… when I pass away, and I hope it’s not for a long, long time, but these things happen, I know your loving and caring heart will be more than enough to pull you through it.”
I stared emptily at the table. I knew that we all died one day, but it had never occurred to me that I would ever have to live without my mom by my side, that her hand would be taken away from me and I could do nothing about it.
I was scared, but I was also so damn grateful that I had this time with her.
“I can always miss a day at school and stay here with you, just to help you get—”
“Don’t even think about it, Caterina,” Mom said sharply, giving me a pointed glare. “You go to school and get the best grades. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Mom.” I sighed, knowing I could never beat her. She would have the final say on anything, no matter what I said or did.
“Besides, baby,” Mom said, hugging me close, “I have a lot of therapy today and Carrie’s here with me. We’ll be here when you get back, okay? You can do this.”
“Okay, Mom,” I chuckled, getting to my feet.
She squeezed my hand, a huge proud smile on her face. “My beautiful, strong girl. I’m so proud of you. I love you, and don’t ever forget it, alright?”
“I love you, too.” I gave her one last hug, waving goodbye to Lauren as I grabbed my bag and took off. It was only a few minutes to school on my bike, and I was beginning to feel better as I rode through the bright green trees, with signs of spring already upon us.
It was warming up again, getting back to the normal 80 and 90 degrees. My muscles were still a bit stiff, but they loosened up as I rode into campus, heading for the bike rack, where I quickly spotted Anna leaning against the wall.
She was buried in her phone and didn’t even notice as I rode up, unmounting and tying up my bike with a chain. I swung my bag onto my back, raising an eyebrow at her oblivious self.
“You do realize there’s a life outside that tiny black box?” I called out amused.
“Then why don’t you go get one?” Anna snarked back without even looking up. “I’m waiting for my friend, jackass—”
She finally glanced up and her eyes widened. “Cat!” She squealed, whole-heartedly jumping me into a firm hug. “You were taking forever, so I was watching this funny video. You would find it hilarious because—”
“Let me guess.” I rolled my eyes. “There are cats?”
“There are cats!” she yelled, excited and bubbly like her normal self. “Here, let me show you!”
“It’s almost time for class, Anna,” I mentioned, amused as she hooked her arm around mine, pulling me right up close so she could share her screen.
“We can walk and talk,” she huffed, restarting the video.
It wasn’t as easy as she said, but Anna masterfully pulled me up the stairs, all the while the cat video played in the background. I laughed as it sneezed hard enough to throw itself off the table and she squealed in delight.
“He’s so cute, isn’t he?” Anna rambled, “I think—”
But she let out an “Oof!”
She nearly fell onto her ass and dragged me with her if I hadn’t grabbed onto the wall. A tall guy pushed past us. Dark hair was all I could see as he hurried down the hall and away from us.
“This guy again,” Anna snapped, stabilizing herself.
She brushed her skirt off, unhappily sending a middle finger at him as she turned back to the class we shared this morning.
“When will he get the goddamn hint?” she complained. “And no sorry? Fucking asshole.”
She entered the class, but there was a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, and before I entered the classroom, I looked over my shoulder, that uneasy feeling turning sour.
The guy was watching me from the end of the hallway, his dark eyes pinned on me unblinkingly.
A shiver ran down my spine.
Before I could say anything, the guy quickly ducked his head, rushing off around the bend. I swallowed uncomfortably, wondering what the hell was going on.
Anna even seemed to know him.
For some reason, I was reminded of Paul—Antonio Junior—and how he’d first shown up everywhere I was before the nightmare had started.
Questions filled my mind. Should I be worried?
Am I being stalked?
*Elio*
“As you can see, there’s plenty of space for expansion, but it can also be blocked off with these movable walls so that it doesn’t feel empty,” I explained to one of my newer clients.
He was the head of an up-and-coming tech company that was buying office space for the first time. So far, we had shown him eleven different properties, but this was the only one he seemed even slightly interested in.
I understood his hesitation to sign a multi-million-dollar lease, but I was starting to get annoyed by his pickiness. Anyone who was unwilling to build something from scratch had to be willing to make a few compromises.
“There’s also the option of renting out the second floor if needed,” Leo added, anticipating that the client was about to ask about extra space.
He always seemed overly concerned with extra space, as if his company was going to unexpectedly grow twice the size that it currently was.
“I like these windows, but does it ever get too bright in the morning? I’d hate for my people to start getting migraines.”
I had to turn away to roll my eyes. Who the fuck complained about too much natural sunlight? I heard Leo stifle a chuckle as he saw my exasperated expression.
We continued to lead our client around, pointing out the various points of interest that would work well for his company’s needs. This was the side of my job that I found particularly boring, which was why I was finding this particular client so difficult to deal with. Most office spaces were the same with a few unimportant differences. Unlike this guy, most of our clients looked at two or three options and picked the size that best fit their company. It was rare to come across someone so picky.
I wouldn’t have been showing office space if I’d had a choice. Instead, I liked the chance to use my creativity and transform a space into something new. That was the part of my job that really thrilled me, and I loved that I had been able to hone that talent over the years.
I knew that it was thanks to my father’s connections and money that I had been given the opportunity to pursue more creative endeavors, but for those developments that we kept in the portfolio, renting out office buildings was where the real money was at, and at the end of the day, I still had to work to ensure the company made money.
Of course, I hoped that I wouldn’t have to continue with this career much longer. My mind was extremely preoccupied with joining the family business, especially now that Caterina was all in.
“Alright, well you’ve given me a lot to think about,” our client said noncommittally as we led him back to the door.
Leo nodded and held the door open for him. Once he was gone, we both turned and looked out the windows. The view was vast despite being on the first floor. The building was situated at the top of a large hill so that we were able to look out and see several city blocks. People scurried around to wherever they needed to be as Leo and I stood in companionable silence.
“I’ll bet you a hundred bucks he calls tomorrow wanting to look at more options,” Leo said.
“I’ll bet you one-fifty he calls in five minutes wanting to look at more options,” I countered with a laugh.
We both chuckled and shook our heads, amazed at our client’s mundane life now that we were getting involved in real shit.
Against my better judgment, I had found myself thinking more and more of the mafia life as “real shit” and my everyday real estate development life as “fake shit.” I knew it probably wasn’t a healthy way to categorize things, but it was impossible not to feel that way knowing that doing “real shit” could get me killed.