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As I stared at the framed photo on my desk, there was no denying that Ashton Oliver was everything that a woman could want in a man. He was six-foot with dark blonde hair and bright blue eyes, giving him that safe All-American look that people responded to. He also saw the gym every day, so though he wasn’t muscular or ripped, he was fit and had an athletic grace about him. He was also intelligent enough to be his father’s right-hand man with his younger brother, Brandon, also deep in the political scene.
Mrs. Belinda Oliver was another perfect piece of their family picture, and though she spent most of her time smiling for the cameras, Belinda Oliver was as smart as she was ambitious, and a lot of her husband’s bright ideas came from her. The plan was to make it all the way to the White House one day, and I had no doubt that Mrs. Oliver had just what it took to get her husband and children there.
Anyway, after having secured the perfect political headquarters for the Olivers, Ashton had asked me out, and I’d been blinded by the lights of something different enough to say yes. I’d been desperately running from my past, trying to carve out a new life for myself, so when Ashton had asked me to dinner, it’d felt like a sign; it’d felt like I had made the right decision to break away from my parents and their expectations of me and the rest of my life.
Two years later, I lived in a beautiful brownstone, rubbed elbows with political giants, had a healthy bank account, and had a respectable name in the real estate world. I was a long way from the life that my parents had planned out for me, and I’d done it alone. Sure, the brownstone belonged to Ashton, but my career and money were a result of all my hard work and dedication, and mine alone.
The only problem with running away from your past was that you couldn’t really escape it completely. For as much as I’d wanted my own life, my parents hadn’t been horrible parents. They had raised me the best that they could, and I found myself missing them often. Even now, even after everything, I had a lot of fond memories of them, and there were times when those memories snuck up on me, reminding me of how much I’d given up to pursue the life that I had now.
Nevertheless, I lived in a different world now, and my past and present would never compliment one another. Though it was Stewart that was the congressman, everything that his family did was a reflection of him, so I couldn’t be caught being anything other than the perfect possible future wife to his eldest son. While Brandon had a steady girlfriend, he’d made it clear that he had no interest in marrying her, and he was only waiting for his father’s next appointment before dumping her for someone more adaptable to their political agenda.
I let out a tired breath, not surprised that I felt like I was already sixty-years-old. As I thought about my life and everything that I’d gotten and wanted out of it, sooner or later, I knew that Ashton was going to finally make some demands of his own, and that was the irony of it all. I had escaped one life to be able to call my own shots, but that wasn’t realistic if you planned on living your life with someone else. All relationships required compromise, and I hadn’t realized that until it’d been too late.
When my primary phone chimed with an incoming text, I automatically reached for it out of habit. I had a work phone and a personal one, and I never not answered my personal one.
Ashton: Cooper Donaldson is dropping by around five
Cooper Donaldson was a huge global financier, and while I understood why he’d be visiting Stewart, I had no idea why he’d be stopping by our house. Granted, after-hours meetings happened all the time, but Cooper Donaldson was too big to be dealing with Ashton.
Me: Is it a meeting or dinner
Ashton: I’ll let u know when I find out more
I pulled up my work phone, noting that I had a four o’clock showing on Cedar, and I knew that the traffic at that time could be challenging. Still, since I had no idea why the man was stopping by our house, I really didn’t know what was expected of me.
Me: Great…thanks
I set my phone down, then got back to all the things that I could control.
Chapter 3
Aurelio~
“I need Manny and Eduardo on the docks tonight,” Nero announced. “We’ve got a shipment of guns coming in, and Elio’s busy with the Leanzas.”
“Nix Manny,” I advised, making Nero pull out his pack of cigarettes.
“Why?”
“There’s a rumor that he’s mixed up with some chick from Hiddleson,” I told him. “Now, while pussy isn’t normally an issue, she’s got a brother with a gambling problem, and Manny wouldn’t be the first man in history to be snowed by a female.”
“Is Morocco on it?”
I nodded. “I put him on it the second that I heard about the budding romance.”
Nero gave me a terse nod. “Who else is free?”
My brows furrowed a bit as Nero let out his first puff of smoke. “Where’s Elio?” I asked. “Also, I thought you were trying to quit that shit.”
“I am,” he said, his cigarette still in his hand. “Still, the baby isn’t due for another week or so, and I always make sure to wash my hands before I put them on my wife.”
“Of nicotine or blood?” I smirked.
Nero grinned. “Both.”
“How is the lovely Mrs. Sartori anyway?” I asked as I got more comfortable on the settee.
“She’s healthy,” he answered pragmatically. “The rest of it is just hormones that I’ve become an expert at dealing with.”
