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“I’d suggest you keep our business private, Aria,” he warns, venom lacing his tone. “Husband-wife confidentiality, you know?” he adds with a wink, and I want to spit in his face for using the line I said the first day we met. At that time, he seemed like a decent human being, and I had faith that we’d be friends, at least. I chuckle inwardly at the thought. Joke’s on me.
I jerk my arm away. “Then, I’d suggest you keep your hands off me, Andrew.”
“We’re going to have so much fun,” he says with a devious smirk.
“Fuck you,” I spit, before running down the driveway to my brother’s car.
When I hop in, Dimitri eyes me with concern. “What the fuck happened?” He quickly pulls out of the driveway, passing the two guards at the gate. “Those fuckers almost didn’t let me through.”
“I hate him, Dimo. I fucking hate him,” I stammer, tears pooling in my eyes.
“I know. We’ll find a way out of this, Riri.”
I scoff in annoyance. “That’s what everyone fucking said a year ago, yet I’m still in the same situation. I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Dimitri is silent for a few moments. “I spoke to Dion,” he then says.
My heart stutters in my chest.
“What? When?”
“Well, we’ve been keeping in touch for the past year.”
I’m flabbergasted. I had no idea that my brother was even acquainted with Dion, let alone on talking terms. I knew they’d probably cross paths at some point now that my brother is involved in the clan, though I didn’t expect this.
“He reached out to me over a year ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I growl, angry that he’d keep something like this from me for so long. “I thought we told each other everything.”
“I didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily, Ri,” he replies, giving me a once over. I scoff.
“Turns out, he found out our father’s actual plan with Andrew,” he explains as he weaves through the traffic.
“What plan?” I ask, now remembering what Andrew said on the phone. Could he have been speaking to my father?
“Philip is planning on giving Andrew our clan and business when he steps down.”
I notice how Dimitri has started calling him Philip instead of Baba.
I’m shocked, but at this point, I shouldn’t be surprised anymore. Everyone has a hidden agenda these days.
“What do you mean? You’re the rightful heir. How can he just bypass that?”
Dimitri shrugs his shoulders. “He can do whatever he wants with his estate. But giving it to a stranger? The malaká thought he could pass a fast one on me,” he grits through his teeth.
“What did Dion say?”
“He’s the one who told me the truth. I’ve been working with him ever since to stop it.”
A glimmer of hope shines in my chest, but I squash it down, remembering Andrew’s threat to harm Dimitri and my mother.
“Is this what you want, though?” It’s clear that Dimo was never made for mob life, but I can’t deny that I’ve noticed a shift in his behavior over the past year. He’s become tougher.
“It’s not what I initially planned for myself, but I have to take care of you and Mama.”
I nod, understanding his need to protect us. Dimitri might be the baby of the family, but he’s always been protective of us.
I glance out the window, the hum of the engine filling the silence.
