“She’s certainly demanding. What is it?” Alessandro asks. I can hear Katya calling him in the background.
“Well, she wants to work. She wants to earn her own money, so I said only if she works for one of our fronting restaurants. Do you think you can make that happen?”
“You know I can.” I can hear the frown in my brother's voice. “Is that all?”
“I’ll speak to Katya about getting her application done to the university,” I say. “But I’ll be there in like ten or fifteen minutes.”
“Then I’m hanging up. Bye, Dom.” The line goes dead, and I toss the phone onto the seat beside me.
I think about what my brother said and how my role in the family would change if I got involved with someone. I don’t know why it should. I’m good at compartmentalizing my feelings and can do my job and be with someone. Not with Sofia, of course. She’s just a pain in the ass. But I mean, what if I meet someone I like and want to be with them? It doesn’t automatically make me bad at my job.
The thought irritates me, but I know better than to cross that line with Alessandro. Frankie has always been his favorite. They grew up close, and Arianna and I grew up close. We all love each other deeply, there’s a deep sense of loyalty between us, but it is what it is.
Alessandro is a good Don, but he’s not someone to be fucked with, especially not after what I saw him do to get Katya back when she was taken.
Together they are a dynamic power couple, and I wonder, just for a moment, if I’m missing out on something special. All this time, I never wanted to be with anyone because I was loyal to my family. Is there no room in my life for me to be loyal to one more person?
Chapter 26 - Sofia
I feel like I’ve won a battle in the greater scheme of things but not the war. I still have to answer to Dominic, which isn’t ideal, but I’ll let it go for now. I’m getting the job, and I am getting into the university I want to get into.
As much as I hate to admit it, it was a stupid move to update with my exact address. I basically lit a homing beacon on my location and said, ‘please come kidnap me’.
I won’t ever tell Dominic he was right because I know he will laud that over me for all the time I’m with him, but I will do as he says and run things past him, for now.
We’ve reached a level of civility with each other that makes a living on the estate a touch less awkward and tense. We greet each other but don’t speak much. Sometimes I cook for him if he’s home for lunch, but he is seldom back for dinner, so I just put a plate for him in the oven. It’s never there in the morning so he must enjoy my cooking.
It’s Friday, so I come downstairs to make bacon and eggs for breakfast. I’m not sure if I want fried tomato or not, but I’m distracted when I walk into the kitchen to find Dominic making pancakes.
“What’s this?” I ask curiously, pausing at the door.
Dominic glances at me. “I felt like pancakes.”
“I didn’t know you could cook,” I comment, sitting at the island where everything we could possibly put on pancakes is already set out.
He chuckles. “Who do you think fed me when I lived alone.”
“Honestly, your mom,” I smile. “Isn’t that generally how that works? Mom’s make sure the family is fed.”
He shrugs. “Sometimes I would go to my parents for dinner, but that’s for specific nostalgic meals that I want.”
He brings over two plates of pancakes, setting one in front of me and one next to me. “Dig in. I’ll pour the coffee.”
I’m not sure why he’s being so polite. I don’t trust it. He must have bad news for me, but my stomach rumbles, and I reach for the syrup, pouring on a thick layer over my pancakes.
He sits down, sets a coffee mug in front of me, and puts one by his plate, filled with a creamy cappuccino.
“Okay, what’s wrong? Why are you spoiling me?” I ask, looking at him thoughtfully.
“Relax,” he says with a cheeky grin, “I’m not spoiling you. I wanted something, and I just made some for you too. Enjoy it.”
I side-eye him but start to eat. These are the fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever eaten. They are divine. I moan softly as I take another bite, stuffing my face.
He chuckles. “Don’t choke, Princess. I don’t know CPR.”
I nod, grinning at him. I swallow. “These are the best pancakes I’ve ever had.”
“Thank you. It’s my sister's recipe.” He starts to eat, and a comfortable silence falls upon us.