Braxton opened his mouth to argue then moved down one which was the spot he was supposed to sit according to their self-imposed rules. Atticus smiled at me then took his seat. “Good morning, Astin.”
“Good morning, Atty. Did you get your required amount of sleep?” I asked, feeling he seemed a little grumpy.
“No, I was only able to get six hours of sleep,” Atticus grumbled. “I finished all the work I needed to do for the business, but something kept bothering me about what I was working on yesterday, so I went back over everything. I couldn’t find what the problem was or why it’s not allowing me to sleep, but it’s utterly frustrating. This has never happened to me before, and I don’t think I enjoy this feeling at all.”
I reached out and cupped his chin, turning him to look at me. “We’ll go over everything together and figure it out, I promise. I won’t let you go another night without getting the sleep you need.” When I first touched him, he tensed, then when he met my gaze, he relaxed completely and nodded in agreement. “I have a few meetings this morning and another this afternoon with Braxton. After that, I’ll make sure I’m available for as long as necessary.”
“Thank you,” Atticus said, reaching up to grasp my wrist and pull my hand from his face, but instead of letting it go, he held onto it with both hands. “I’m glad you picked me to be your friend.”
Grinning, I gave him a wink. “Same to you, Atty.”
I pulled my hand back as the food was placed on the table for the others while a plate was set in front of me. We ate in relative silence, many of us having things preoccupying our thoughts. The meeting with the mayor was going to be important and possibly would help us with our current issue. Gunner texted me last night that he’d sent someone out to look at the land, so I would need to touch base on that. Then there was the meeting with the two prostitutes Harrison used. The day had just started, and it was already full of important issues to take care of.
The car pulled up to the Caprioni building, and instantly, someone was there to open the door for us. “Welcome, Master Caprioni, Lady Astin,” the man greeted.
Daddy got out of the car first, and when I moved to get out, Boykov was there to give me a hand. “Good morning, Ralph. How are you today?” I asked.
He smiled and stood to his full height, making me feel small, which was an accomplishment with five-inch heels on. “I’m doing just fine, Lady Astin. You ventured out of the house today. Should I be expecting some excitement?”
“The day is young, and I’m well rested, so who knows what could happen?” I announced as we entered the building. “We have a few meetings to go to, so there’s ample opportunity for chaos to ensue.”
“Mistress, that wasn’t a challenge,” Boykov interjected.
We stepped into the elevator, and I faced him with a grin. “Oh, silly Ralph, everything in life is a challenge. If it’s not, then what’s the fun in living it?”
Father chuckled at my words but didn’t comment. We were now all business, and he might show a small amount of humanity in a closed setting like this, but once we stepped out of this elevator, he was the king of the Caprioni Family. I followed him down the hall as people stood from their desks in respect for who he was. Many tried not to gawk at me, but I understood it would be hard. I was the first woman of power to ever be allowed into this part of the business.
It might also have something to do with the burnt orange pantsuit I was wearing with cream heels. Nothing about it was subtle, but that’s just how I liked it. People were going to stare at me wherever I went with my father, so I tried to give them something pretty to look at. That and it lulled men into thinking I was nothing but a silly little mafia princess who spent all her daddy’s money on clothes.
Daddy’s office was at the end of the hall with glass walls from floor-to-ceiling, showing an impressive sight of the city below us. Everything about this office gave off the impression of power, from the massive dark wood desk to the regal-looking leather chair placed behind it. Bookshelves were placed on one of the only walls that wasn’t glass, filled with awards and pictures of my father with important people. All of it was a tactic to remind them who he was and the people he had behind him.
The mayor was young and new, but Daddy had felt he was the best to help us, so he lent his muscle to his campaign. Once Wilson got in office, he tried to be independent but clearly, that wasn’t going so well for him. Now he’d walked himself into a corner where he took our help or we let him fail, turning everyone against him. Then we’d pick the new prized pony who would do tricks for us.
“Master Caprioni, the mayor has just arrived,” a mature woman in professional attire notified us. “Is there anything you might require before your meeting starts? Tea perhaps?”
“Yes, tea would be good, thank you, Mrs. Laningham,” Father answered as he handed off his coat to her. “Astin, is there something else you’d like instead?”
“No, tea will be just fine,” I said, offering a smile to my father’s longtime secretary. He’d mentioned her a time or two in his letters, saying how he’d be ruined without her.
When she left and Daddy took his seat behind the L-shaped desk, I joined him, resting my hip on the long side so I was slightly behind him. “Liu doesn’t come here with you?”
“Mrs. Laningham has been working for me for about twenty years now. What happens in this building is her domain, and I’d never take that from her,” Father explained. “Liu runs matters at the house and deals with minimal issues while I’m away. It’s like running two different lives, Astin. One is in view of the public, following the rules, giving us protection from the real work we do. The business we run from the estate is the true meat of the Caprioni Family legacy, but we can’t work as freely if we didn’t have this to cover us.”
“So by keeping two different people in charge of each area, it keeps them from overlapping and making connections,” I commented, understanding what he was saying.
“Indeed,” Daddy commented as the door opened.
“Mayor Wilson and his aides,” Mrs. Laningham introduced, followed by an attractive man accompanied by another man and a woman who entered the office.
Mayor Wilson approached the desk and extended his hand, and Father stood. It was subtle but yet another power-play move proving Daddy didn’t feel the need to get up sooner. “Timothy, good to see you. I’m glad you reconsidered my offer and called back to set up this meeting.”
“Yes, well, it seems I might have misjudged the backing I had in a few other areas,” Mayor Wilson commented as his gaze drifted to me.
Mayor Timothy Wilson was an attractive, mature man of the spry age of forty-five. With hazel eyes, salt-and-pepper hair, and a sharp modern suit that hugged his fit body in all the right ways, this man wasdaddymaterial all the way. He was also the youngest mayor we’d seen in a long time since most of his predecessors had been fifty and above. The people had wanted a change, and that was his whole campaign strategy—project youth, big changes, and bringing the city into the twenty-first century.
“Who might this lovely lady be?” Wilson asked, giving me a grin I’m sure has made women’s panties melt many times over. Sadly for him, I just wasn’t as impressed knowing far too much about him and getting the chance to meet his hooker of preference later today.
Standing, I walked behind Father and came around the desk to come face to face with this man we were going to leash into being the faithful pet I needed him to be. Extending my hand, I introduced myself. “Astin Caprioni, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”