The Badass Mafia Boss Queen

We walked into an open passageway and turned the corner. I fought not to dig in my heels and skid to a stop. Hollis had presence and gravity, but I was tense at the sight I would see at the table. Mr Genovese sounded like a black hole.

He was seated at the head of the long dining table and looked to be in his late fifties. His patterned dress shirt appeared tailored and expensive. His face was rugged, his eyebrows thick and dark, and his hair had a few streaks of silver near the temples.

If this was an indication of what Hollis would look like in twenty years, he’d be handsome and distinguished when he was older.

But there was a dark, frenetic energy radiating from the older Genovese man, and I could sense it clear across the dining room. A quiet rage boiled just below the surface of his skin.

My mouth went totally dry and my throat closed up as Mr. Genovese’s discerning gaze discovered me alongside his son. I remembered Hollis’s words, ‘try not to give a fuck.’ I caught a glimpse of the older man’s face as we moved closer. His eyes were as black as Hollis’s, but far scarier.

“So you were serious about bringing your situation along?” His voice was loud and accusing.

I almost shrink if not for Hollis’s reassuring hold and subtle tap. His insistent hand pulled me forward toward the table.

“This is Ugo Chike, my fiancee.” He introduced, pulling out a seat for me.

I sat down and flashed a warm smile at Maxine seated beside his mother, across the table. Isabella flashed a sweet smile and Maxine gave a reassuring nod.

Hollis sat down beside me and held my hand under the table. “I told you about her earlier.”

“Yes, you did.” Isabella said happily but received a mean glare from her husband.

Mr. Genovese’s face twisted into a scowl, and he peered at me like I was dirt. “How dare you bring her to my house?” He asked in between clenched teeth.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Hollis squared his shoulders to me. “Ugo, this is my father, Dominico Genovese.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Genovese.” I greeted, straightening my gait. Was I supposed to show some sort of pleasantry after he’d just referred to me as a situation?

Dominico placed his hand on top of the dining table. “There is nothing good about the afternoon.” He said.

“Darling, you don’t have to sound mean. Ugo is such a lovely girl. I believe you….”

“Isabella please….” Dominico cut with a wave of his hands.

I swallowed hard and managed a smile, I wasn’t going to let this man get to me, not with the reassuring faces on the table. I was thankful Hollis was a buffer between me and his father. It put Isabella and Maxine directly across from us, and my gaze naturally went to them.

“You’re the first girl Hollis brought to meet us.” Isabella’s sharp gorgeous eyes shifted to Hollis’s direction. “I was beginning to worry myself to stupor until we heard the news about you.” She said excitedly from across the table.

Beneath the table, Hollis held onto my hand even tighter. The tension in the room as a result of Dominico’s presence was stifling.

“Where did you meet?” Isabella asked me.

I looked at Hollis and he nodded and I saw it in his eyes. ‘Tell them the truth but not explicitly.’ I read those words just by looking him in the eyes and it surprised me even more that I understood everything he wanted to say.

“We’ve known each other for a while,” I answered. “But we recently ran into each other again.”

“And the rest is history.” Isabella said.

I smiled and stared at the plate in front of me. The china was simple but elegant. White with a silver rim, and I knew it must have cost a fortune.

“Why is she here?” Dominico demanded.

“That is an excellent question. She….”

“She’s here to meet the family of course. And get the wedding plans in gear, right?” Isabella interrupted.

“Right.” Maxine pitched in giving me a wink.

There was a terrible crash as Dominico brought his fist down on the edge of the table, making the silverware rattle and both me and Isabel jumped. Then a slew of words burst from Dominico, but I couldn’t understand a word of it except for the Genovese family.

Was he speaking nonsense? No. My stunned mind was slow. It was a foreign language, and one I didn’t recognize. Hollis did, so did Isabella and Maxine. Isabella’s face turned pale, Maxine tensed and my fiance’s posture snapped straight and his eyes narrowed, and then he was responding in the language with the same invective his father had used.

“He deserved what he got and much more. Now don’t you dare speak about her like that. We’re getting married and that’s final. You should get used to it.”

“I won’t be part of this.” Dominico said and stood up from the table.

“Dominico sit your fucking ass down!” Isabella yelled down at her husband. Everybody on the table suddenly became still, including Dominico. “This is our son’s choice. He wants her, and she wants him.” She turned to me. “Do you want my son, Ugo?”

“What… ma…. I…..” She peered at me through her cute lashes, awaiting my answer.

I looked at Hollis, short of words. This was going too far. It was meant to be a false engagement, not a false marriage.

“Do you want to be his wife, Ugo?” Isabella repeated her question.

I looked at Maxine and he stared pleadingly at me. Hollis’s glare was still directed at his father. “Yes, I want to be with him.” I replied, biting the flesh of my lips.

“Then that’s settled. Now we’re going to sit together like one big family and eat.”

The butler called in some of the maids and they started scooping food into our plates. Dominico sat back in his seat without a single word.