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Alcee was nervously perched on Torq’s lap, Tito and Bastiano standing on either side of Torq’s chair. His laptop was closed, giving him clear unobstructed view over his massive desk but it dawned on Alcee it was also giving whoever entered this room a very clear idea of the man who sat in this position of power. He was massive and powerful and having his number one and number two at his side increased his power.
Susana and Amal were seated on the sofa where Hastiano had been earlier. Tank and Kylen each standing on either end protectively. All the playful banter and flirting which went on earlier was long gone and the mom was serious and focused.
Genevra opened the door and escorted the two men in. Alcee didn’t miss the nervous way she backed out of the room and closed the door decisively behind her. She was envious of the woman’s ability to leave.
Torq didn’t rise to greet her father, and she knew it was a terrible sign of disrespect. Instead, Tory’s hand flexed on her hip as if warning her to not behave weakly in front of the man who once threw her in a cell. She leaned backwards against him, drawing on his strength.
“Edgardo, welcome. I’m sure you’ll excuse me not rising but I’m hesitant to let my fiancée off my lap lest she get taken by force and tortured by her family.”
Her eyes widened at the insult. He was really going there, right off the bat and without any reservation. She watched a flush of red crawl up from Junder her father’s collar to coat his neck at the bold disrespect from Torq. She met Mercurio’s gaze and noted he was coldly detached and his
eyes revealed nothing to the men in the room who didn’t know him well.
She knew him well though and the single twitch of his pinky finger at his thigh told her he was on edge.
“Torquato, it’s highly unusual for you to call a meeting and to keep women in the room.”
“You will address the boss as Don or Mr. Lozana. Nobody offered you to speak so casually. Tito said with a cruel derisive twist to his lips. “While you’ve extended on more than one occasion familiarity it is not anything to be reciprocated at this time.”
The flush at her father’s neck was turning a deep red and Alcee swallowed the lump in her throat as she considered her father would not hesitate to shoot this man right through her for this level of insult.
The women in this room are important to my woman, Torq said with a mild tilt of his head. “The things which are important to her, are important to me.”
“They are Bianchi.“
“Yes. They are. The family which supported my woman while she was cast out from the Mariani family.”
“A misunderstanding.”
“Was it?”
“Can we sit?” Mercurio cut into the back and forth. “I feel we are on edge for something we aren’t sure of We are vastly outnumbered and I’m not clear why a small army is presented for nothing more than what my father, assured me was a mere chat.”
Torg waved to the two open seats opposite his desk.
“You were with her back then.” Her father said bluntly. “Why?”
“I wanted her.” Torq didn’t deny |
“Then why cancel the arrangement.”
“An oversight on my part.” Torq made a slow circle on her hip with his thumb as if trying to keep her calm. “The time Aker and I spent together
yas interrupted by the Zanelli family.
“You wiped them out.”
“I did. They put bombs in my car. I found it offensive.”
Alcer lowered her head to hide her grin at the bored tone of Torg’s voice
“It warranted wiping out a small family?”
Chapter 43
“They made me lose track of my woman. At the time, Alcee and I were newly acquainted. I dealt with the situation with the Zanelli family rather violently and Alcee was present. It scared her, I’m afraid and she ran off. Fearing for her life and worried about being a loose end, she managed to hack into the security of the hotel and erase all images of her and me for the matter. At the time we thought it was Zanelli’s team who erased the footage thinking they were covering their tracks. Instead, it was Alcee who was covering hers.” The slow steady circle at her hip was almost convincing her this was nothing more than an easy chat.
“Did you know who she was? When you took her virginity from her, did you know she was my daughter?”
“No. My only photograph of my arranged bride involved a twelve–year old with glasses, braces and wearing a tiara. I remained out of the country for the bulk of her teenage years learning my grandfather’s business.“I never did see her face–to–face until the night we met,”
“Did you know who he was, Alcee?”
Her father’s question directed at her made her stiffen and she looked at Torq who simply continued making circles on her hip with his thumb.
“No. 1 did not.”
*You said you went online and found a hookup. I find this highly questionable.”
“A hookup?” Torq turned his head sideways to look at her. “You told them I was a hookup?”
“From a dating app and I deleted my entire profile before they got home.” She admitted to him.
He gave a laugh, dark, humorless and grating. “Edgardo, your daughter loathed the idea of you making money off her cunt she created an online auction on the dark web to sell her virginity to the highest bidder.”
Edgardo’s eyes flew to Alcee. “You what? You whored yourself?”
“I provided for myself.” She lifted her chin, more than mildly irritated at Torq’s description. “My entire life you treated me as a commodity, something to make money off. What is the difference of you selling my hymen or me selling it? Either way, the higher bidder was getting the goods. The money was meant to pay off my student loans for the education you refused to provide me and give me a small nest egg when you threw me out,” she paused, “if you didn’t kill me outright.”
“It was your hymen. You did deserve to choose how it was dispatched. Torq said bluntly.
Alcee met her brother’s eyes and was surprised to see the flicker of admiration and pride there.
“You whored yourself by taking money for sex.”
“How is it, Don Mariani,” she saw his lips pinch with fury at her form of address, “if 1 sold my virginity, I am a whore but if you sell your
daughter’s virginity, you’re not my pimp?”
