Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Father

Chapter 10 – Father and Son Talk–1

When Kent walks into his office, he’s surprised to see Daniel standing there, staring out the window, watching a car pull

away.

“Who is in that car?” Daniel asks.

Kent crosses to his desk and sits down in his chair, folding his hands. He takes a moment to study his son. Daniel is tall, handsome, clever; but he doesn’t yet have the grit that he needs to lead this family.

“If you already know,” Kent says softly. “Why don’t you just tell me what you’re thinking?”

“Fine,” Daniel says, and Kent is happy to hear some anger in his voice. Daniel turns to look Kent in the eye. “That’s my girlfriend’s family, riding away in that car. What did you do to them?”

“I did nothing to them,” Kent says, “except a favor to Fay Thompson, this girlfriend you never told me about. Tell me, how long have you been seeing her?”

“Cut the crap, dad,” Daniel says, angrily crossing to confront him. Kent smiles, pleased to see a little fire in this studious boy. “You know I’ve only been seeing her for a few months – you know –”

“I know,” Kent interrupts, “that she is not who you thought she was. And I know that you’ve already heard all about this from

“You have been engaged to Fay Alden since your childhood,”

Kent says quietly. “It would be an advantageous match. She’s got the connections, the family, the money you’d need to keep this family afloat. The question is…do you want her?”

Daniel looks away from him, embarrassed. “She’s fine. She’s very nice. And funny.”

“What,” Kent says, his voice deliberately mocking. “Is that all? She doesn’t do it for you, Daniel? Doesn’t raise your… heartrate?”

Daniel blushes and scowls. “No, it’s nothing like that – it’s just

“It’s just what, Daniel,” his father says, banging his hand on the desk, trying to shock the truth out of him. “You’ve got other girls on the line?”

“No,” Daniel says quickly, glaring. “I have…I have lots of girlfriends, you know. Girls for different…occasions…” he mumbles this, and his father subtly shakes his head.

Frankly, he doesn’t care, as long as Daniel does his duty by the family.

a wife,” Kent says, his voice

Daniel says, his head hanging a little, acknowledging his obligation. “I

his hand on Daniel’s shoulder, glad to see

except the unthinkable: she knows I’m

“Is she…impure? Does

father, frowning, a little pissed off at

it’s good to get angry sometimes, son. Let it feed you. Take it,

is…pure. I’m the only guy

but Daniel frowns and shakes his father’s hand off his shoulder. “We barely started dating,

good girl,” Kent confirms, looking over his son’s shoulder out the window. “She’s loyal, kind, innocent. But brave, too.”

wanders for just a moment as he considers his interactions with Fay. Her wide–eyed innocence, her creamy ivory skin, that long red hair. He was impressed with her performance today, too. She has grit, he thinks, that she doesn’t

of the Sicilian girls he met when he would go back to Italy with his mother as a boy – delicate by one turn, temperamental the next, at once a dove and a

of her dress

B

—

Write your comment

Gifts

Father and Son Talk–2

the room, and finds Daniel looking at him strangely. Kent clears his voice, keeping his face

he says, patting his boy again on the shoulder. “You can’t do better, and you could do worse. And it’s good you met outside of the arrangement – at least you two know you like each other to begin with. That will

shrugs, not meeting his eyes.

it?” Kent demands.

the ceiling.

“One day you’ll have control of this family, and the least difficult thing you’ll

shoulders, trying, but still doesn’t meet Kent’s s eye. “What should I do? How do I do

world, and if she’s going to survive in it, you’ve got to teach her

to rise to the challenge. Perhaps this is what it will take to make Daniel a

woman.

closure to the problem, Kent pats Daniel roughly on the shoulder again and gives him a shove, dismissing him