The Business Arrangement | Mafia Romance 18+

Chapter Sixteen: The Fete (part 1)

POV: Maya

Henry disappears behind the door, leaving Charlotte and I in awkward silence.

She's been beating around the bush when it comes to talking about her weird relationship with Noah, but this is a perfect opportunity to finally get the details.

Unfortunately, we're interrupted before I can ask.

"Are you fucking slow? Or just stupid?"

I turn to see none other than Sofia Vitale, gliding towards us from the far end of the hall. She's dressed in a long sleeved low-cut gown. It's blood red, and so are the suspiciously sharp matching pumps she has on.

Based on her expression, she's angry enough to stab me with one.

Great.

"What do you mean?" I ask, doing my best to feign confidence.

She gestures to the door behind us.

"I fucking told you Wallace was involved with the mob. And you go running right back to him?"

I open my mouth to argue, but nothing comes out.

She's right, in a way.

I did go running back, despite her warning. But that doesn't mean Henry's a bad person.

She must read the hesitation on my face, because her angry expression shifts to disappointment.

"Whatever. Save your excuses."

She starts towards an armchair on the opposite side of the hallway, but Charlotte intercepts her.

"Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?"

To her credit, Sofia doesn't look surprised. Instead, she looks even angrier.

"Let me guess: you're Charlotte?" She sneers. "Getting friendly with the fucking Triad heir is just as bad. You're both idiots."

"What does it matter to you?" Charlotte demands.

"You don't get it. You don't fucking get it. I didn't get to choose, okay? I would kill for a normal life. You two have all the freedom in the world, and you get yourselves tied up with men who just want to take it away from you. It's pathetic."

"Henry doesn't want to take away my freedom," I protest, "and just because we weren't born into this world doesn't mean our lives were perfect."

"Whatever."

Sofia sidesteps Charlotte and, this time, Charlotte doesn't try to stop her.

"What a nutjob," she whispers, once she's back by my side.

But part of me feels a sudden pang of sympathy for Sofia.

She did try to warn me about what I was getting into. And based on the bruises I saw that night, her life with the Cosa Nostra is far from the fairytale I have with Henry.

"I don't know. Her family isn't like Henry. The Italians are...scary."

Charlotte shrugs.

"Well, yeah, but she doesn't have to blame it on us."

"Still, can you imagine growing up with that kind of family?"

Her eyes narrow slightly, but she shakes her head no. "That's true. Maybe I was too mean."

"Well, the cheerios thing was funny."

"Was it?"

"I thought so."