Her Mafia Daddy (Book 1) novel Chapter 61

Rafael POV

There were cameras at the beach house, but I refused to watch the footage. Instead, I had guards observing her at all times, keeping her safe, and they were instructed to report back to me daily with her activities. Awoke at eight thirty. Sucked on ginger candies until eleven, then had coffee. This was not surprising, as the morning sickness had started a few days ago. The ginger candies had been a gift from my son, who visited Valentina almost daily.

Took her vitamins, then went for a walk on the beach. Read on the terrace in the afternoon. My son had gifted her with a tablet, too. Groceries were delivered. Good. I made certain she had a decent selection of food for when she felt well enough to eat. I might hate her, but I didn’t want the baby to starve.

Dimitri arrived. He had a glass of wine and some fruit. She had sparkling water and pasta. My son was a good man. Better than me, certainly. And she had shown her loyalty to him not me so let him entertain her. I kept reading.

After Dimitri left, she video chatted with her sisters. Went to bed at nine. Each report was similar. Dry bullet points of a life lived as my prisoner. But I would not feel sorry for her. In my world, loyalty was everything. She had known a secret that could destroy all I had built, could get people killed, yet she hadn’t shared it with me.

This after I had taken her into my bed, showered her with affection and gifts. The mother of my child. And deception was how she repaid me. So, no. I would not feel guilty. Valentina would stay there, stewing in her mistakes, until the baby was born. Then I would take my child away from her and she could go wherever she wanted. I no longer cared.

I took a cold shower. My cock remained limp, which was what I preferred. When I got myself off lately, memories of her crept in, making me want impossible things. It was better not to tempt myself. My bed awaited, but I wasn’t tired. I was wide awake, as usual. I dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and went down to my office, determined to be productive.

Behind my desk, I slipped on my glasses and opened my laptop. There was plenty of legitimate work to oversee, so I started there, going through reports and stock transactions. Years ago, Toni had bought a large amount of digital currency, and it was making us a lot of money. Everything my cousin touched turned profitable. He really was a whiz.

The camera app beckoned me. With one click, I could see her. Watch her sleep. Was she comfortable? I told myself I did not care. She would not break me. I was not a weak man, and she would learn her place.

Minutes later, I heard a thump and a bang out in the house. Not a gunshot, but like someone was stumbling into furniture. I took off my glasses and went out to investigate. Dimitri was in the entryway, picking his phone up off the tile. He swayed and cursed, and I could smell the whiskey from where I stood. Sighing, I put my hands on my hips. “Do you need help?”

He started at the sound of my voice, but didn’t look at me. “Do not pretend like you care.” Still angry, then. “Figlio mio, there is no one I care about more than you.”

“Cazzata,” he slurred, straightening. “You care about your pride, your precious ’ndrina. Nothing else matters but tradition and money.” His face looked terrible. Red-rimmed eyes that were glassy and devoid of his usual vivacity. His skin was sunken, like he’d lost weight. I hated seeing him like this, broken and angry, even if I knew it was for the best.

“That isn’t true. You’ll see one day when you have your own children.”

“I can’t wait. Maybe they will hate me as much as I hate you.” My chest twisted, but I remained silent. I knew I was right. He just needed time to heal and start a different chapter in his life. Then he would find happiness.

“You should be pleased, Papà. I went with the boys to the strip club tonight. I paid for several lap dances so a strange woman could shove her huge tits in my face while I pretended to love it. Just like you.” I hadn’t been to a strip club in ages, not since I was still a soldier, but he wouldn’t know that. “That isn’t necessary, Dimitri .”

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