Fine dining was one thing I enjoyed and while I was here in Switzerland, heading from meeting to the other, I made sure to dine at one of the fanciest restaurants here.
I was seated at my table, enjoying some nice food and wine, minding my own business and taking a break from all the various tedious activities that came with running the business whilst leaving Tomas to handle my mafia dealings until returned.
"If it isn't the one and only Don Romano."
That voice sounded way too familiar. And as I looked up, I fought back a groan as she catwalked towards the table I was having dinner at.
"Are you stalking me now?" I asked with a brow raised, taking her looks in. She was stunning as always but that was not my business anymore.
She scoffed. "You flatter yourself too much Jace. You're not that important."
"What are you doing in Switzerland then?"I asked.
"Work trip. The world doesn't revolve around you." She retorted.
Yet here she was, taking a seat in front of me like I invited her to join me.
I beckoned on the waiter to take her order, ignoring her eyes on me as I went back to my meal. She placed her order and continued staring at me.
"Is there something on my face?" I asked, not looking up to meet her gaze.
"There's something that should be on it. My lips."
I smirked slightly. This woman never learned. She was still flirting with the enemy even when I was sure she was aware of the brewing storm between her family and mine.
"Your father wouldn't like this." I reminded her.
"I don't care about him, Jace."
"I thought you're daddy's princess." I teased her.
"You're the only one I wanna call daddy," she said, biting on her lower lip.
I cleared my throat as I wondered how she still able to shamelessly flirt with me.
Not gonna lie, I admired her outright behavior but she should have known better.
"You come from a family that respects vows, Caterina. I'm a married man." I said with a drawl in my tone.
Her long manicured fingers reached for my hand placed on the table and rubbed over it.
"You always used to call me a wild cat. I don't play by the rules," she purred.
I couldn't help but chuckle. If this was a ploy to seduce me and get info out of me (classic move), it was not going to work.
"Interesting," I commented, bored by her not so subtle performance of seduction.
"You know you want this Romano." She said cockily.
"I don't."
She laughed. "Look at you trying to play the loyal husband. All for a woman who is doing the opposite."
She muttered the last part but I heard it loud and clear.
My brows scrunched up. "What did you just say?"
She smiled slowly, picking up her phone, then she tapped on her screen and slid the phone to me.
I immediately picked it up to get a closer view of whatever she was showing me.
The video made my eyes go red with rage.
What the actual fuck?!
Pushing Caterina's phone back to her, I got on my feet immediately and stormed out of the restaurant, hearing her laugh behind me. I did not care about her mockery right now.
~
As I got into the back seat of the car that was to take me back to my hotel. I felt myself shaking in rage.
This was a scandal. Picking up my phone, I was furious as I put a call across. I dropped the phone shortly afterwards.
In fact, a call wouldn't cut it. I needed to see her myself and yell some sense into her. Was she trying to tarnish my image?!
This was exactly why she did not deserve any form of freedom. I gave a bit of it and she took it too far.
Caterina had sent the video directly to my inbox, aggravating me even more.
I put a call across to my pilot immediately.
"Get the jet ready. We're heading back to New York immediately." I said.
"Yes boss."
No questions asked. That was how I liked it.
Getting to my hotel, I picked up my suitcase and dashed back down, telling the driver to take me to the private hangar where my jet was parked.
Even though there was no way I could meet her up and drag her out of that club, I just had to be there as soon as I possibly could.
The drive was smooth until I was few minutes away from the hangar. There was a strange road block.
I was no kid. These weren't ordinary goons.
I picked up my gun and cocked it, keeping it by my side.
I asked the driver to slow down as we approached.
One of the dudes clad in black knocked on my tinted window and asked me to wind down.
I did.
"Hello sir."
"Hello." I answered, gauging his stance.
"Would you mind stepping down so we can discuss further?"
I shook my head. "I'm all ears. How may I help?"
"We have a message from Kazimir Volkov,"
"Shit!" I cussed, dodging the bullet that shattered the glass on the other window. I shot the bastard straight who tried to kill me straight in the head with the speed of light.
How dare he think I would be so easy to get rid off? I felt insulted.
It was a full blown shootout from my soldiers against them.
My driver was killed and one of my guards was injured but the three rivals sent to eliminate me were killed in no time.
I sighed as I took out the body of my driver and drove the car with damaged windscreen down to the private airstrip.
Kazimir, the head of the Volkov Bratva (Russian Mafia) had messed with me at the worst possible time. He was allies with the Castillos after I rejected one of his botched up offers. He used Caterina to set me up.
Oh they were so fucked!
As I got on the plane, it was obvious I was not going to cool off on the flight either.
I sat in my chair and stared straight at the clouds, my breaths were ragged. I craved the smell of blood like a bloodthirsty demon.
"By the time I land, someone's going to bleed for this."
And that person better be ready.