None of them had ever tried to empathize with her before.
He’s slick, she thought, her mouth pursing into a grimace. But I’ve dealt with slick before.
“Noted,” she sighed, turning her bright eyes back toward him.
Again, she felt her cheeks get warm as he stared back at her, his blue-grey eyes seeming to penetrate her soul.
“I think we can make this work,” he offered tentatively and Celina stifled a sigh.
He’s going to have to do better than that, she thought, angry that she had experienced a moment of weakness. For a second, I thought maybe he had just an inkling of what it was like to be shadowed for my whole life. To be deserted by my father, and to be simply a tedious job to his employees.
“Let’s get another thing straight,” she answered, looking down at his splayed hands as if they were contaminated. “No one touches my car.”
She reversed the convertible, not caring if he moved or not. Causing bodily injury was just another skill on her resume, after all.
As she drove away, she couldn’t help but cast him one last look as he watched her go, a familiar sense of victory sweeping through her.
They all started off so optimistically, thinking that the stories of their predecessors were greatly exaggerated, but Celina was quick to show them their new reality.
None of them was a match for her.
But that didn’t stop them from trying…and failing.
She wondered why she felt a spark of guilt when Ariano disappeared from her view and she made her way toward her condo in Cutler, just north of the city.
Whatever the reason, she shoved it out of her mind and focussed on the road, thinking of what she had to do that day.
She cursed herself for having wasted so much time already.
You have a life that you need to put on track to business development and ownership, remember?
In fact, the four months she had spent in Europe had taught her a great deal about entrepreneurialism. Her dream was going to come true – she just had a lot of work to do to make that happen.
The time for procrastination was over.
She had spent enough of her life being a pampered princess. Her life was about to change for the better, the way her mother had always wanted for her.
What is wrong with me today? She asked herself, scowling as she exited the Alfa. I’m thinking about Mom, feeling sorry for my idiot detail. Hormonal much?
Celina used her fob to enter the elevator and pressed the button for the penthouse, mapping out a plan for the rest of her day.
She needed to get online and attack the social networking platforms, find a web designer and maybe a marketing agent.
Appearance is everything, Celina thought to herself. You of all people should know that. You grew up around mobsters. You know how delicate a balance work and personal needs to be.
As the metal elevator doors slid open, Celina stepped into the corridor outside her penthouse, reaching in her pocket for her keys.
Social media, website, marketing. That’s what I need to get done today. And then I -
“I already unlocked the suite for you.”
“What the – ?”
Her eyes darted up to Ariano’s face and her mouth dropped open in shock.
“What the fuck am I doing here?” he offered pleasantly.
BREAKING THE LAW Page 14