Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 140

Ivan doesn't reply to me by the time I head down for breakfast, but I don't worry about it. We ended yesterday poorly after all - and he might hate me a little bit now. So, I imagine that giving him a little time to decide what to do makes sense. Feeling cheerful and confident about how I've taken my world into my own hands at least a little bit, I stride confidently into breakfast in my riding clothes, my hair braided neatly back. I ignore Natalia completely as I pass her on my way to the espresso bar, instead calling warm greetings to the older gentlemen there, who are very happy to see me. After passing a few minutes with them, I turn towards Daniel, who is already seated at our table. I pass Alessi on the way, brushing a friendly hand across his shoulder as I go, and then I sit down across from Daniel with an apology on my lips.

But he beats me to it. "I'm sorry, Fay," he says, shaking his head, the moment I sit down.

"No, Daniel," I say, reaching out to take his hand. "It's my fault."

We're friends again in moments, laughing together at how stupid we both were last night. Kent hardly gives us a moment alone before coming over to smirk at us and slide our plates of food onto the table.

"Hey Daniel," Kent says, distracting Daniel from our conversation. Daniel looks up to see a wicked smirk on Kent's face and I groan, putting my head in my hands as I realize where this is going. "Anything you want to tell me?" Kent asks, slipping his hands cooly into his pockets.

"Um," Daniel says, glancing between us. "No?"

"You sure?" Kent asks, raising an eyebrow at him. "Because Fay told me...everything. About you and..."

"Fay!" Daniel almost shouts, leaning across the table at me, looking betrayed. "I can't believe you -"

"Don't fall for it, Daniel!" I break in frantically, starting to laugh. "He's tricking you! He doesn't know anything!"

Daniel's mouth falls open as he looks between us - at Kent's wicked grin, at my angry glare.

"This," Daniel says, looking tensely between us, but shaking his head as he realizes that he's very nearly fallen for one of his dad's tricks. "I don't like this at all."

Kent just laughs darkly and walks away, leaving Daniel to glare at me.

"Fay," Daniel hisses. "What did you tell him?"

I roll my eyes, deflecting the blame and glancing anxiously at Natalia and Alessi at their table nearby. "Eat your breakfast," I command. "I'll tell you in the car." "Where are we going?" he asks, confused.

"To the stables," I say, gesturing to my outfit as if it's obvious. "We can talk freely at the stables."

Daniel wrinkles his nose in distaste. "I don't want to go there. There's...animals."

I roll my eyes at him, taking a big bite of toast and then a slurp of coffee, eager to go. "Come on, city boy," I say, my mouth still full. "You need some country air."

Daniel does eventually agree to come with me and we end up having a really pleasant day. He was mad, at first, that I let the boyfriend issue slip with his dad - but he eventually admitted that I was right, that Kent's not knowing at this point is a choice of ignorance.

He also wasn't kidding about not liking animals, shying away from Heathcliff even more than Ivan did. But I get Daniel in the saddle eventually, laughing as he bounces around on my poor horse's back, completely uncoordinated.

I'm still shaking my head at him as he drives us home a few hours later. "Seriously, Daniel," I say, leaning back in the passenger seat and studying him. "How do you stay so fit for someone who is about ten inches from falling out of the saddle?"

"I was born beautiful," Daniel murmurs, sending me a sarcastic little glance. "The gods have blessed me with this physique and never made me exercise a day for it."

I look him up and down, remembering the pictures of young Kent that I saw yesterday and considering that that's at least partially true. But I shake my head. Daniel isn't nearly as muscled as Kent, but he's not frail. "I don't buy it," I say as Daniel pulls through the gates and into our driveway. I narrow my eyes at him. "You work out secretly, I know it."

"It's not a secret, Fay," he says, concentrating as he pulls the car into the garage and shuts it off. "I box."

"What!?" I gasp.

He turns to me, confused and laughing a little. "In the gym? Attached to my room?"

"You have a gym?!" I ask, my mouth falling open.

"How did you not know this?" he asks, confused as he unbuckles his belt and climbs out of the car. "It's through the far door in my room -"

"I thought that was your closet!" I exclaim, climbing out as well and staring at him over the roof of the car.

"The closet is next to it," he says, shrugging. "Honestly, Fay," he says, giving me a dubious little look as we head into the house. "You should explore more. You live here."

"Um," I say, glaring up at him, "I don't know what world you were raised in, but where I come from, there's not a lot about a mafia mansion that says 'freely explore me!""

"Lies," Daniel responds, closing the garage door behind us and putting an arm around my shoulders. "You do freely explore. For instance, I know all about your sneaky little mission to the weird p**n room in the basement last night -"

I gasp up at him, blushing. "I was looking at family pictures!" I protest, but Daniel just rolls his eyes. And then we're both laughing as we continue down the hall, but both of us are caught by the noise of voices from Kent's office as we pass.

As one, Daniel and I stop, our heads turning towards the cracked door.

"So, the order is on the way?" Alessi asks.

"Yes," Kent affirms. "Everything is in place for the delivery as well as the distribution. It should all move seamlessly. We're not anticipating any interference from the police - we've flown fully under their radar with this one."

"What are they talking about?" I whisper, looking up at Daniel, taking his hand.

"I don't know," he murmurs, shaking his head, his eyes still on the door.

"This is good, Kent," Alessi says, his voice pleased and proud. "With this, we as a family know that we can....truly trust you again."

"It's rather disappointing to hear," Kent replies, his voice low and a little angry, "that you ever lost that faith, brother."

I can almost see Alessi give the little shrug that always accompanies the chuckle that I hear. "When families are so far apart for so long," he says, "it is easy to...lose a little trust. Especially with your continued allegiance to the Alden girl, despite our suggestion that you...let those ties go."

I blink when I hear myself referred to this way - especially from Alessi, who has always been nice to me. But this just makes me realize that Alessi and Natalia are two sides to the same coin - he's just been showing me a shinier face. I narrow my eyes at the door, displeased.

"Come on," Daniel says, tugging at my hand.

"No," I murmur, stepping closer. "I want to hear -"

"Leave her out of it," Kent says to Alessi solidly. "I have my own reasons for wanting to keep those ties in place. And Daniel is...attached."

"Fay," Daniel whines, tugging at my hand, truly anxious now, not wanting to get caught.

I flash him a little glare and move closer to the door as Alessi begins to speak again, but then I'm yanked almost fully off my feet as Daniel gives a hard pull on my arm.

"Daniel!" I gasp, probably too loud, because Daniel's eyes go wide and then he's hurrying up the stairs, dragging me along with him. But we must make it up fast enough because I have no real chance to see if anyone came out of Kent's office to investigate before Daniel pulls me into my room, shutting and locking the door behind us.

I glare at him. "Why did you do that?"

"Because, Fay," Daniel replies, glaring back and crossing his arms. "If my dad caught us eavesdropping, he's not going to be as easy to appease as you think he is."

"Speak for yourself," I murmur, moving towards my desk, eager to check my phone.

Daniel just rolls his eyes and heads into the bathroom. "Whatever, Fay," he says, done with me for the moment and clearly wanting a minute alone. I don't stop him, angry myself, and once the door is shut I pull open my top drawer and take my phone out, flicking through my messages.

I scowl, seeing none from Ivan - not yet. And even though he will still probably reply tonight, a little worry curls in my stomach now.

But beside that worry is determination.

There is something going on in this house and outside of it. And despite what Daniel thinks, there's no way I'm just going to sit back and let something bad happen to us without trying to do something to stop it.

But now that I've heard what Kent was saying downstairs?

I wonder if there's something he's doing that's playing into whatever attack Ivan knows is coming. That...perhaps Ivan himself has planned.