Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 264

I stare, completely baffled, at my mother - who I barely remember - but it is absolutely undeniable, instantly, who she is. Not only because she looks exactly like me, but because... The things I do remember about her? The way she moves when she walks, the shape her words take as they ring in my ears? They're...precisely the same. I'd know her anywhere in an instant - because she's my mother- My mother is dead...

But...

I blink at her, completely confused, tears filling my eyes in response to the insane rush of emotions that fill me - fear, and... is it happiness? And an unbalanced sort of hysterical humor, at the ridiculousness of the situation? And betrayal - that I know is there - because where the f**k has she been for the past twenty years -

"Don't cry, Fay," she says quietly, crossing her arms and peering at me. She leans forward to study my face and I realize that, even though I expected her to be taller - because, duh, she's always been taller - we are precisely the same height. "W-what?" I ask, unable to utter - or think - anything besides that.

"You always were a little silly," she says, her mouth twisting a bit with irritation. "And emotional. I think you got that from your Italian side." She stands up with a sigh, looking me from head to foot. "And it looks like you went and got yourself pregnant. That was foolish of you, wasn't it?"

"What?" I spit out, starting to get mad now. Because - is she - is she for real?

I look back over my shoulder at Ivan, who watches me carefully, actually wondering suddenly if this is real -

Because - I mean - am I dreaming or something?

Is this -

"Pay attention, Fay," my mom snaps, and I spin to look at her with wide eyes. Because that tone I remember. She shakes her head at me, and then glances once at the little dog in my arms, and rolls her eyes. She doesn't say anything about it but I blush, suddenly, realizing that she thinks I'm ridiculous.

Mom smirks at my blush and turns away, heading across the room to a little table, where she opens a bottle of water and takes a sip.

And I purse my lips, and draw myself up, and try to remember frantically precisely who I am a powerful, rich, ruthless woman - the donna of the Lippert family - a viper as well as a fawn -

Because right now? In front of my mother? I feel every bit the lost little girl she left behind.

Tears start to spill down my cheeks despite myself.

Ivan, seeing them, comes to my side.

"All right, Victoria," he says, his voice a little bored now. "Let's get on with it."

Mom turns her smirking gaze to Ivan now. "You told me you were close to her, Ivan," she says, raising an eyebrow. "But you didn't say you were in love with her."

"I'm not," he growls, crossing his arms.

"Really," she says, raising her eyebrows and slowly twisting the cap back onto her water bottle. "So protective of someone you...don't love. You must be a real pitbull for the girls you do care about."

My mouth is open but I snap it shut at this, my mom's cruelty to Ivan somehow snapping me more back to myself than all of her coldness to me.

I glance up at Ivan now, wondering why the hell he's working with her if she treats him like this. And then I glance back at her, my eyes narrowing. Is she deliberately putting me on edge? I'm her daughter - why make it so clear from the start that she has no familial affection for me?

"What is this?" I ask, my voice quiet as my mind starts to run, trying to put all of the pieces together. "Why did you bring me here? What do you want?"

"There she is," Victoria says, turning her head and considering me as I come back to myself. "This must be the girl I've heard so much about - who has become so accomplished in crime in so short a time. I knew you couldn't be a complete idiot."

I straighten my shoulders. "You can stop it now, you know. I get it. You're here on business, not some kind of tearful reunion. If you don't want me to think of you as my mother, then message received."

"Good," she says, raising her eyebrows at me. "I'm glad to see you can be rational."

"Why am I here?" I ask again, insistent this time and stepping further into the room so that I can see both Ivan and my mother at once. "What is this all about? Because you two might think that you've been clever, grabbing me off the side of the road? But my people are not without resources, and you do not have a lot of time before they come through that door."

My mother's eyes snap to the purse tucked behind my back and Ivan's eyes fly to it too.

"Shit," he murmurs, suddenly diving for me, realizing that I've probably got a phone in here that has tracking on it.

Which I do.

"How did you ever go undercover, Ivan," my mother murmurs, sinking into a rickety little chair by a small table with a sigh. "You're such a slob."

I dodge Ivan, trying to keep the purse behind my back, but he just glares at me.

"I'm going to get it, Fay," he growls. "Don't make this difficult."

I glare back at him but turn, letting him dig his hand into his purse and pull the phone from it.

"Get rid of it," my mother murmurs, nodding towards the door.

Ivan sighs and looks me in the eye. "I'll be two minutes," he murmurs, and then heads for the door, striding out of it with my phone in his hands.

"It's not like Kent won't be able to track me here anyway."

"It doesn't matter," my mom sighs, reaching for a pack of cigarettes on the table and languidly pulling one out. "We'll be gone before they can get here. Our conversation will be short, Fay."

I raise my eyebrow, inviting it. The sooner I get out of here the better.

And as I realize that - that I have no desire to spend this time with my mother, to ask her where she's been for so long, why she left me, what she's been doing - I wonder if she's manufactured this reaction in me to keep herself safe.

Is she being this cold on purpose? Or is this...who she is?

My mother watches me puzzle it out, lighting her cigarette and taking a little puff. She blows the smoke into the air above her head, not bothering to apologize for smoking around a pregnant woman. I don't mention it either.

"You're a fool, Fay Lippert," my mother says quietly, making it abundantly clear that she knows my history and to whom I now belong. But, of course she does - Ivan will have told her everything. "For falling back into the world I worked so hard to get you out of. For getting pregnant by that man and dooming another generation to this life."

I raise my chin and stare back at her. "What's worse, mom," I say, working to keep my voice equally cold. "That I went back to the world you left? Or that I thrived in it?"

She just smirks at me, maybe a little pleased. "Kent Lippert wasn't a bad choice," she says quietly. "He's handsome. I knew him, you know."

"He mentioned it," I say dryly.

Her little smirk grows. "Oh, I doubt he told you all the details."

Something twists in me.

What?

What details?

But I keep my face schooled, not reacting, falling back on my months of practice with Kent and Daniel. I don't even look his way when Ivan comes back into the room. They've turned me into an accomplished liar by now- and my mother had the upper hand when I first came in the room, but I'm on the offense now. She squandered my surprise, if you ask me.

I don't say anything, letting her talk. I want her information; I don't want to give her mine.

"Good girl," she says with a little laugh, taking another drag on her cigarette. "My, but they have trained you well."

I narrow my eyes at her, done with these games. "What's your deal, mom," I say quietly, nodding towards Ivan. "He told me you have something to put on the table. So, let's get it done, so I can go home to my husband."

"Which one?" my mom asks, the corners of her mouth lifting into a tiny, cat-like smile.