Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 48

Daniel won't let go of my hand once we're back in the house.

"Daniel," I say, exasperated, trying to yank my hand free while he pulls me down the hall. "Let go - are you seriously going to tattle on me?"

He just shoots me a look over his shoulder, saying nothing as we arrive at the doors to his dad's office. He knocks loud, twice. I sigh, shaking my head at him while we wait.

Honestly, it's not that I think Daniel is being ridiculous - if I had found him flirting with someone who had tried to kill us only a little bit ago, I would be equally pissed. I just don't really want to have this conversation with Kent.

The door pulls open, Kent on the other side. He takes one look at us before stepping back and allowing us to enter. Daniel doesn't drop my hand, but not because he's trying to give me any love and support in the face of his father's judgment. I'm his prisoner and he's not letting me go.

Daniel pulls me over to stand in front of Kent's desk as Kent walks around the other side. None of us sit.

"What happened," Kent demands, folding his arms over his chest.

"Fay," Daniel glares at me, saying my name like it's a dirty word, "had a nice intimate chat with her new buddy Ivan tonight. Drinks too. And it looked like it was going somewhere."

Kent frowns at Daniel then, surprising me. "So what?" he asks his son, shrugging a little. "Is this some kind of lover's quarrel? Your fiancé talked to another man, and you want me to do something about it?"

Daniel's jaw falls open at this. "Wha-" he sputters. "No, dad, that's obviously not the issue -"

Yeah, I think to myself, resisting the urge to roll my eyes, it's not the issue because you're not actually jealous - because you're not actually into me.

Daniel gestures to me then, his eyes still on his father. "Did you not hear what I just said? She was talking to Ivan. Your enemy."

Kent does shift his gaze to me at that moment and I can see him consider the situation, processing the details. I don't move a muscle. Instead, I just hold his stare, my hand still in Daniel's fist.

"Well?" Kent says finally, his face impassive. "What did he say?"

Daniel looks between us, agape. "Wait - are you serious?" He shouts at his father. "You're not going to do anything about it?"

Kent snaps his gaze to his son, glaring at him. "And what would you like me to do about it, Daniel? Go back in time and stop her?"

My lips twitch in pleasure at this. I, like Daniel, had been expecting Kent's anger to be directed at me. But apparently, at least for now, I'm off the hook. Still, I quickly wipe the expression from my face. I don't know where this is going, not really, and I don't want to incur anyone's wrath.

Daniel scowls, dropping my hand and crossing his own arms across his chest, looking like his father's double in this moment. I look between the two, struck again by their similarities.

"Obviously, dad, that is not what I want," he says, frustrated. "But she betrayed us tonight - and made me look like an idiot!"

Kent's eyes shift back to me. "Is that true?" he asks. "Did you make Daniel look like a fool?"

I exhale, exasperated, spreading my hands innocently. "I didn't do anything, okay? If anything, my father made Daniel look like a fool. The whole thing was a setup - he threw the party so that he could introduce me to all his friends' single sons. By the time I figured it out - what was I supposed to do, storm out of there?"

Kent nods slowly, figuring out the darker motives behind my father's little party, considering the consequences for himself.

"Besides," I say, shooting Daniel a dirty look of my own. "It's not like Daniel was playing Mr. Attentive Fiancé all night - he was off playing volleyball for hours. What was I supposed to do - just not talk to anyone because he wasn't at my side?"

Daniel and Kent both glare at me then and I realize, suddenly, that this is what they both would have preferred.

"Seriously?!" I exclaim, throwing my hands up in the air. "Are you guys serious? How the hell was I supposed to know any of this? I didn't know who Ivan was until we were already talking with each other - and, to that point, nobody told me I wasn't supposed to talk to some guy named Ivan anyway!"

I glare at both of them then, though neither flinch.

"Honestly," I continue, exhausted by the whole situation, "you two, you hold me to some seriously unfair standards. I don't know these people, I don't know what the rules are. And yet you expect me to intuit them and act precisely how you want me to."

I shake my head, my lips drawing to a firm line, and then I cross my arms over my chest, just as they're both doing. There's silence between us as we all glare around in a circle.

Daniel gives first. I see him sigh and loosen his arms, putting his hands in his pockets instead. He sees that I have a point and he looks down at the floor, a little ashamed of himself.

Kent, however, doesn't give an inch.

"Leave us," he says to Daniel, not looking at him.

Daniel opens his mouth to protest, but Kent cuts him off.

"Leave us," he repeats, not taking his eyes off of me.

Daniel just shakes his head and leaves without another word, not even looking at me. I watch him go and then turn back to Kent.

"You're on dangerous ground, Fay," Kent says, his voice low.

"Wha- why?" I ask, honestly confused. "Because I still can't see anything that I've done wrong - I just went to a party and talked to my father's guests. If you didn't want me to do that, then you shouldn't have let me go to the party!"

Kent slowly shakes his head at me then. "No, Fay," he says evenly. "You misunderstand. You're not on dangerous ground with me. You're on dangerous ground in this world."

I frown at him, confused. So, he obliges me with an explanation.

"You see, Fay," Kent says, unfolding his arms and looking down at his desk. "Your father changed the game tonight, and you let him do it."

He takes a handful of change from his pocket and scatters it on the desk. I look between him and the money, confused. Then he slides one penny forward out of the mix.

"The only thing that was protecting you in this world, Fay," Kent continues, "was your engagement to Daniel. As a soon-to-be member of my family, you had my protection."

He takes two quarters, placing them next to the penny, blocking the penny off from the rest of the change.

"But," he continues, "tonight your father opened the opportunity for you to show the world where your allegiance lies. And, in leaving Daniel behind," he moves the penny around the quarters so that it mingles again with the rest of the cash on the table, "you've left yourself open. For anyone else to claim, should they wish it."

I stare at the cash on the table, realizing, suddenly, the seriousness of what happened tonight.

"You see, Fay," Kent continues, picking up a little dime and holding it towards my face. "Your dad, in this world? He's not a penny like you, but he's small shakes. And he's getting weaker. I want him on my side, because he has resources I'd like to use."

Kent puts the dime back on the table, mixing it with the rest of coins. "But," Kent continues, "Alden's trading you," he slides the penny to sit next to the dime, "to the highest bidder. For his allegiance. Seeing if he can get a bigger fish than me to bite." I look up into Kent's eyes, then, understanding.

"Ivan is that fish," I say quietly.

Kent nods and I look back down at the desk, the money scattered there.

"I'll let you think on it, Fay," Kent says quietly. "About where your allegiances lie. About where it is that you want to be in this world."

I don't look at him then, but I hear his footsteps cross the room. Hear him open the door, hear it close behind him.

I stare, instead, at the coins on the desk. I reach forward to touch the penny, thinking deeply about where it is that I do want to be.

Again, I've greatly misunderstood and miscalculated the complicated politics of this world. A party is never just a party, and I've again fallen into that trap.

One thing in Kent's little metaphor doesn't quite add up.

I reach out, picking up the little shiny penny that represents me, my eyes glancing at my million-dollar engagement ring as I do.

If all of these men are going through all of this effort to figure out where I land, then I'm certainly not a one-cent piece. I'm certainly not the least valuable coin on the table.

And everyone - Kent, my father, Ivan, Daniel even - they all want me to think that I am, that I am some penny or some pawn.

But what I'm starting to realize, through all of this, is that I'm worth much more to them, and to myself, then they'd like me to believe.

After all, if a pawn crosses the entire chess board...she becomes a queen.

I smirk, slipping my penny into the pocket and quietly leaving the room. I head upstairs to bed, not bothering to say goodnight to anyone.