Jazzy seems to be just as enamored by Ariana. Those two are nearly inseparable when they each have time to spare.
Like right now.
He’s watching them from the office window as they practice their art on the lawn while Ben Gaston and Stella are doing their yoga or whatever the hell it is they’re doing. Why Gaston is here, he isn’t sure. That reason better not be Ariana though. Fuck the truce if it is.
He steps away from the window, rolling his eyes at himself for the bout of jealousy. It’s fucking ludicrous. Even more laughable because he used to endlessly tease Derrick when his brother first met Stella.
“Still no word from the Romanos,” Chase speaks from his seat at the bar. “Isabella never even asked about Derrick’s well-being when she was here. And that fucker, Cristian, was probably too afraid to show up.”
This sucks him right back into what they were discussing.
“Which means this is personal,” he tells the room. “Whatever they have with Ariana is personal. Otherwise, I don’t see Isabella nor Cristian holding business matters back from The Five if it means they get their way.”
“Point,” Rory replies.
“One. We still can’t be one hundred percent sure if they intentionally plotted to take Derrick out. My gut says so and my finger twitches to pull the trigger but I get it,” Chase says, holding his hands up. “We can’t make the move without getting slaughtered. I still think we can take them,” his brother mumbles.
Finally! Something to humble Chase. He just didn’t think it’d be this shit.
“Two,” Rory continues. “There’s a personal vendetta against Ariana who owes a significant unseen debt that has them hunting her.” Rory shakes his head sarcastically because it really does sound absurd.
“Three,” Derrick adds. “Why would they want to take me out if they’re getting what they want through Adam anyway? Stella can’t be sure that Don Mazzilli didn’t know about this hit either because the man has never reached out.”
“Then are we going with the assumption that he’s siding with them?” Rory asks.
“We should always go with the assumption that Mazzilli has ulterior motives,” he replies to his three brothers.
There’s a heavy silence that settles. But a thought occurs to him.
“We’ve overlooked something, brothers.” He takes a seat on the couch and gets comfortable next to Rory. “Ariana says that loyalty within the Romano Famiglia is questionable. She thinks that’s why Isabella brought in that motorcycle crew.”
He looks around at his brothers before continuing.
“Think about this,” he tells them. “Why was Matteo Romano given the reigns instead of Cristian? He was consigliere for two other families and had to be pulled away from that.”
He watches the question settle with his brothers. He knows they’re all brainstorming. There has to be some kind of chink in the Romano armor for Matteo to be an underling to someone else rather than work with what’s given to him and grow his family name.
“The Five,” Derrick starts this time, sitting up in his seat. “They’re all about passing fortunes and businesses down to the next generation. And there’s no way that Pietro Romano would not have left everything to his two spawns.”
“Which means, someone higher than Pietro would have had to step in and overrule Pietro’s will. They handed the empire to Matteo instead,” Chase continues.
“I don’t know if that can happen but if that’s the case then we need to find out why,” he tells his siblings.
It could be the key to getting out of this mess.
Blackmailing The Five is never a good idea but blackmailing the Romanos isn’t beneath him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
She helps wash the vegetables while Stella pulls out more from the refrigerator.
It’s just the two of them in the kitchen and it’s peaceful. It’s amazing how Stella insists on cooking most of the family’s meals even with the extra help that money can afford here on the estate. Romanos had money and could afford a staff of at least ten if they’d wanted to but they never did.
Why would they when they had her working night and day?
“Stella,” she calls out and turns the water off for a moment. “Is there more I can do?” she asks.
“More what?” Stella replies with a confused look.
“I…I just…there’s no way for me to pay you back for the help the Kings have given me. I’m…I’m living here off you all,” she says lowering her face.
She can feel Stella standing beside her in a heartbeat.
“I know you’re accustomed to working,” Stella says before putting a hand on her arm. “I know how it feels. Believe me, I understand. But right now, your recovery is a top priority. Don’t worry about the money. We’re not hurting here,” Stella says teasingly.
She can’t help but smile even though her mind isn’t at ease. There has to be more she can do, more ways that she can help out.
“Stop worrying,” Stella says before she walks around the island. “What you’re doing with Jazzy is priceless, you know. Adam…I mean we all appreciate it and Jazzy absolutely adores you.”
The subject of Jazzy immediately uplifts her mood a little bit.
“She’s such an amazing child,” she tells Stella wholeheartedly. “Even in this life…” she immediately looks at Stella to make sure she hasn’t accidentally offended her new friend.
“It’s okay. I know what you mean,” Stella responds. “Even in this life, Jazzy is still filled with such innocence. The way a child should be.”
She nods her agreement at Stella.
“It takes work. It hasn’t been easy on any of the guys, especially Adam. They come from a hard life, a working-class family, and they know the value of hard work even though the work they did mar their hands to get to where they are now. But Adam and all of his brothers also make it a priority to give Jazzy and now Rian and any future Kings the value of a normal family. Things still have to be earned within this family.”
Future Kings. Stella’s words almost make her shed a tear. She blinks the tear away quickly before it falls.
“Adam has never brought a woman home, you know.” Stella’s sing-song voice has her staring jaw-dropped because surely that can’t be true.
“It’s true,” Stella adds as if reading her mind. “He’s extremely picky with who he lets near Jazzy.”
“But…Isabella,” she whispers. Her heart plummets along with her voice at the realization. The look on Stella’s face shows that she, too, understands.
Stella leans on the counter and exhales loudly before her eyebrows furrow as if Isabella’s name triggered a problem. Maybe it has. Maybe saying her name is equivalent to summoning evil. She doesn’t know. Something tells her it’s a combination of everything.
She can’t be sure why because isn’t it the men’s job to take care of business issues? Women just run the household right? But maybe this is why this family is so different from the others. They stick together. Why wouldn’t the matriarch of the King Family be stressed if one of the other Kings is under pressure?