His Promise: The Mafia’s Babies by C. Tamika novel Chapter 368

Chapter 368

Aria

The expression on his face made me anxious and worried. This was not a friendly visit.

“I didn’t know you had company.” Vince looked through me, eyeing Angelo. I nudged Angelo’s shoulder, forcing him to step forward so I could introduce him.

“Uh, this is-

“I know who this is.” Vince snarled in a tone I had yet to hear from his mouth.

“Angelo Marino,” Angelo stuck out his hand, showing off his good manners. “I’m looking forward to working…and living with you.”

Vince scrunched his nose at the word ‘living’ and placed his hand behind his back, rejecting Angelo’s gesture. “Aria, can we talk.” He ignored his presence. “In private?”

“Sure.” I turned to Angelo. “Do you mind giving us a minute?”

“Not at all!” He spoke, giving Vince one last smile.

As impatient as he looked, Vince tapped his feet on the floor, waiting for Angelo to exit the hall. With his hands through his hair, he let out a frustrated sigh.

“I hadn’t expected to do this again, but you just won’t let me live in peace.”

What?

“W-what have I done this time?” I thought about my wrongdoings. I behaved as he asked me to, didn’t cause any trouble, and hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary.

“Are you familiar with Corco’s Bakery?”

“Yes, I am,” I remembered the shop I had visited on collectors’ day. How could I forget?

“Did you use my name to scare them into paying you?” Vince’s soft tone did not match the angry expression on his face.

I didn’t use his name to scare them into paying. They had already paid before that.

“Not really, I just-

“Did you or did you not?” Vince lost his patience this time, glaring at me as if I was the most disgusting human being on the planet.

This was what Angelo had warned me about, and maybe he was onto something after all.

While I wanted Vince to like and respect me, I could not allow him to walk over me.

“I didn’t,” I clarified-but he still wasn’t buying it.

“Are you sure?” Vince doubted me. “I asked you if there was something I should know, and you told me there wasn’t.” He brought back the previous conversation we had shared in the car.

“Just tell me the truth.”

Truth?

Did he want the truth?

“Well, I might’ve told the owner that I would send you the next time-but seeing your butthurt reaction…. I’m not that sure anymore.” The words left my mouth so quickly. In my mind, it sounded way nicer.

Towards others, Vince was a kind person, but that same kindness had also become his weakness.

He would rather be a bootlicker who would rather defend a group of people he didn’t know if that meant he didn’t have to protect his fiancée.

Not a good quality.

The so-called “gentleman’ act in the car was a lie. I could finally see his true colors and they were not looking that bright.

“My butthurt reaction?” Vince pointed to himself, utterly confused. “You’re using my name to fear others, but you think I’m the one overreacting?”

“Maybe a little.” I shrugged, not backing down.

“I didn’t want to hurt you, and I didn’t know you would get this upset-for that, I’m sorry.”

“But?”

“But if you plan on leading the Morales and the Garcias, you need to grow thicker skin, and you need to man up.” I gave him a piece of mind.

It wasn’t as if I had cut off an innocent man’s head. All of this wasn’t necessary.

“And by man up, you mean scaring people?” Vince shook his head, looking disgusted.

What was wrong with that?

“In this business, being feared is a good thing.” I reminded him, giving him the same lessons I had once received. It worked out perfectly fine for our family. People respected us, families wanted to be like us.