The Mafia King's Unknown Doctor Wife novel Chapter 285

Massimo resisted the urge to take a breath and pause for a moment. He knew if he didn't say what he wanted to right then and there, he might not say it at all. So he continued on, ignoring the way Elena's focus suddenly sharpened or the way her eyes stayed firmly on him.

"I cannot make the decision on whether to take Noah's deal," Massimo said sternly. "That choice should rest firmly in your hands."

Elena let out a long breath. "What?" she asked.

Massimo furrowed his brow. Was this truly an odd choice for him to make?

Even when Elena was a nobody to him—just a talented doctor he had decided to take in—Massimo had agreed that Elena should be the one to play a card game against Tyler. It only seemed fair. It was her freedom—her future—on the line.

So deciding whether or not Elena stayed on as his doctor and pretend wife should also be her decision. It would be hypocritical for Massimo to force her into one path or another.

"It's clear the deal Noah's offer is only being offered because of Sloane," Massimo explained slowly, "and Sloane is only doing this for you. So it should be your choice, Elena. I'll answer however you want—that's the only fair way to do this."

Elena looked like a deer caught in headlights or a rookie mafia man finding himself in the sights of a sniper. It was striking how much more nervous and unsettled she looked from a few seconds ago.

Massimo wondered if he was putting her on the spot. It's not like Noah had started harassing the Mafia King for an answer yet, so there was no reason for Massimo to pressure Elena to make a choice either.

Massimo snatched his suit jacket from the car. He shoved it on, not caring about the sharp stings of pain that protested the sudden movement.

"You don't need to make that decision right now," Massimo said, focusing on buttoning up his jacket. It was much easier to focus on the flat, black buttons than Elena's stunned expression. "I'll just need an answer soon."

When Elena made no sound of acknowledgement, Massimo looked back at her. Her face had become unreadable.

"Effectively cutting us off from backup," Elena mused. "Do you think Tyler was hoping you'd die in that fight, Massimo?"

Massimo snorted. "If he was, he's a fool," he remarked. "There would need to be double the men and resources to even stand a chance."

Massimo didn't get the nickname the Boss of Blood and Ice from nowhere. He'd survived fights much worse than the one they had just all witnessed. And while Massimo didn't come out of the fight unharmed, he had taken no major damage.

More importantly, Tyler wasn't even here. There was no way that man's ego would let him stage an assassination attempt on Massimo without being there to gloat. Not any attempt that Tyler thought would actually work at least.

Luckily, Luca was in a talkative mood, so Massimo didn't have to explain.

"Besides, this warehouse district would be terrible for an assassination attempt," Luca said, pointing out different features of nearby buildings to Elena. "There's a lot of natural cover for one man to use to sneak up on big groups and plenty of areas to narrow for more than one person to fight at a time—it's part of the reason Don Massimo and I were able to stay as safe as we did."