The Mafia King's Unknown Doctor Wife novel Chapter 333

"Right?" Aria agreed with a laugh. "You could always see the west coast—maybe visit LA or just the California beaches? Or would going international be more romantic for you and your man?"

Elena wasn't sure. She had figured she'd at least visit her biological mother and step-father, but did she want to live with them? Did Max have friends in other states he'd want to visit?

As she joked with Aria, Elena couldn't decide what to do. The future seemed far too uncertain and far away to come up with any concrete plan.

Just as Aria hugged Elena goodbye, the front door opened up as Massimo returned home.

Elena noticed how neither Aria nor Massimo looked at each other. It seemed that their divorce had destroyed whatever relationship the two used to have.

"Good evening, Massimo," Elena greeted him.

Massimo nodded. He glanced outside and waited until Aria's ride—driven by one of her latest flings, no doubt—drove away.

"Your friend was here?" he asked, his voice a little colder than usual.

"Yes," Elena replied. "We went shopping and hung out here for a bit."

"I thought she moved out of state," Massimo said. "Why was she back?"

"She didn't say. I think it was probably for work."

Massimo retrieved his dinner from the kitchen. Elena decided to get another mug of tea—she really had started to prefer it over coffee, what with attending so many mafia women tea parties. She took a seat across from Massimo and decided to keep him company while he ate.

"And what does a woman like her do for work?" Massimo asked. A barely hidden snarl laid below the question he was asking.

Elena knew the two had a history, but that didn't excuse Massimo being rude to Aria. That was still her best friend!

"Aria actually graduated from the same school as me," Elena explained. "She was a chemistry and bio-engineering double major. Last I heard, she got a job at a well funded lab and tests out and makes new medications."

"Lucilla and Aria are fairly similar though," Massimo observed. "They're both socially intelligent, have a large knowledge of fashion, can be incredibly forceful the moment they don't get their way, and are always seducing men. I wouldn't be surprised if their closets contained the same whorish attire."

Elena tried to hold her tongue—she really did. But she could fill the color rise to her cheeks and her anger spike at how casually Massimo dismissed her friends.

"You are aware," Elena said coldly and precisely, "that the mafia forces women into certain roles the same way it does men, aren't you? Lucilla is the oldest daughter in her family—a family with no sons. Which means she's solely responsible for securing a high-standing man quickly, so she's encouraged to make bold moves."

"Doesn't mean I have to appreciate her methods," Massimo said simply.

"You don't, but you should try to understand her," Elena insisted. "Even Luna, a Conti woman, felt like she couldn't do anything in the mafia beyond stand there and look pretty—and Luna knows far more about the mafia than Elio ever could!"

Massimo paused.

"I suppose I hadn't considered that," Massimo admitted. "But I believe you're capable of making better friends than Aria. Perhaps you should invite people like Lucilla over—outside of mafia social parties?"