The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO) novel Chapter 229

Jake, Sylvana, and Giovanni are locked in the sitting room with a lot of yelling and banging as I sit in the kitchen with Arrick and try not to self-implode. It’s been only minutes since we left the dining room and my nerves are completely done in. Sitting so tensely my body aches with the effort and I’m on high alert.

“Here.” He hands me a mug of cocoa and slides into the chair beside me at the kitchen table with a supportive smile.

“Thanks.” I accept it gratefully, still picking at the plate of food he warmed for me, trying to ignore the noise echoing down the hall. All the house staff have retired for the night and the place is eerily empty. Arrick’s girlfriend is either in his room or gone, so here he is, babysitting me at his brother’s request, because Jake didn’t want me left alone to ponder everything.

“I guess I should say welcome to my crazy family.” He nods casually toward the direction of the noise and I just take a long slow breath. Blowing it out to try to bring some sense of calm to my chaotic inner body, so tired suddenly.

“Is this what it’s like? I never really had a real family.” I shrug and look down. “It was only my mother and I and she’s not exactly going to win any awards for mom of the year.” I sigh a little in deflation.

“Sometimes it’s like this, especially when Jake and my dad go head to head. They seem to be able to get to each other in the worst way.” Arrick smiles and sips his own mug of cocoa carefully. He has Giovanni’s grace and smooth quiet confidence and authoritative quality when he’s sitting like this, contemplating things. Mature for his young age.

He looks more like Giovanni than Jake does yet somehow there is still enough of Sylvana in there for him to be attractive in a way not too dissimilar to Jake, as I used to think. The older he gets the more I see tiny hints that when he fully grows out of his teen years, he may be more Jake Carrero like than Giovanni Carrero. It’s a little odd given his lighter hair and soft brown eyes, although sitting this close I can see he has a lot of green flecks through the color, giving them more of a hazel quality.

“What was all that about with your dad?” I blink up at him with a face full of confusion trying to work out the motive behind his father’s behavior. Giovanni is one person I’m never going to figure out.

“My dad hates Marissa, he always has. Blames her for Jake going off the rails when he was younger and screwing his head up, to the degree that he brought the family name shame for a lot of years. My dad doesn’t trust her and loves nothing more than to get a dig in at every opportunity.” He watches me closely for a second and then smiles. “He called you Emma at dinner, did you notice?”

“What?” I glance up at him, as he pulls that half-smile that Jake does, the way his eyes light up when he thinks he knows something you haven’t figured out yet, making me well and truly confused. It adds to me feeling comfortable with Arrick, because he’s remarkably like his brother when you really stop and dissect him. Strong genes.

“My dad … He’s only ever referred to Marissa as Miss. Hartley or doesn’t use her name at all. It’s kind of his thing. He called you Emma, so he likes you, he sees you as something permanent in Jake’s life and if Jake hadn’t been so busy trying to control that crazy aggressive rage of his then he would’ve noticed it too. It’s almost like dad’s giving his consent.” He winks at me and takes another drink.

“You’re telling me your dad gave his approval at the same time as causing a massive fight?” I laugh at the ridiculousness of it, breaking the tension in my stomach with giggling.

“My dad never does anything without reason, Emma. He gave his approval and tried to annihilate your competition in one fell swoop to protect his son. I know what Jake thinks of him but believe it or not his intentions were only for Jake. My dad just doesn’t show affections the way we do. He’s a man from another time and lifestyle, back when men didn’t show love or affection openly.” He raises an eyebrow and I take a moment to try to analyze this. I remember the mafia rumors a while back about the Carrero family and I wonder if this is what Arrick means.

Does Giovanni still have ties to mafia?

The thought is a little disconcerting, but it would explain the man’s terrifying demeanor, the quick sharp manipulation, and the way he keeps all his cards very close to his chest and no one can ever read him.

“How does announcing a house and baby to Marissa get rid of her? She’s still carrying Jake’s kid. She’s still going to be connected to him for an eternity.” I scrutinize Arrick’s face with an expression of sheer disbelief.

“She’s refusing a DNA test despite my dad informing her that no proof means no relationship with the Carreros. He doesn’t believe this baby is Jake’s any more than I do. So

in a way he was calling her out, showing her, she has competition with a baby that really is Jake’s.” He focuses on me intensely, a hint of a frown and a look of complete belief in what he’s saying.