The Don's Legal Eagle's Baby: An Enemies to Lovers Mafia Romance

4. Griselda

The sudden departure of Emilio hit me like a shock wave. For a fleeting moment, I had thought we were about to share a kiss but that moment was shattered abruptly.

My heart raced, echoing the tempo of the music. Confusion and disbelief coursed through me. What had just happened? One moment, we were so close, and the next, he was gone.

Did he find me repulsive? Was there something wrong with me? I discreetly checked my breath, even though I knew it was fine.

I replayed the moment in my mind, hoping to find a clue that would explain his abrupt departure. Our eyes had met, the atmosphere charged with a hint of desire. I had leaned in, expecting the brush of his lips against mine, but there was nothing. No connection. No soft warmth. Nothing.

When I opened my eyes, I had been met with the sight of Emilio”s sudden urgency, his focus elsewhere. It was as if he had been transported from the moment we shared to a different reality. The jarring shift left me bewildered.

Had I misread the situation?

He had insisted it wasn”t because of me, but his actions spoke otherwise. Being dismissed like that, especially after what happened at work this morning, nipped at my confidence.

Feeling a mixture of embarrassment and disappointment, I finished my drink quickly. The pulsating energy of the club no longer held its appeal.

Instead, it seemed to magnify the awkwardness of the situation. The thought of so many eyes witnessing that peculiar moment made my cheeks flush, urging me to escape the crowded space.

The warm water cascaded over me, washing away the remnants of the night. I stood there, lost in thought. The events of the night kept playing like a persistent loop in my mind.

Emilio”s sudden exit was confusing, to say the least. Was it something I said or did? He had reassured me, but actions spoke louder than words. Doubt and frustration gnawed at me, battling with the attraction I had felt toward him.

After toweling off and changing into fresh clothes, I sat on my bed, running a hand through my still-damp hair. The scene at the club replayed in my mind. The way his eyes had briefly locked with mine, the almost kiss that never happened—then why hadn’t he kissed me?!

In an attempt to distract myself, I opened a book, trying to lose myself in its pages, but my mind kept drifting back to Emilio. His enigmatic aura and his charming smile.

Frustrated, I set the book aside and laid down on my bed. Eventually, exhaustion took its toll, pulling me into a restless slumber.

Dreams were woven with flashes of Emilio, the sound of music from the club, and the sensation of an almost-kiss.

The next morning, I sat at my desk in the office, purposefully ignoring the file my boss had handed me the previous day. It was an insult, an assignment beneath my abilities, so I decided to hand it over to a younger lawyer. It would be a learning experience for them, at least.

Engrossed in reviewing other cases, the door suddenly swung open, startling me. Without the courtesy of a knock or even a warning, Carmella barged in.

My already sour mood, fueled by the memory of Emilio from the previous night, worsened at the sight of her. Carmella’s insufferable presence barged into my space without a shred of consideration. It felt like the universe was conspiring to challenge my patience.

As she stood there, smugness dancing in her eyes, I could feel my pulse quicken. The urge to express my annoyance and frustration was almost more than I could bear.

”Excuse me, do you not know how to knock?” I asked, my irritation palpable.

Carmella, seemingly taken aback, responded with an affronted look. ”Oh, I didn”t think it was necessary.”

”It is necessary,” I shot back, my patience wearing thin. ”This is not your office. You can”t just barge in whenever you please.”

Her eyes narrowed, condescension lacing her voice. ”I just wanted to talk about the Johnson case.”

”I don”t see anything to talk about,” I shot back, my patience with Carmella wearing thin.

”Oh, there certainly is,” Carmella continued, disregarding my obvious disinterest. Before I could retort that I had no intention of listening, she pressed on, ”In fact, the reason I”m here is because, well, now that I”m handling the case, I need to collect your group”s findings on it.”

I was astounded. Carmella’s shamelessness never failed to amaze me.

”Collect our findings?” I repeated with disbelief creeping into my tone.

I couldn”t help but laugh at her audacity. ”You must be joking. First, you swoop in to take over the case, and now you want our hard-earned research, too?”

Carmella shrugged nonchalantly, her arrogance on full display. ”I didn”t ”take over” the case. I just mentioned to Mr. Gilbert that I”d be up for something challenging. Next thing I know, he hands me the Johnson case.”

”Challenging?” I snorted.

It was ironic, almost laughable. Carmella, seeking a challenging case? The very idea seemed like a poorly written joke. How could she handle the complexity of the Johnson case when she struggled with the ones she currently managed? Her misguided sense of her abilities was truly something to behold.

Several times, Carmella had come dangerously close to derailing her cases if not for the heroic efforts of her team, who often worked overtime.

I leaned back in my chair, contemplating the absurdity of it all. I couldn”t help but think about all the times she had stumbled over cases, seeking help from others, trying to hitch her wagon to someone more competent. The notion of her tackling a case of this magnitude was almost comical.

Carmella was about ambition without substance, appearances over character.

”Since you believe you”re so capable of handling such a challenging case, I”m sure you”ll have no trouble analyzing it, researching all there is to find out and coming up with a brilliant strategy,” I responded, my tone laced with sarcasm.

I wasn”t about to let her plunder my team”s hard work.

She was taken aback, her disbelief evident.

”What did you say?” she stammered, her eyes wide.

”I didn”t know you were deaf,” I shot back, my patience all but evaporated.

”And will you be able to handle the consequences if you don”t hand over your trial preparation?” Carmella snapped, her frustration clear.

I held my ground, my gaze unwavering. ”If you have nothing useful to contribute, then I suggest you leave my office.”

Carmella glared at me, and with a huff, she stormed out, almost bumping into Sophia. Sophia entered my office, looking startled by Carmella”s sudden and fiery departure.

”What’s her problem?” Sophia muttered, clearly bewildered.

I couldn”t help but smile at the sight of Sophia, a reliable ally in the face of such audacity.

“She wanted our trial preparation files,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

Sophia”s eyes widened, and she exclaimed loudly, ”Is she insane?”

”Seems that way,” I replied, chuckling at Sophia”s immediate, incredulous reaction.

”Why on earth would we hand over our work to her?” Sophia continued, her disbelief turning into annoyance.

”Did I hand over the work to Carmella?” I asked rhetorically, facing Sophia squarely.

Sophia looked at me, momentarily uncertain, but then a small victorious smile tugged at her lips as she realized the answer.

”Of course not,” she responded, her tone filled with satisfaction.

I nodded, confirming her assumption. ”Exactly.”

Sophia sighed in relief, her annoyance dissipating, but I knew this wasn”t the end of it.

”I don”t think Carmella will let it slide,” I added, anticipating the trouble that might follow.

Sophia”s face dropped in annoyance, mirroring my sentiments. ”Of course she won”t. She”ll probably go complain to the boss.”

”Let her,” I said with a shrug.

”But what if the boss demands we hand it over to her?” Sophia asked, concern creasing her brow.

”We can”t hand over something that doesn”t exist,” I replied matter-of-factly.

My plan was straightforward: pretend we had already purged our findings on the Johnson case. Since we were no longer actively working on it, there was no reason to keep the information, let alone hand it over to someone as undeserving as Carmella. Absolutely not.

A glint of realization flickered across Sophia”s eyes, and then she smirked. ”Devious, Griselda. I didn”t know you had it in you.”

I laughed and shrugged. ”Desperate times call for inventive measures.”

I leaned back in my chair, feeling a strange mix of triumph and frustration. ”If the boss didn”t want Johnson”s case to be messed up, then he shouldn”t have taken it from us and handed it over to Carmella,” I stated, voicing my exasperation.

”Let”s get back to work,” I suggested, trying to shift our focus away from Carmella and her antics.

As we immersed ourselves in our tasks, I made a conscious effort to ignore the memories of Emilio that fluttered to the forefront of my mind without any warning.

Why couldn’t I forget him?!

I had work to do, and cases to handle, and dwelling on him would only complicate matters. So, whenever his image or the fleeting moments at the club flashed in my mind, I”d firmly shove them aside, pretending he didn”t exist.

Was there a point in thinking about a man who ran – well, more like sprinted – to get away from me?

No.