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

25. Griselda

Isettled into a corner of my couch, phone clutched tightly in my hand, fingers nervously tapping against the device. Avery”s face popped up on the screen as the call connected.

”Hey,” Avery greeted with a cheery wave.

”Hey,” I replied, attempting a weak smile.

“So, tell me, how’s your time off? Are you enjoying your impulsive vacation?” Avery asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“It’s okay,” I replied. I still hadn’t told her where I really was or what the true circumstances were for my impromptu time away.

“What’s wrong,” Avery leaned into the screen, “you don’t look so good,” her voice forming a question.

My shoulders sagged as I sighed, ”You won”t believe the call I got from my mom today.”

”Is it bad news? Is she sick?” Avery asked with a worried frown.

I shook my head, “No, my mom is fine. It’s something else, something huge.” I took a deep breath, trying to steady my shaking hands. ”She told me... my father is alive.”

Avery”s eyes widened, mirroring my initial reaction. ”What? Your father? But I thought...”

”I know,” I interrupted, shaking my head in disbelief while recalling how many years I had been convinced that he was gone. ”It”s a shock, to say the least.”

Avery waited for me to gather myself, her concerned frown deepening, then continued, “Oh Griselda, how are you coping with this news? Did she explain what happened?”

”That”s the thing,” I said, rubbing my temples, trying to organize my derailed train of thoughts. ”She wants to meet in person and tell me everything then. She didn’t want to share anything over the phone. She also mentioned danger, and she wants me to stay away until she says it”s safe.”

”Wow,” Avery murmured, her face looking thoughtful, “did she only recently find this out herself? Or why did she keep this hidden for so long?”

“I don’t know, Avery, but she sounded worried.” Just as I was worried.

”This sounds like something out of a thriller. But you need to be cautious. Don”t meet without understanding everything.”

”I know,” I said, ”but it”s driving me crazy, Avery. I hate being kept in the dark, especially about something so significant.”

”I get it,” Avery reassured. ”This is your family, your life. It”s frustrating to be left hanging like this.”

”I wish she would just tell me everything over the phone,” I sighed, wanting to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.

My emotions overwhelmed me: confusion, anger, and a profound sense of betrayal, and tears welled up in my eyes. Even Avery”s comforting words couldn”t appease the storm, but they offered a steadying hand in the lingering tempest of my thoughts.

”I get it, Avery. I do. But it”s just, “my voice broke, “I”ve spent my entire life believing one thing about my dad, and now, suddenly, it”s all turned upside down.”

”I can”t even imagine what you”re going through,” Avery soothed. ”But perhaps your mom had her reasons. Maybe she thought she was protecting you from something.”

”I know,” I blinked, trying to keep the tears at bay. ”But it”s a lot to process, you know. And what’s with the secrecy? Why keep this from me for so long?”

Avery paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. ”Parents make mistakes. Sometimes they believe they”re doing what”s best for us, even if it means hiding the truth. It doesn”t make it right, but maybe it”s her way of shielding you from a painful past.”

”I wish she”d trust me enough to handle the truth,” I whispered, feeling a mix of vulnerability and frustration.

”She will. When she”s ready,” Avery said, offering a glimmer of hope. ”Maybe she”s waiting for the right time to explain everything.”

I nodded, understanding the wisdom in Avery”s words. ”You”re right. I need to give her a chance to explain.”

”I’m here for you,” Avery’s empathy was evident in the way she tilted her head, looking at me with deep care. ”Whatever you decide to do, I”ll stand by you.”

”Thank you, Avery,” I said with gratitude.

Her unwavering support meant the world to me. With a promise to keep her updated, I hung up and took a deep breath, preparing to face what lay ahead.

Just then, I heard the door creak open, and my head snapped up.

And there he was, Emilio.

A rush of relief flooded through me. I rushed toward him with an overwhelming urge to be close to him. ”Emilio,” I breathed, pressing my head into his chest, his embrace feeling like a haven.

As I pulled back, scrutinizing him. The signs of the battle were evident—scrapes, bruises—but he reassured me he was fine. His lips pressed a tender kiss to my forehead, a natural gesture that felt like it had always been a part of our closeness.

Guiding him to the couch, we both sat down. I watched him intently, my eyes silently pleading for good news.

”Is it over?” I asked, hoping against hope that the whirlwind of conflict had finally subsided.

Emilio”s face darkened, and he shook his head, a sense of powerlessness flickering across his features.

”No,” he admitted, and my heart sank. ”The Mancini family was just a pawn in a much larger game. There”s a mastermind, someone else pulling the strings.”

I was shocked by the gravity of his words. I asked, ”What do you mean? How do you know?”

He took a deep breath and began recounting the unsettling conversation he had with Crino, including the revelation of a mastermind orchestrating everything. It sent shivers down my spine as the implications of such a revelation sank in.

”And then,” he continued, ”when I spoke to my father about it, he acted suspicious. It”s as if he knew more than he was letting on.”

“I had something to discuss with my father concerning the problem with the Mancinis. I suspect that there is a third party involved, an unknown person or group that has been manipulating the Mancinis all this time. I don’t know who, and I don’t know why.” He looked frustrated and sad, running his hand through his hair.

I didn’t know which knocked my world off balance more, this news or my mom’s news. I was speechless.

”But when I spoke to my father about it, he acted suspicious. It”s as if he knew more than he was letting on,” Emilio continued.

I scoffed, frustration bubbling within me.

”What is it with parents and their secrets?” I vented, not realizing how agitated I was until the words spilled out.

He tried to lighten the mood with a teasing smile.

”What happened? Did your mother hide something from you?” he asked, his tone playfully curious.

The annoyance that had been simmering beneath the surface surged.

”Actually, yes,” I retorted, sounding bitter.

I recounted the phone call with my mother and the distressing revelation. Emilio”s playful demeanor vanished, replaced by concern.

”Oh wow, I had no idea,” he said, his eyes reflecting genuine sympathy.

”Yeah, well, secrets seem to be a new family tradition,” I replied with sarcasm. “And to make things worse, she didn’t want to tell me anything more over the phone. No indication of what really happened, where he is, or how long she’s known about this.” I was on a roll.

He cupped my cheek and gave me a tender kiss. ”We”ll face this together. I”ll start digging around for information concerning your father. We need to know what”s going on.” He spoke gently, soothingly. This man was utterly amazing. He had just come from what must have been a most difficult conversation with his father, and yet reassuring me was his first priority. It was like rain on a flower; my heart couldn’t help but bloom in his care.

”Thank you,” I whispered with gratitude, gazing into his sincere, blue eyes.

He nodded, kissing me deeper this time. “I need a shower,” he sighed and let go of me.

Emilio walked to his room, and I settled into a chair, lost in my thoughts. The weight of everything was beginning to take its toll. I felt ashamed at how close I had come to ranting earlier. The secrets, the potential danger, the reappearance of my father—it was all so much to process and was taking its toll.

I held no sense of kinship for my father. My mother’s suggestion that merely knowing my father was alive somehow put my life in danger was baffling and terrifying at the same time.

Why would anyone want to harm me because of him? What sort of mess had my family gotten into? Had my mother really tried to shield me from some unsavory truth, as Avery suggested?

There were just too many questions and seemingly no way to get at least some answers soon.

My phone buzzed, a welcome distraction from my chaotic thoughts. It was from Andrea. My fingers trembled slightly as I picked it up, my breath catching in my throat.

My heart raced as I opened the message, revealing the results of the tests I had taken earlier. The words blurred momentarily as my eyes struggled to focus. When the message finally came into sharp relief, my heart seemed to both leap and stand still.

I read the words again, just to be sure. The reality sank in, and I froze, not knowing what to feel. I was pregnant.