38. Cristian
F or as much as Roman is like me in his ruthlessness and cunning mind, he looks far too much like the woman who gave birth to him.
Aside from his personality, the only thing he got from me was his dark hair.
The rest of it, he inherited from that bitch’s side of the family.
Except for his easily bruised emotions and generous heart—fuck knows where he got those from.
If I could do anything over…it wouldn’t be not having my son at all, but being more choosy with the person I was paying to help give me an heir.
When Roman blinks his dark green eyes open, I hate them. They not only remind me far too much of his surrogate, but the fact my best friend has a type .
“Dad?” he asks in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
I frown at him. “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m your father.”
He shrugs a little. “Thought you’d be with Il Padrone.” There’s venom in his voice, and I clench my jaw.
“Watch your tone,” I reprimand. “You will not be disrespectful towards him in his house.”
He scowls. “Respect is earned, remember? We already had this conversation. I’ll respect him when he starts respecting his Boys.”
“Enough, Roman,” I snap. “I don’t want to hear another disrespecting word from your mouth.
We are in his home, because he is gracious enough to let us stay here for the time being.
His Boys are his business, and you are not to say another fucking word about it.
I don’t care if you don’t agree, or if you think it’s unfair.
Emilio has been a petulant brat, and Allesandro is well within his right to take his Boy in hand.
You'll be lucky if he even allows you to continue your relationship with Ignacio, or if I do.”
He scoffs. “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are not in charge of me.”
“I am your father, and I am the Head of this Family. You have three lovers already, you don’t need another.”
He stares at me for a long moment before shaking his head. “Wow. No wonder Dad took a break from you, you’re being an asshole.”
I scoff. “Carter is upset because he disagrees with me. He’ll get over it. It’s not my fault he got his feelings hurt when I reminded him of the truth.”
“What truth? Come on, you and I both know you’re being a dick. He doesn’t deserve any of this.”
“No, I don’t deserve any of this. You, Hollis, Jude, and Tennant have completely dragged our name through the mud with the fact you’re unable to keep your hands to yourself.
And Carter, despite not disrespecting me or Allesandro in that way, seems to have forgotten that while he might love you like a son, only one of us is actually your father and has any say in what you do. ”
Roman’s already pale skin turns white before his eyes narrow. “Get out,” he says lowly.
“Roman—”
“Get the fuck out of my room. You can insult me all you want. Fucking hell, you can do it to my lovers, and maybe I’ll forgive you one day.
But you will not ever disrespect or insult my father in my presence.
Ever . Your husband , the man who loved you for some reason that I cannot fathom at the moment, the one you tormented and tortured, but who forgave you, even though most people wouldn’t have ever taken you back.
“He is my father. He has been since you took him to your bed when I was twelve-years-old. Maybe even before that. He is the only one who has ever fucking loved me as more than a job. He is the one who helped shape me into the man I am today, and I don’t want to hear another fucking word from you unless you’re fucking groveling for his forgiveness. ”
“Roman—”
“Get. OUT!” he shouts.
I stare at him for a long moment before narrowing my eyes. “We’ll talk about this when you’re feeling better. I’ll also talk to Doc about restricting your visitors. You’ve already been corrupted by the toxicity Emilio is spreading through Il Padrone’s Boys.”
“OUT!” he yells, tears spilling down his cheeks.
The door to his room opens and Jude, with Boston at his side, strides into the room. He looks between Roman and I. “What’s going on?”
“This is between me and my son. Though you're in hot water yourself,” I sneer at him, unable to temper my tone.
“I want him gone,” Roman says.
Boston growls and takes a step forward, but Roman gives her a sharp command, and while she stops in her tracks, she continues to growl at me.
I shake my head. “I don’t fucking need this. I’ll be back when you’re feeling better.”
I brush past Jude, walking closer to him than I want to in order to avoid the snapping dog.
The door to Roman’s room slams closed behind me, and in the hallway of the medical suite, I shake my head in disgust. Looks like we’ll be sourcing alternate accommodations sooner rather than later. If that’s the influence Lio is going to have on Roman, it’s best to separate them.
“Dolce Cuore? What’s wrong?” I look up to find Allesandro outside the room Luca is resting in. “I heard shouting…and a dog?”
I huff. “Roman is being…petulant. I can’t talk to him right now.”
He scowls. “I’m sorry. If it’ll help, I’ll ban my Boys from his room.”
“That might be best. I don’t like how disrespectful he just was, though I don’t blame it all on your Boys. He’s always been a brat. I should have been harsher on him growing up.”
“We’ll get our Families back under control. I refuse to let this go on any longer. My Boys will pay for what they’re doing.”
“I may need some lessons from you on how to keep order.”
He grins. “I’d love to help you, Sweetheart.”
Sighing, I run a hand through my hair and cross the distance between us to press a kiss to his lips.
He wraps an arm around me, pulling me close and deepening the kiss for a moment.
My tension eases a little at the feel of him, and his muscles relax as well.
Seems we both needed this, as small as the moment is.
“We’ll get them back in hand,” he assures me. “Starting with breakfast.”
“Yeah…”
We fucking better, because I’ll be damned if Carter tries to turn my son against me…