Chapter 8 Massimo
MASSIMO
“Hey, Dad,” I say as I walk into his office and take a seat across the desk from him.
He greets me from behind his computer screen. “Massimo, I’m sure you can guess why I’ve called you in today.”
If I had to bet all my money on it, I’d say it’s because of my lack of a fiancée.
“I’ve given you some time to find a wife. Do you have anything to report back to me?”
“Not yet, but with just a little more time, I know I will.”
I haven’t spoken to Liana since my run-in with her at the boutique. It didn’t take me long after the words tumbled out of my mouth to realize confronting her the way I did probably wasn’t the best fucking idea.
Knowing what I know about her, I could’ve guessed she would react harshly to my proposition, so I’ve given her some space while I regroup and figure out a different approach.
“You know I won’t allow you to take over until you have a wife by your side,” my dad says, sliding a piece of paper over to me. “I think it’s time you looked at the prospects I came up with. There’s the Caiazzo family, who would make a great alliance, extending our influence in Las Vegas.”
Annoyance prickles at my skin. “I’m good. Thanks.” My response is short and curt, but I refuse to take any other woman than the one I’ve had my sights set on all these years.
“Just take a look at the women I have on the list, son. I’m sure one will stand out to you.”
Now that I think about it, my family has never had an issue with the DiMaggios, so the chances of Liana’s name being on this list are high. Entertaining my dad’s list might actually benefit me. Get him to give me a little more time to figure out how to convince Liana to marry me.
Taking the paper, I skim over the names.
“Anyone stand out to you?” he asks.
I narrow my gaze, going over each line one more time. When I get to the end without seeing Liana’s name, I set it down. “I noticed the DiMaggios aren’t on your list.”
“Isabella DiMaggio is already married to Niccolò Silvestri.”
“She’s not the only woman that carries the DiMaggio name,” I say, not wanting him to know quite yet that Liana’s the one I’m after.
My dad sits there, pondering my words. “Liana DiMaggio? The fashion designer?”
I nod.
He sits back in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest. “I was only thinking of immediate family members of dons. Besides, I didn’t think you’d be interested in a woman whose life has become so separate from our typical norm.
From what I’ve seen, she’s excelling in the fashion industry.
I’m not sure she’d make the best wife for you. ”
I give my dad another small nod. “I’ll consider the prospects on your list.” I’m hoping if he thinks I’m open to one of these women, he’ll give me some extra time.
He narrows his gaze on me and clenches his teeth. If he had something to say, he chooses not to. “Good. You have until the end of the month. If you don’t have a woman picked out and a wedding date set, then I will choose a name off my list and set the date for you. Understood?”
I grind my teeth but say, “Yes, sir,” knowing my dad has given me more leniency than anyone would expect in my situation.
He unfolds his arms and lets out a sigh as he leans forward onto his desk.
“I want you to have the best partner in life. I was fortunate to have your mom by my side, so I just want you to find someone of equal stature so you can take over for me. You understand that, right? I’m looking out for your best interests. ”
“I know, Dad. I understand. I’ll have a bride and date by the end of the month.”
The pressure of getting Liana to marry me has finally hit its point. Clearly, winning her over is going to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated. There’s no way I’ll be able to woo her by the end of the month with how resistant she is to me.
That leaves me with only one option.
Excusing myself, I exit my dad’s office and head for my car. Starting it up, I wait for my phone to connect to Bluetooth, then make a call.
“Massimo, how are you today?”
“Tomasso, I need you to do something for me.”
“Of course.”
“Colton Taylor … He has the Combine in a couple weeks, right?
“That’s correct.”
“Tell him to throw it.”
He clears his throat. “Excuse me? You want him to perform poorly in the Combine?”
“That’s what I said.”
“But this will affect his draft stock.”
“I did my research on the kid. He’s expected to go very early in the first round. A poor Combine performance will not affect him that much.”
“We don’t know that though. I’m banking on that boy to get drafted early.”
“And he will. Come on, Tomasso. You make a significant amount of your money in sports gambling, so you should know how this works. Colton Taylor is expected to go in the top five, so the Combine will not be the ultimate deciding factor when it comes to his draft stock. They’ll look at it as one bad day, and he can redeem himself at Pro Day. Now, is this going to be an issue?”
My goal isn’t to fuck with the kid’s draft odds.
I just want him and Alessia to feel the pressure of what Tomasso can—and will—do, especially with my involvement.
If they realize he’s not fucking around about messing with Colton’s career in football, maybe Liana will take my proposition a little more seriously.
He clears his throat again and says, “Of course not.”
“Good. Just use this as an opportunity to win some Combine bets. Let the kid know right away.”
“Right away?” he repeats.
“Yes. The sooner you tell him, the better. Text me when it’s done.”
I hang up, not bothering to wait for a response.
Liana might not willingly come to me, but I sure know how to force her to.