Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Apollo
Leon drops Rayna off in my office without a word, opening my door and ushering her inside before making himself scarce. She rounds on the door, clearly not expecting to be left alone so abruptly.
“Traitor,” she mutters, glaring at the closed hardwood.
My hands twitch, flexing around the edge of my desk. “Wasn’t aware you two were close enough to have an alliance.”
“It’s a new development. We get along.” She shrugs. “Why do you care?”
“Who said I did?”
“Your tone,” Rayna deadpans, folding her arms. “And your eyes. You look like you’re trying to light a fire with that stare.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I grumble, averting my gaze. “What do you want, Rayna?”
I watch from the corner of my eye as she bristles, reacting to my clipped question. “Didn’t realize I was bothering you so much. I was hoping to give Sienna an approximate time for Elio’s arrival.”
Of course.
Why else would she seek me out?
“An hour,” I report dryly. “An hour and twenty minutes at most.”
“That’s fast.” Rayna looks surprised. “I’ll tell her now.” She takes out her phone and types quickly, sighing with something like relief as she sends the message.
“If that’s all, you can leave now.”
She flinches slightly and meets my eye. “What’s with the passive aggressive attitude?”
My jaw clenches, twitching hard. “You tell me. You’re the one who thinks she knows everything.”
“Aren’t you like, thirty?” She huffs, folding her arms. “You sound like you’re throwing a fit. If you have a problem, just say it.”
“I’m thirty-three, and that’s rich coming from you.” I have the sudden urge to shake her, just to put my hands on her in some way.
I don’t want to hurt her, but I want… something.
Shaking off the feeling, I continue, “You’ve apparently had a secret problem with me and my entire family that you’ve refused to bring up for over a week. Not during one of our many spats where I inquired about your trust in me. No, instead, you decided to air your grievances with an audience.”
“Seriously? You’re pissed at me for this?” She gapes, mouth dropping open as she pops her hands onto her hips. “Even your father isn’t mad about the outburst. And not to mention, a week isn’t exactly a long time to build trust. Of course I still have things you don’t know about!”
“No, of course. A week is just long enough for you to share secrets with Elio and develop an alliance with Leon. But telling the man who’s shown you over and over again that he’s going to take care of you about your best friend who’s in danger—no, too soon for that.
Better wait to do that in front of the whole family. ”
She groans, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Apollo, it was one dinner. Please, do us both a favor and get over it!”
“You think I’m pissed at you for ruining dinner? Now who’s the one who isn’t listening?” My voice is slow, disbelieving and dark.
Rayna throws up her hands, nearly growling in frustration. “What then? I thought we were fine. We came to an ‘understanding’ according to you. So what gives?”
Curling up a lip, I sneer, “You’ve yelled at me, insulted me to my face, attempted to slap me, and you think that causing the family dinner to go off the rails is why I’m fuming right now? I thought you were smarter than that.”
Rayna freezes, shoulders going stiff and eyes turning hard. “Did you just call me dumb?”
“Well, I didn’t just accuse you of being bright, did I?”
“Apollo!” she gasps. “You can be mad at me all you want, but mocking me and my intelligence is just low. What is your problem?”
What is my problem?
Will this woman ever stop testing my patience?
“You kept this from me. You all but charged me with being compliant in a young girl’s continued abuse, after everything we’ve just been through. I have done everything for you and Yordan, and still you see me as some kind of conniving monster.”
“I don’t see you as a monster—”
“No? You could have fooled me.”
The silence that follows is thick and heavy, surrounding us with suffocating air. Her face shifts from exasperation with me to…regret. For a second, I almost tell her to forget it. I’d rather continue to silently stew in my disappointment than watch her appear hurt.
I have no idea why.
But before I can suggest we move on, Rayna speaks up.
“Apollo, I’m sorry,” she says, voice low.
“I was only trying to keep Sienna’s secret.
And, if I’m being entirely honest, I already figured that it was unlikely you knew.
I didn’t mean to accuse all of you of being complicit.
I was just so angry and I hadn’t thought out my words before they came flying out. ”
My stomach does some sort of funny twist. “Did you just apologize to me?”
Rayna flushes, looking down at her feet and mumbling, “I do know how to take responsibility for when I’ve hurt people. At least when they don’t deserve it.”
I honestly think I’m too stunned to reply.
“You’re still a cocky prick who oversteps and I’m sure you haven’t seen the last of me yelling at you.
But I know you well enough now to know that you would have helped.
You probably would have forced your help actually.
You have the exact brand of pushy savior complex that Sienna could have actually really used these past few years. ”
I wonder if those words taste as bitter to her as they would to me. Rayna doesn’t seem like the kind to admit she’s wrong often.
We have that in common.
“Just Sienna, then? No one else you can think of could have used my pushy savior complex years ago?”
Her lips twitch, a hint of humor creeping into her eyes. “Do you need me to say it? Will that end this moodiness so we can move on?”
Yes.
“It might help.”
“Fine.” She blows out an exaggerated breath. “I could have used your overbearing asshole-self to help me years ago too. But don’t be too cocky about that, I still would’ve bit your head off then, too.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
Rayna sighs, shoulders relaxing. “So we’re good? I’m forgiven for keeping secrets and sending dinner into a disaster?”
“You’re forgiven,” I concede. “But—”
Groaning loudly, she cuts me off. “Oh my Christ, what now?”
“But,” I continue, discreetly rolling my eyes at her outburst. “Tonight wasn’t just supposed to be dinner.”
She stills, surprised. “Oh?”
“Yes.” I dip my head in a nod. “I’ve got a surprise for Yordan. Something for his birthday. I know it’s coming up, and it seemed like a good time to reveal it. While everyone is around.”
“You know his birthday?”
“I know yours as well.”
“Wait, reveal?” she sputters. “What kind of birthday present needs a reveal? Did you say while everyone is around? It’s extravagant and excessive, isn’t it? Were you hoping I couldn’t make a scene if your family was surrounding us?”
“Yes it’s extravagant,” I reply, smiling smugly. “But as we’ve seen, you have no problem making a scene around my family.”
“Evidently not.” She glares. “How extravagant are we talking?”
“You’ll see,” I reply cryptically. “And if you want me to forgive you for your secrets and your misplaced judgment, you won’t argue with me about it. You’ll allow me to give him his gift, and you’ll keep your eye rolls to a minimum.”
“You said I was already forgiven!”
Smart girl.
I shrug, unaffected by being caught. “This is simply to seal the deal.”
She blinks. “Are you using my actions against me to get your way, Apollo Moretti?”
I should not enjoy hearing my name from her lips so much, especially not with the anger she laces it with.
Something about this girl has her easily getting under my skin. I feel like it’s been months and at the same time minutes since she crashed into my life. Or if you ask her, since I crashed into hers.
“You should really come up with something more familiar to call your fiancé, micina. Amore Mio, Bellissimo, or Tesoro come to mind.”
“Or I could call you pishka,” she suggests, the word coming out with the Bulgarian accent I’ve heard before.
“Let me guess, you called me a prick, an asshole, or something similarly vulgar?”
Her lips tip up into a cheeky grin. “Dick, actually.”
I arch a brow. “Thinking about my cock, are you?”
“Oh, do shut up,” she gripes. “Fine, Yordan can have his gift. But don’t get used to buying his love. He doesn’t need to become accustomed to being a spoiled little mafia prince. He wants to earn things, you know?”
“There will come a time for that. He should also know that he doesn’t need to claw his way up for everything he wants.”
She rubs the back of her neck, looking uncomfortable. “Why do I feel like we’re co-parenting my almost seventeen-year-old brother together?”
“Well, we are engaged, darling.”
“You’re going to milk this little farce as much as you can, aren’t you?”
“That doesn’t sound like me at all.”
She doesn’t laugh, but I can see the humor creeping in on her face. Though I feel like we could go back and forth for hours, I send her outside to get Yordan and tell her to bring him out front. I’ll need a moment to get his surprise ready and that will give me plenty of time.
Now staring down at the gift, the sun making the powder blue chrome shimmer, I grin to myself. Rayna said she wouldn’t get upset with the birthday present, but I don’t think she expected me to give him this.
The sound of footsteps on the driveway are my cue to pocket the keys in my hand, and meet the group with a small nod.
Everyone has gathered outside of the house, most of them already aware of what’s about to happen.
Not Yordan though. Rayna was instructed to tell him that I had something to show everyone.
He’ll have no idea that this is all a set up for him. Well, not until I tell him.
“New car, big brother?” Jade calls out. “Love the color.”
“Who cares about the color?” Matteo snorts. “That’s a Ferrari, sis.”
Jade tilts her head at the vehicle. “How can you tell?”
“The emblem, darling,” Dmitri tells her softly, kissing the side of her head.
“The emblem, the shape, the tires,” Yordan pipes up, eyes wide and excited. “It’s an SF90 Stradale. Custom paint, too, I think. I don’t think they come in that shade of blue. It’s a work of art.”
“What he said, then,” Jade chimes. “Great choice, Apollo.”
“You like it, Yordan?” I ask, watching as Rayna bites her lip. She’s following her brother with her eyes, trying to absorb his reactions without giving anything away. Luckily, she doesn’t seem too surprised by the gift. She seems to be adapting to the Moretti Family opulence after all.
Slowly, at least.
“It’s fucking sweet,” he replies, looking like a kid in a candy store as he comes closer, getting a better view.
“Language,” Rayna admonishes.
His eyes roll. “She swears like a sailor and wonders where I get it from.” She gives him a warning look and he sighs. “It’s freaking sweet. That better?”
“Marginally.”
He chuckles, turning back to me. “So how come the new wheels? I thought you said you weren’t much of a car guy?”
“I’m not.” I lift a shoulder, nodding down at the Ferrari. “This one’s not for me.”
“No? Elio’s then?”
“Nope.”
Yordan’s brows dip down. “Armani?”
“A newer member of the family, actually.” I pull the keys from my pocket, tossing them in his direction.
Yordan catches them instinctively, hand shooting up to grab them from mid air. He gapes, staring down at the brand new keys. Spinning around, he sees that no one is standing directly behind him. Meaning my throw wasn’t meant for anyone else.
“Happy birthday,” I add, smirking as the realization sets in.
Jade starts a cheer, yelling out happy birthday too. She’s grinning ear to ear, happy to be involved in the set up. She wanted to test out her ability to act, and she did excellent.
“Happy early birthday, Yordan,” Ana tacks on, tucking her head under Cassio’s chin as the couple watches on.
A few more well wishes ring out, and Yordan breathes out shakily.
“This is for me? Are you serious?”
“All yours,” I confirm, head dipping in a short nod. “You’ll need to learn how to drive it though. Elio and Leon have volunteered.”
“Sure did,” Leon chimes, waltzing up to the two of us and clapping a hand on Yordan’s shoulder. “We had to. You’d give Mr. Grumpy here a full head of gray hair if he tried to do it himself. Trust me, he taught me to drive and I think I nearly gave him a stroke or two.”
Or three.
“I can’t believe this,” Yordan says, voice thick with emotion. “How…why?”
“Why not?”
“How did you convince Rayna?”
Father and Leon both bark out a laugh, and his sister hides a smile. Of course that would be one of his questions when given a frivolous gift. He knows her better than anyone. For now.
“She’s warmed up to me recently,” I reply with a nonchalant shoulder lift. “It wasn’t too difficult at all, really.”
“Yeah, right.” He snorts. “You didn’t ask, did you?”
“No, no, he did not.” Rayna glares at me halfheartedly, attempting to appear like an angry mother.
Yordan cracks a grin. “But you’re not making me give it back, are you?”
“No,” she replies and huffs. “But you will drive responsibly in that death trap of a car, or you will regret it, Yordan Todorov.”
Leon chuckles. “Pretty sure she’ll turn your apartment into a prison real quick if you don’t listen to her, bud.”
“Don’t I know it.” Yordan groans. “I once rode my bike down the stairs and she took away my phone for a month. She wouldn’t let me leave the house either.”
“Brutal,” Matteo says with a chuckle.
“How dare I care about your safety,” she drawls, rolling her eyes.
In a flash, Yordan is wrapping me into a crushing hug, arms squeezing tightly around my back. “Thank you,” he mutters privately.
Patting him on the back, I reply quietly. Just for his ears.
“You’re welcome, amico.”
Friend.