29. Giovanni
TWENTY-NINE
GIOVANNI
T he concept of motherhood was foreign to Julia Agosti.
My father—or the man who raised me as his own, rather—showered my siblings and me with affection, while Mother outright pitted us against each other. She only had one purpose: to get her hands on power no matter what the cost.
Hence her indiscretions.
She’d take lovers and then lie and manipulate to get what she wanted. But that ended the moment I took over.
I wished I could say that I’d never see her or speak to her again.
But as I stood on her doorstep on the outskirts of Boston, I knew it was just that: wishful thinking. The three-story home with a gray brick facade sat on a large piece of land with perfectly landscaped gardens surrounding it and a pool in the back, fooling anyone into thinking Mother was a sophisticated woman whose sole purpose was ensuring her home looked pristine.
Those of us who knew better knew she had staff for that.
So it was no surprise that I was greeted by one of them.
“Mrs. Agosti is expecting you,” the butler announced the moment I walked through the entrance, and I felt the familiar tension envelop me. I was directed toward the living room where baroque-style furniture dominated the decor.
She was wearing a silky green dress with a gold belt and matching heels, sitting on her sofa like it was her own personal throne.She’d looked the same for as long as I could remember. Her dark hair fell to her shoulders, making her appear younger than her true age.
My mother’s eyes, so much like mine and my siblings’, narrowed and her lips curved into a fake smile.
“I see you’ve finally deigned to grace me with your presence,” she stated, contempt clear in her voice.
“My yacht is having repairs done down at the docks,” I told her with a fake smile. “So I can’t stay long.”
I wanted to make sure to be back at Dr. Freud’s by the time Lia was done with her appointment. I stationed guards and my brother to watch over her, but I knew if my wife wanted to ditch them, she would.
Mother rose, her posture stiff, and walked over to me, her heels clicking against the hardwood. “I heard you came back with a guest.”
“Keeping tabs on me?” I answered with my question I knew the answer to. Mother had a harem of men in Boston, sneaking and spying and doing her bidding. But her power didn’t extend beyond that and it never would.
“Where’s Romeo?” Her eyes darted behind me as if expecting him to appear out of thin air.
“He’s handling a job for me.” I didn’t owe her any explanation and her games were getting cumbersome. “You and I have to talk.”
“You sound so serious. Any chance you’ve come around?” A greedy gleam in her eyes stared back at me while I fought to keep my cool. “The Agosti and Tijuana empires are your birthright,” she supplied.
I smirked. “Hardly, considering I’m not an Agosti. Or did you forget that you cheated on your husband?”
“Listen, Giovanni, I have a plan and?—”
“No,” I cut her off, not letting her finish another thought that would probably cost lives. “Whatever plan you have in your head, I’m putting an end to it now.”
“But you could run both the Omertà and the Cartel, then?—”
“Mother, this is just a courtesy visit. There’s no more Omertà for me. I’m getting out.”
“You insolent boy,” she spat out. She raised her hand, but before it could connect with my cheek, I caught it and gripped it tightly. “You have no idea what I’ve done. All for you, ungrateful piece?—”
“Oh yes, I’m sure spreading your legs was a terrible hardship. My deepest apologies, Mother.”
She stared at me, lost for words, but that didn’t last long.
“It’s because of her .” I raised a brow but didn’t confirm nor deny. “How dare you throw away everything I’ve done for you?” She all but shouted. “You deserve better than whatever damaged scraps that girl has to offer.”
A red-hot anger flared to the surface and I took a threatening step forward, towering over her.
“Enough,” I growled. “You’d be lucky to be a fraction of the woman my wife is.”
She stared up at me in shock. “A… but… your what?”
“My. Wife.” She visibly paled, but at least she remained silent. “And I won’t tolerate another word against her. Understood?”
Mother still had some self-preservation left because she nodded. Although I wasn’t fooled into thinking this would be the last I heard on the topic. She was too power-starved for that.
I turned around and headed out of there when her words stopped me. “You’ll see the error of your ways, Giovanni.”
I glanced at her over my shoulder. “No, Mother. You will if you don’t stop your games.”