Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
“What?”
“Yep, Russo was able to work back the wealth that had been lost, but along with it, the respect and trust was long gone.”
“How come I didn’t know about this?” Massimo asked.
“Some things you need to know, and other things you really don’t need to know.”
“How did Russo earn that money back?”
“Hello,” Vincent said, with a smirk.
“You won it back?”
“He came to me, and of course I did. A weak leader is not what anyone wants. Russo asked me to help him, and I did. Why do you think I can get away with not going to any of the social functions? I earned his respect and my title. I earned the respect of our family. I earned my dues with Russo.”
“So, what you’re saying is we’re pretty much one of the few families that haven’t pissed Russo off?” Massimo asked.
“There are plenty who haven’t,” Vincent said. “Is that our stop?”
Massimo looked ahead, and sure enough, he saw the neon sign declaring THE GREASE BALL. Only, some of the letters were missing, and it looked more like, HE G EA E ALL.
He saw two cars, and he parked and climbed out. There were two men standing by one of the cars.
“Vigo is waiting for you,” one of the men said.
Massimo followed one of the men inside The Grease Ball. There was a single waitress behind the counter and no other customers other than Vigo sitting in front of a large stack of pancakes.
“Gentlemen,” Vigo said. “Well, well, well, I am surprised our meeting would bring out Vincent Salvatore. To what do I owe the honor of such a visit?”
****
“This is the life,” Isabella said, after taking a sip of her iced tea and sitting back on the chaise lounge.
Adelina smiled at her friend, then sat back herself.
She was in a full swimsuit, whereas Isabella was in a bikini. There were no guards around, and she had no idea when Massimo was going to get home. She had opted for a glass of orange juice, as after Massimo had left the room, she had no choice but to run to the bathroom, where she had thrown up.
At first, she had thought she was coming down with something, but after some tea and toast, that sickness had abated. While Isabella had been talking nonstop about the gossip she had heard at lunch yesterday, she had drifted off wondering the cause of her sudden morning sickness. It could only be one thing. Pregnant.
She had to be pregnant. It was the only logical explanation. No woman was sick in the morning and then miraculously healed throughout the day. She placed a hand on her stomach and wondered if she had a baby in there.
“Are you listening to me?” Isabella asked, looking toward her.
She quickly withdrew her hand and panicked. “Yes, of course I am.”
“What were you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
She shook her head.
“Adelina, you had a hand on your stomach.”
“Sorry, I was just resting.”
Isabella’s eyes went wide. “Oh, my God, is that what I think it is?”
Adelina had no idea what to say, so she forced a smile and looked at her friend. “What?”
“Are you trying to tell me you’re pregnant and I get the chance to be the world’s best auntie?” Isabella asked.
Before she had a chance to say anything, Isabella squealed and pulled her in for a hug, holding her tightly.
“This is so amazing. You are going to have a little Adelina or a little Massimo, and she is going to be so freaking cute. There is going to be, like, cuteness overload. I can’t believe it. I am so happy. This is so freaking good!”
Another squeal, and she tried not to think.
“Are you excited, because I am excited and I just know when Massimo finds out, he is going to be excited. Not that I know if he even wants kids, but that doesn’t matter right now, because you two are going to make the cutest babies and it is all going to be adorable.”
“I don’t even know if I’m pregnant yet,” Adelina said. She had been hoping to find the perfect opening to let her friend know there might not be a baby, but Isabella talked a lot. More than she even expected.
Isabella gasped and put a hand to her mouth. “So that is what we’re going to need to do. We’re going to need to go shopping.”
“Wait, Isabella, what are you doing?”
“I’m texting Daddy. That way, he will give us permission, and I know he is going to love this as he is going to be a grandpa, and once we know the news, we can organize a party.”
“A party?”
“Of four, where you can tell Massimo the good news.”
Isabella put her cell phone down, and then smiled as it pinged right back. “Yep, we have permission. Come on, I can drive, or we can get one of the guards to drive us, and I can hold your hand the whole way. Are you not excited?”