Chapter 23
“Shit,” Quentin Patino muttered as he looked away, but it was Simon’s face she was watching.
Approval. Not fear or disgust or even panic. He was pleased to see that she was aware of the truth of her nature.
It was a pity the back of her chair was so high because she wished the families standing behind her could see. They would not be kept in the dark for much longer, however, although she suspected some already knew.
“Jeremy is currently awaiting my questioning in regard to his experimentation on Alphas and Omegas, myself included. He will not be joining this table again.”
Whispers came from behind her, with more than one What and What did she just say? but Gabriella did not look away from Simon.
He nodded. “Are you intending to continue the Alpha Program, or will we be losing our muscle?”
Gabriella chuckled and looked at Matthew, who was at her side, staring down at her. Her Alpha. Her mate. Had he even once looked away during the entire discussion?
“The thing about Alphas, Simon, is that their loyalty is something fierce. We would not lose their loyalty no matter my decision, but I have a question for you. You have long disagreed with my father’s decision to keep Alphas as pets, and have only remained at this table because of your position as a forensic scientist with the police department, correct?”
Simon nodded again. “Correct.”
“Why? Why did you oppose the program?”
“Because Alphas are unpredictable, for starters. A drug that can control them? Nothing is perfect, not like that. And one day, they will fight against it and turn on all of us, if we’re not careful. But if I am wrong, then why are we not taking this widespread? Imagine the possibility, the money it would bring in. Alphas would give anything to stop them from losing their minds. So why not profit from it?”
“Because it would change the world, and the balance of power,” Gabriella pointed out. “But you are correct in your fears. An Alpha already has broken free of it, more than once. And I agree. Why not make it more widely available? With a solution to every Alpha’s greatest problem, the money we could make...” She rose from her seat at the table, and everyone else stood save for two who were a bit slower. The two still in question. “It’s the modern age. We’re no longer dealing in prohibited liquor or easily accessible drugs. Now, we fight over territory and respect and political power but it’s not bringing in the money it once did, not true wealth. Not fuck-you wealth. The time of slinging guns and boys wrestling in the streets is long over. The world has moved forward, our enemies have grown stronger and smarter and with time, my father has acquired a force greater than all the other families in this city combined.”
A force her father had squandered because he was delusional and only wanted to concentrate his power, sacrificing any progress.
“Does this mean we are no longer in the business of, well, crime?” Irene asked, although her tone said she was doubtful.
Gabriella smiled and shook her head. “No. Of course not. I doubt it would even be possible, given the fact that the police force, and the government are corrupt, that money rules everything, and that I aim to have the biggest wallet. I simply see this as an opportunity for growth. Much of what we do will continue, simply because of who we are but I’m planning—”
Having gotten ahead of herself, she peered at Marco, who was giving her a look.
He was proud of her thus far, but there was a slight warning in his look, to rein herself back in before they continued with the meeting.
“I know, I know.” She rolled her eyes at him as she shared a private smile. “Honestly, Marco. You must keep me on task.”
Marco took her hand reverently and bowed his head. “I will try my best, but you are, after all, the boss.”
Gabriella smiled at him again and nodded before looking at the rest of the table, then dropped her smile.
“I am, aren’t I?”
One by one, each man and the lone woman nodded.
She was the boss, and her words were what mattered most. Her decisions. She was in charge, sitting at the head of the table. Her power was absolute.
Good. Very good.
“Sit, please.” Gabriella stepped away from her chair and turned to look at the others in the room.
The families of the three men were still standing together, separated into groups but no longer separated by family. The young men she would question first stood at the back, which was no surprise. A woman in power? She would have to ask each to reaffirm their positions within the family as they grew older. A few already worked for their fathers—and work was a strong word for some.
Her gaze then shifted to her friends, all three standing in front of their mothers. Two were looking at her, shocked and confused, but Sybil was not meeting her eye.
It was so clear to her, as she approached the three older women, that her suspicions were confirmed. Like recognized like. All three were Omegas, with glands hidden under high collars and long sleeves. How long had they suffered because of her father’s ambitious plan? Did they have Alphas? Were they suffering the same pain her mother had?
Taking in a deep breath, Gabriella walked up to the one of the younger boys, his blond hair giving him away as Addison’s younger brother and Quentin Patino’s only son. He was an Alpha, although barely a teenager and too young for injections or to present. There was a good chance he was completely unaware of his nature, or that even Quentin knew his son was an Alpha, as it rarely became obvious until they were older, but the signs were there. It would be undeniable, the older he got.
“Look at me. You’re not in trouble. I’m an Omega, and I’m the boss. Is that a problem?”
She spoke quietly, not wanting the others across the room to hear.
“You’re the boss,” the boy answered and nodded once.
She turned attention to the other two younger boys, so young she could not place their designation. She smiled at them, then turned her attention back across all three. “You’re all going to work for the good of the family, doing as your mothers say, yes?”
All three nodded, adding on a “Yes, ma’am” one by one, and she straightened up and looked toward the two older Betas watching her carefully. One, she had suffered through the monotony of a date, but she couldn’t remember the other’s name.
“You both work for your father, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the younger one confirmed.
The other one, Michael, nodded.
“I’m the boss?” she asked, wanting verbal confirmation so Matthew could detect any lies.
“You’re the boss,” one brother answered, followed by the other.
“Michael,” Gabriella greeted, stepping closer to the older brother. “Get help. If you want to work for me, I have to be able to trust you, and a gambling addiction at such a young age does not suit a man who works closely with money. You will one day take a seat at this table, but that will never happen if I cannot trust you. Do you understand?”
Alcohol wafted off him.
He nodded. “Yes, Miss. Santorini.”
Good. Very good. Excellent that the two boys older than her were willing to recognize their place.
There was one more son missing, but Quentin Patino’s oldest was away at university. He was a Beta, as she already knew Addison’s mother was his second wife, the first likely having been set aside in her father’s pursuit for an Alpha son.
Gabriella glanced over to Matthew and watched as nodded.
Good, all of them. Perfect, although a bit surprising. She suspected there would be some issues ahead, depending on how their fathers had raised them, but for the moment, they could all be trusted, particularly the younger ones.
The door opened as Alessandro stepped back into the room, and he looked toward her, not yet closing the door. Across the hallway to the sitting room, two Alphas waited for the boys and, soon, their mothers.
She moved toward the three Omega wives, who watched her warily. Did they know that she was aware? Did they know how much in total she knew? Did they know what was coming next?
“Ladies, I would like it if next week, we can all sit down for lunch. I apologize for not inviting you all over sooner, but I think we have much to discuss. Irene, you’ll join us, correct?”
“I will be there,” the Beta confirmed, and Gabriella gave the three women a nod before her smile fell.
“I apologize, as I imagine what I will say next is not how any of you planned for this announcement to go, but it simply cannot wait.”
Her attention turned to the last three women, who were all standing together, watching her.
Addison looked confused. If Gabriella had to guess, the blonde used it as a tactic to play down her intelligence, and she appreciated it. She knew how to play the game. Teresa’s frown would need work, however.
“I wish I could break this to you gently, but I promise you, this revelation will be far more gentle for you than it was for me. Do your fathers have you taking medication that is for your health, but you have no idea what it’s really for?”
They were all younger than her, so it was very possible they had never felt the symptoms of their true nature, particularly if they had not yet met their Alpha. That seemed to have jumpstarted Gabriella’s own issues, so she had to assume that, with the suppressant, it would be the same for them.
“Yes,” Addison confirmed, with Teresa nodding.
Sybil did not respond, still looking down.
“Are you aware that your fathers all took an Omega as his wife in hopes of having an Alpha son to marry me off to? My father originally hoped I would be an Alpha son, but he was stuck with me. I imagine you’re all on the same suppressant I was on. It’s time you all knew the truth.”
Gabriella watched all three, waiting for their reactions.
“We’re Omegas,” Sybil confirmed.
Addison looked toward the doorway—or more specifically, to Alessandro, who stared back.
Teresa, unsurprisingly, had the most visceral reaction. As dawning settled on her face, she lunged toward the table. Toronto was in between her and her father in an instant, keeping the other woman from closing the distance and lashing out.
“You already knew,” Gabriella said to Sybil, ignoring Teresa’s demands of letting her free.
“Yes,” Sybil confirmed, finally looking up. “My father told me a few years ago.”
Gabriella nodded before looking at Hugo Tocalli, who was now staring at the table.
Her father had expressly forbidden anyone from telling her the truth, and she suspected that went as far as telling their daughters. After all, the best kept secret was one which no one else was aware of. So, why had Hugo told his daughter, and how long had she known?
“Mrs. Tocalli.” Gabriella looked to the three older women and waited until one met her eyes. “Is your husband a good man? You can be honest with me.”
The woman smiled, nodding. “Yes... Yes, he’s... It was not love at first, but it has become that with time. He’s a good man.”
He was a man who would keep his seat at the table, and his life.
“He allows me to take college classes online,” Sybil added. “He... he’s loyal, to your father and to you as well, but he doesn’t see Omegas in the same way your father did. He’s a good man, Gabriella. Miss. Santorini.”
Gabriella nodded and reached out, touching the other girl’s hand. She gave it a tiny squeeze along with a smile, glad to hear such things.
It was interesting to see her intuition proving true. Hugo had perplexed Marco, but now, it seemed they knew the truth of the man’s feelings. He was not disloyal to her father, although he apparently talked up his abilities while relying on his daughter to perform certain tasks.
An issue with delegation? She could work with that.
What she couldn’t change was disdain for the power of women and Omegas.
“Thank you,” Gabriella said as she turned her attention back to Sybil’s mother and then to the other women standing with her. “For your time, and for your patience with me. I know the hour is late, but we will only be a few more minutes. I will speak to you all in the coming days, but for tonight, I think we are done. The Santorini Family is exactly that, and I intend to see what each of you can bring to the table. If you will, please, there’s a sitting room across the hallway. The rest of your family will join you soon, and I wish you all a good night.”
Each Omega woman bowed their heads before gathering up their sons, quickly moving to leave. Addison and Sybil followed, but Gabriella stopped them.
“Not you two. We still have business to attend to. And Teresa, for the love of all that is sacred, gain control of your emotions before I reconsider my decisions.”
Teresa was still angry, although no longer fighting to get past Toronto. Not with Matthew now standing beside her father. Alessandro was at his side, behind Quentin’s chair.
They were ready for her to continue, but she waited a moment longer for the last boy to make their way through the door. She didn’t need them to see their fathers dragged out.
“There’s only two empty seats left, if we ignore Mr. Bertino’s seat,” Addison said, her voice just as animated as normal. Gabriella nodded as she made her way around the table, toward where Sybil and Addison stood. “And I doubt you intend for any of us to sit across from you.”
“Why would you sit at this table?” Quentin hissed, rising from his chair as he braced his hands on the table. “She said business . Now that she is settled, you will finally be handed off to another to deal with.”
Interesting. Quentin was not as bright as his daughter was, although she hid it. Perhaps that was why Addison pretended to be ditzy and airheaded, when Gabriella could tell she was not. Was her tone and accent a bit high pitched and giggly? Yes. But every word she spoke, every question, was always an intelligent one.
“You’re right,” Gabriella confirmed, not giving Quentin a single glance. “A few more adjustments need to be made to the seating arrangement.”
Gabriella brushed the top of the empty chair beside Irene, and Hugo rose from his chair without her even asking.
His head was lowered, and she suspected he was preparing himself for the worst, given how he had disobeyed her father, but his daughter’s support would be rewarded. He recognized her intelligence and abilities, ignoring her gender and designation. It was a pity her father could not have done the same.
“Thank you, Hugo, for your years of service to this family. I understand that you have gone against my father’s wishes, but you will find that I actually support your decision. You have sat at the end of this table for far too long. If you could make your way around the table, a seat will soon be made available to you.”
Hugo Tocalli’s head raised, his eyes wide, and she flicked a tiny smile and a nod as he bowed his head in acceptance. The man had prepared himself for the worst, and she stepped back as he paused by Simon’s chair, clearly uncertain of where to go.
Gabriella tossed her hair over her shoulder as she glanced toward the two Alphas standing ready. All they needed was her acknowledgment, and they would act before either man sitting in front of them could react.
“Move,” Gabriella snapped, her eyes focused on Lucien.
At once, Matthew moved forward and grasped Lucien by the upper arms, yanking him out of the chair after she had ordered him out of it.
The man struggled immediately, but he was no match for Matthew’s strength. Quentin turned and reached for his friend and his weapon, but Alessandro was already there, grabbing the man’s forearms and yanking them behind his back. He was far from gentle with his actions, and Gabriella smirked as the Alpha looked across the room but not toward her.
Interesting. Very, very interesting.
“You don’t want to do that,” Alessandro told the man in his grasp, his voice low.
Irene leaned toward Marco, her voice hushed, but Gabriella could still make out the words. “I trust they, too, have been... vipers in your midst?”
“Not to the same level as your husband,” Marco confirmed, and Gabriella met his gaze as the man glanced toward her. “Yes, but I suspect the current handling of them has been made worse due to their mistreatment of Omegas.”
“Mistreatment?” Lucien hissed. “I will treat my wife and daughter however I choose. It’s your father who chose that bitch for me, only for her to give me a brat like your mother did to him. Useless. I had a perfectly submissive wife before, only be shouldered with—”
Toronto was suddenly there, silencing the man with a solid punch in his jaw. It silenced Lucien, but Gabriella’s attention was instead on Toronto, who was shaking out his hand while Teresa stood beside him, still glaring at her father.
“Silence would not do you any harm in this moment,” Gabriella cautioned both Lucien and Quentin, the latter of whom was half bent over the table with his arms still held behind his back. “Now then, where was I? Ah, yes. Addison. . .”
Gabriella stepped toward the two girls and looped her arm through. As they reached Hugo’s empty seat, Gabriella gestured for the blonde to take it. She seemed uncertain for a moment, but Gabriella nodded again.
“You and I will need to have a talk soon, I think, but for now, consider this chair to be yours. Perhaps next week? You can join Matthew and myself for lunch. Alessandro will likely join us, if you don’t mind.”
The smile Addison gave her told Gabriella everything she already knew, and she could tell the girl was resisting the urge to hug, so she stepped away to dodge the affectionate gesture and to continue the meeting. She was growing tired, and she knew she was not the only one.
She also had a conversation from earlier to finish with Matthew.
“Hugo, the one Matthew just helped Lucien from, if you will,” Gabriella said as she turned to look at the room. Her glare barely even passed Lucien, now half dangling from Matthew’s hold and instead focused on the empty chair. “In the future, if you cannot complete a task assigned to you, delegation is of course more than acceptable. Sybil establishing the security in your club was very beneficial to me, and I suspect she has done more than just the one location. In the future, don’t lie to the boss about what you can and cannot do, yes?”
Hugo nodded and swallowed, carefully moving between the two Alphas to take his seat. Whether he would continue to handle the clubs and restaurants, she didn’t know, but that was something for Marco to sort in the coming days.
Delegation. She would practice it herself.
“And Sybil, if you will, this one.” Gabriella tapped the back of the empty chair between Irene and Addison. “I’m excited to hear more about your studies, but I will be selfish and ask that you continue studying online or at least attending locally. We can discuss it further later, of course.”
“I’m content studying online,” Sybil confirmed as she stepped forward with a cool grace emulating Irene’s. “And thank you, for listening to my mother and I about my father.”
Gabriella nodded before looking across the table toward Simon, who was sitting back in his chair, relaxed.
It seemed he knew there was nothing to fear.
“And you, cousin. You and I will have a lot of work ahead of us. My father lost his temper with the Commissioner more than once. I understand the position this has placed you in but do not worry. I intend to smooth over old misunderstandings and reestablish our support of his... cause.” Meaning, they would resume paying into the police commissioner’s pocket in exchange for what she wanted and needed. “Now, if you will, please shift over one seat.”
Simon rose from his seat and Alessandro lifted Quentin from the table to haul him away from the chair. Both he and Lucien were quiet, as they were in no position to argue at present. That suited her just fine.
Gabriella nodded toward Marco, who nodded back, then bowed his head to Irene before rising from his chair. That caused a slight stir from everyone who was sitting at the table. Marco continued his way around until he took the place Simon had long occupied.
To sit so far away from the boss, given his position, should have been considered an insult, but it had been Marco’s request to do so, wanting to clear the path to the future.
He was rather pragmatic, when not intoxicated. Gabriella would have to keep mimosas and Bloody Marys away from the breakfast table, at least until business had been concluded each day.
She liked this new man, liked the spring in his step. He reminded her more and more of the man she remembered from her youth, when he almost always had a little present for her as her favorite uncle, whether it be a sweet or a trinket. She wanted to see more of him and less of the drunk who had tried to force his nephew onto her.
“Thank you, Marco.” She didn’t move until he was seated, then followed and placed her hand on his shoulder affectionately. The old man looked up at her, a twinkle of pride in his eyes, and she gave him another smile before peering toward the head of the table. “Uncle, if you will.”
Toronto stepped toward the seat to the left of hers. Even as he sat, however, he turned his attention toward Teresa, who kept staring at her father, as though he could somehow get away from Matthew’s hold.
Clearly, years of trauma and struggle were bubbling to the surface, given how she had lashed out. Though Gabriella would not admonish her for that. A therapist was likely in Teresa’s future, but time and distance would also be an exceptional move to heal her heart.
Perhaps her next gesture would do a lot of good as well.
“Teresa,” Gabriella said, pulling the other Omega’s attention back to her. It didn’t take an Alpha to sense the pain rolling from the girl, but Gabriella stepped between her and her father, keeping Teresa’s focus on herself. “You and I have much to discuss but right now, I need you to take your seat at the table.”
Teresa finally looked toward the table itself, as though for the first time, and scanned until her eyes settled on the one Marco had just vacated. It was the only one left open save for Gabriella’s seat and the one directly across from hers. Realization set in on the other girl’s face, but still, she seemed to need verbal confirmation.
“That chair is for your right hand.”
“Yes,” Gabriella confirmed. “It is. Please, go sit, so we can finish this.”
Teresa seemed hesitant but finally made her way around the table and away from her father.
Gabriella faced the men still standing. Neither looked at her, Lucien glaring toward Teresa and her new seat. Apparently, he found enough wisdom to hold his tongue. A useful thing, given she would gladly cut it out if he insulted anyone sitting at the table again.
“Quentin Patino. Lucien Calvet. Do you believe in a higher power?”
She doubted it. These men only ever believed in themselves, and the power they could create with their own two hands.
“Now would be the time to start calling to it because if the final decision were up to me, I would not be merciful. I would make it painful. My father didn’t order you to take Omega wives—you chose that for yourselves, in hopes of producing an Alpha that would one day sit in my father’s chair. Do not say they were difficult because clearly, Hugo made it work with his own wife, but the two of you, I suspect, have only shown your wives cruelty.”
Neither spoke, and Gabriella took a deep breath. “But those are not crimes against this family. So, let’s discuss those instead. Money laundering is interesting, isn’t it, Quentin? You tuck money into various pockets, fluffing them up, adding them to the ledger where you can but always slipping more into your own pocket rather than my father’s. And Lucien, your son’s gambling addiction was one learned from you, was it not? He is fortunate that the only money he gambled with was his own trust fund, but you... you used my father’s money, trying to make deals separate from my father’s wishes as well. Do you deny it, either of you?”
They did not, although Quentin seemed like he wanted to speak. Alessandro’s hold on him had tightened, however, keeping the man silent.
“You will be pleased to know that what happens to you is not my decision. I’m trying this new thing that my father shied away from. Delegation. I am delegating the decision to another. But now is where your relief shall end, for the final decision will be with your wives.”
Lucien looked up at her, horrified, his face going nearly white. He looked near to fainting, and in seconds, Matthew was dragging the man down to the cells, where Rafael was waiting for his own end. Alessandro followed with Quentin, who was calling out to Addison to look at him, begging for her mercy.
Addison, to her credit, did not look away from her hands resting in her lap. She was clearly stronger than anyone had ever given her credit for.
The door was pulled closed behind Matthew by the Alpha standing guarding the door, and Gabriella moved to her seat and stood behind her chair, the back of it coming to her chest.
Every person gazed at her, and she took a deep breath before taking her seat.
To her left sat Toronto, Hugo, Simon, and Marco, while to her right was Teresa, Irene, Sybil, and Addison. Men faced women, four Omegas in total sat at the table. Soon, an Alpha would join them. They were stepping into the future, reaching for progress, and with this group, Gabriella would only have success.
The door opened, and Gabriella smiled as she watched Matthew enter, unaccompanied.
Likely, he had handed Lucien off to another waiting Alpha, although she was interested to know why Alessandro had not followed. While he was not a member of the inner circle, that was more of a yes than a no. Perhaps soon, but there were other things at play, like him being unmated and, therefore, unpredictable while still on the injections.
Matthew walked across the room toward her. Gabriella lifted her hand toward him and smiled privately as he kissed the back of it.
The gesture sent a shiver down her spine, reminding her of their earlier conversation . She needed to wrap this meeting up before even the Betas could detect her current desires.
“Take your seat,” Gabriella chided teasingly as she pulled her hand away.
Matthew bowed his head and strode to the empty chair. Once he was settled, and all attention was back on her.
“My father made mistakes. Not large ones but small ones can build without resolution. I want to be clear—the actions taken here tonight were not for personal vendettas but because the amount of money they took from my father is in the upper six figures and that’s only what we have tracked down thus far from the past few years. The stress it caused him and the pain was why I concentrated on business and accounting because the only math I trust is my own. We’ve fallen behind on paying our taxes because of this. That will one of the first things we remedy. I am not saying to not take your cut, and I intend for it to be larger than what my father allowed, but I want more than just your allegiance because I pay. I want your trust. Your respect. Loyalty that goes beyond your bank accounts.”
Everyone at the table nodded, and she dropped her shoulders to relax.
Each person at this table was an ally, and all could be trusted. Only time would tell if any within the circle would turn on her, but the bigger battle would be moving beyond the inner circle.
Every Boss had underlings, soldiers, managers, all working their way up the chain. Could the women at the table trust their own? Would the soldiers turn on them? Or would their family names, with an Alpha at their side, be enough to keep peace?
“The reason why the Santorini Family has always been the strongest is because of the dedication of every person within the family to serving a common goal. To serving their Boss. It might happen to other families, but there has never once been a traitor within the Santorini Family and to see it happened under my father’s watch... In the old days, ours was a name to be feared. The Boss of Bosses, they called my great-grandfather. A silly name, of course, but it was a name given for a reason. Every other family knew to pay him his due respect. We have fallen over the years, not to the point of loss of control but my father took on too many tasks for himself, rather than sharing the power and wealth. It caused others to get greedy, to try to make their own progress. I will not make the same mistakes he did. I mean to return us to the Santorini way.”
Marco was nodding, as was Irene, the only two at the table to remember the family under her grandfather. He had left large shoes for her father to fill, and her father had failed. She would not repeat his blunders.
“Everyone at this table now has a voice. If I ask for your opinion, I expect it. The truth of it. And I will ask for it, often—”
“But keep it respectful.” Toronto chuckled to himself, which Marco joined in.
Others still looked tense.
“Yes,” Gabriella agreed. “Respectful. If you respect me, I will give respect in return. But when I have made my final decision, it will be absolute. I am not a woman, nor an Omega, to be trifled with. Am I understood? Marco, do you have anything to add?”
Marco cleared his throat and stood, surprising Gabriella. “I owe you all an apology and a further explanation.”
The man almost seemed nervous. Almost as though he was going off script.
Gabriella looked to Matthew, questioning, but Matthew’s face was calm and cool, not even his hardened mask he normally wore. Whatever Marco was about to say, Matthew was expecting it, if not fully in the know.
“You should know my nephew is also an Alpha, and it was he who was the final blow to Renaldo’s heart, I suspect. Gabriella had her father’s blessing to pursue Matthew and my nephew did not take kindly to being set aside. He was determined to have her for himself and attempted to take her. It did not end well for him. When Renaldo was informed that Gabriella had nearly been taken by Petyr, he was warned by the physicians that he was pushing himself too hard. A hospital stay and more testing and treatment were recommended, but he refused until he knew Gabriella was safe. Once he knew she was, he ignored the physicians calls, but the damage was already done. I feel it is my fault my nephew was encouraged to pursue Miss. Santorini and now, my oldest friend... he’s...”
If they were fake tears, they were very good ones.
Marco could not finish his statement as he sat, his head bowed.
Gabriella waited for someone to say something, uncertain what she even could say, until Irene broke the silence.
“Your father, Miss. Santorini, was a great man. A powerful man. A flawed man. Because he was, in fact, just that. A man. I say this with all due respect, but if he chose to ignore the warnings of his physicians, then the blame lies solely on himself for the final blow. Do not blame yourself for your father’s sharp decline. I am just happy you are safe, and with us once more, and now engaged. We cannot alter the past, but we can make progress toward the future. I expect you will not make the same mistakes your father did.”
Along with the agreements around the table, Gabriella nodded, grateful for Irene’s words.
“Your father won’t be waking up, will he?” Simon asked. Every eye at the table shifted to him. “It would be... That sort of damage. The quality of life.”
Gabriella nodded, considering the hidden meaning.
Was he asking her if she would be making certain her father would not survive, or was he giving his approval to make certain it did not happen?
“We will see what the doctors say in the morning, but it does not look good,” Toronto answered. “It is far graver than Gabriella would like to admit. If there was any hope, no permanent changes would have been made. No. He will most likely not be waking up.”
Not a word was spoken, but everyone agreed. Whether they were recognizing the severity of the situation or approving of any action to make it a certainty, it did not matter. In their eyes, Renaldo Santorini was as good as dead. All that mattered now, to them, was moving forward.
“Well, I think the hour is late enough, and I have an early morning. There will be much to discuss in the next few days, and we shall need to handle those downstairs, but none of it is something that cannot wait until the morning. Teresa, Addison, Sybil, I’m assigning you an Alpha team each, for both your own security, and as a sign of muscle. You will each have the hardest battle as we move forward.”
They all nodded, and Gabriella finally rose from her chair. Every person in the room did the same, their focus on her, waiting for her dismissal.
She didn’t know what else to say, tired of talking. She wanted to sleep—or at least stop thinking.
It was almost amusing, how the hardest thing to decide all evening was how to dismiss her new inner circle.
“I will see you all in the morning. Eleven o’clock. Good night.”
Gabriella leaned against the edge of her desk, arms crossed under her breasts, too tired to even find words.
However she had expected the night to go, it wasn’t like that. It was too easy. Too simple. Entirely according to plan. A takeover, particularly a partially hostile one, should’ve never gone that smoothly.
Granted, she had been educated on business administration, but business administration wasn’t really the same as the mob. In essence, she had taken control of a company and replaced half the board with new loyal ones.
“I can’t believe that went so well,” she muttered to herself, trying to not think about what was coming next. “It was almost too easy. Too simple.”
“Taking control of that lot was always going to be easy,” Marco commented, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s going to be the rest of them. The underlings. The ones who make the day to day happen. Change always makes a man consider his place in the world and many of them won’t like it being underneath a woman.”
“I know.” She let out a long sigh, too tired to even start thinking about it. “And there’s still the three downstairs, plus Dr. Jeremy Ford, and everyone who worked for him and—”
She was going to have to have Matthew by her side, always, as a show of force. Marco as well.
“And my nephew,” Marco added, as though Gabriella had forgotten him.
She had not. She could not so long as her gland remained unbroken, and she wasn’t soul bound to Matthew.
“Matthew won’t let him live,” Gabriella answered after a long pause. “You know that, don’t you?”
“You’re the boss. It’s your decision.”
“I don’t feel safe so long as he lives.” She looked toward her uncle, who was leaning against the back wall, eyes closed. “But I guess I’ll eventually get used to that feeling, of constantly feeling like there’s a target on my back.”
“Tomorrow, then. We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”
“They can sit all sit in a cell and rot, for all I care but yes. Tomorrow. Maybe the next day. Put them at the bottom of the list to deal with.”
Toronto cracked a smile, despite his eyes being closed. “The thing is, Gabriella, for as high of a house your father had built over the years, there were still cracks in the foundation. You’ve stepped in, removed the cracked beams, added newer and stronger ones, and will slowly fill in the foundation. Was it really an easy takeover or was it a change of power long overdue, and the hard part will instead be the work ahead?”
He was right.
Marco groaned at the other man. “Another construction metaphor? You’re a member of the Santorini Family now, officially. Speak like it.”
“Fuck off,” her uncle muttered, but there was nothing vile in his tone.
The two men had truly settled their issues, whatever they were. It was about time.
“The lack of chairs in this office is stupid,” Gabriella complained, despite the empty chair behind the desk. If the elders couldn’t sit down, neither would she. “Pick out some chairs and make sure you’re comfortable in them, since you’ll be using them the most. Think the pair of you can cooperate enough to do that?”
Toronto snorted.
Marco chuckled. “Our support for you and your cause, and our love for your mother, has made us join forces. We can figure it out.”
Her mother? Their love for her—
Matthew walked through the door, approached her, and spared neither man a glance, his hands on her waist as he kissed her. Hard.
All thoughts disappeared as her body pressed against his, and she moaned against his mouth as he laid her back on the desk, leaning over her.
He tasted amazing, like whiskey and Wintergreen mints, and she wanted more. Wanted to explore him, the man. Wanted to know him as herself, not as an Omega.
She wanted and needed him, desperately. Now.
Marco cleared his throat and said something, but Gabriella couldn’t hear a word. All she knew was Matthew’s heart beating against her hand on his chest and his low growls as his mouth left hers and moved to her throat.
“Don’t bother. She’s not listening.”
That, she heard, this time from her uncle.
He was right.
The hem of her dress slid up as Matthew’s hand glided down her leg, spreading her legs to slot himself against her.
With how hard he was, he was aching for her, and the last thing she registered was the door clicking shut, meaning they were alone.
“Finally, we’re alone,” Matthew growled into her shoulder, nudging at the strap on her dress with his nose. “I can’t stop. Don’t tell me to stop, Gabriella. Fucking need you. Need to touch you. Taste you.”
“Don’t stop,” she whispered as she grasped his hair and pulled his face back to hers.
It was so different to touch him and kiss him with full awareness, to feel in control of her own body. She felt stronger than she had in years, and he was more reckless, which felt stupid, as Alphas were meant to be reckless. But she liked this—loved this, even—loved how he wasn’t trying to hold back.
As an Omega, she had likely seemed breakable in his Alpha hands, but as a woman, she was made for this. Made to be touched by him.
“Fuck, no, we should stop,” Matthew growled as he tried to pull back. She let go of his hair but grasped the front of his shirt, keeping him close. “You need rest. The next few weeks will be crucial. Many will stand against you and—”
“And I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
“Fuck,” he groaned as he kissed her again, then took off his suit jacket. “Fuck, you were so damn beautiful in there, fucking sexy as you snapped at them to move. My Omega, the boss. Fucking—”
“I liked it. I liked the power. I like that I can get what I want.”
“You can have whatever you want,” he growled as he unbuttoned his shirt sleeves and tugged it off, leaving him in just his undershirt. “Anything you fucking want, I’ll give it to you. All you have to do is ask.”
“You,” she giggled. “Right now, all I want is you.”
He yanked his undershirt over his head, then moved back to her, kissing her again. Possessive in his kiss, he was determined, and he continued pulling her skirt up to her waist. His hand moved back down to her leg, and he groaned as his fingertips ran along the top of her stockings and then higher to touch her naked slit.
“Fuck. You’re not even in heat, but I can smell how wet you are, even without the slick. Not even wearing underwear? Dammit, Gabriella, I’m only a man. An Alpha.”
“An Alpha who isn’t in rut, but still behaving like he’ll die without his Omega,” she teased, reaching behind her back to try and unzip her dress. “Think you can handle fucking me without the extra slick?”
“I don’t have a knot. Think it will still feel good?”
“You didn’t have a knot last time either so yes, it will feel good, but you’ll have to put in more effort, you know. You can’t just... slide it in without working for it.”
Matthew pulled back as he looked around the room, as though only just remembering where they were. “In your father’s office. I know it’s yours now, but still smells like him in here.”
“Yes, and I’m the boss, and I get what I want, right?” Raising her brow, she studied him. “I think I want you to start on your knees.”
Foreplay had not been a heavy part of her heat, as they had been too desperate. Simply being around one another had put them into a frenzy, but now that they were man and woman, not Alpha and Omega... she would definitely enjoy her heat cycles, being knotted on his cock for hours, feeling him in and around her, unable to escape the perfection that was the two of them wrapped up in one another—but right then?
She wanted to see just how hard he was willing to work to give her pleasure.
“Fuck, I’m the luckiest man to ever walk in this office,” Matthew groaned before pressing another kiss to her lip, then sank onto one knee. “Keep the shoes on.”
Having given up unzipping herself, she hadn’t taken anything off, but with the lack of underwear, she wouldn’t really need to.
As Matthew spread her thighs and tossed one leg over his shoulder, she pressed a heel into his exposed back, smirking as he hissed a little too loudly for an Alpha who barely felt any pain.
“Anything you ask of me, I’ll gladly grant it,” Matthew vowed, his hands sliding up the inside of her thighs. “But I think I’ll get more out of this than you will.”
Gabriella gasped as he spread her folds, exposing her sex to the cool air, only to quickly feel the warmth of his tongue.
Nothing else mattered beyond that.