I Saved His Daughter And The Mafia Boss Won’t Let Me Leave Chapter 10
Derek turns around.
A man in a wheelchair sits a few yards away. Sharp jaw, cold eyes, the kind of presence that makes everything around him feel smaller. Marco stands behind him, flanked by bodyguards.
But Derek has never laid eyes on Roman Ashford.
He looks him up and down. The wheelchair. The blanket. The suit. Then his face splits into a grin, like he’s cracked some big joke.
“Sera. Are you serious right now? This is the guy?”
“You went out and hired some dude in a wheelchair to pretend to be your man? How much did that cost? You in debt already?”
I glare at him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Derek takes that as a win. He’s loving this.
“Wow. We split up for a week and you’re already dragging around some cripple and his kid, pretending you’ve got a family?”
“What’s the matter, babe? No real man wanted you, so you had to scrape the bottom?”
He jabs a finger straight at Roman, laughing.
“That’s just sad. You are so damn pathetic.”
“You left me for a guy who can’t even stand up?”
Roman’s eyes go black.
Before he can speak, a small voice cuts through the air like a blade.
“You’re the cripple!”
I freeze. Look down.
Lily. Face white. Shoulders shaking. Scared half to death.
But she’s standing in front of me. Between me and Derek. Shielding me.
Her eyes are red, her little fists jammed on her hips, and she screams with everything her tiny body has:
“You’re crippled in the brain!”
Derek’s jaw drops. “You little brat—”
My blood goes cold. I start to step forward.
But Roman is already there. He pulls up beside me, scoops Lily into one arm, and takes my hand with the other.
“She’s right.”
He looks at Derek. Calm. The kind of calm that makes the air go thin.
“My wife carried a fire extinguisher and totaled a car with it. She can carry me just as easily.”
“So who dares call her useless?”
I blink. Then I can’t help it. “How is that a compliment?”
Derek’s face twists. “Who the hell do you think you are? This is between me and my wife!”
Marco has had enough. He steps forward.
“Sir. I’d choose your next words very carefully.”
“You’re speaking to Roman Ashford. Head of Ashford Enterprises.”
Every drop of anger on Derek’s face turns to stone.
He looks at Roman. Then at the fleet of black SUVs lined up behind us. His face goes white. Slowly. Shade by shade.
“Ash… Ashford?”
Roman doesn’t even look at him. His eyes are on my wrist. The red marks where Derek grabbed me.
He pulls out a handkerchief and wipes my skin. Slowly. Carefully.
“Filthy.”
Derek’s eye twitches, but the smirk snaps back on. Survival mode.
“Mr. Ashford. Sorry, really, I had no idea. I’m nobody, I didn’t recognize you.”
“But this woman, your nanny? She’s actually my wife. We had a little fight and she took off. I’m just here to take her home, that’s all.”
Lily pokes her face out from behind me.
“Liar. She’s my mommy. She’s Daddy’s wife. Not yours.”
Derek stares. “She’s your WHAT?”
Lily flinches at his voice but holds on tighter to my hand.
“Mommy.”
Derek’s head whips toward me. “When did you get a kid this big?”
“You cheated on me?”
I roll my eyes so hard it actually hurts. “Derek, is something genuinely broken in your brain?”
He sputters. “No way. You were crazy about me. You’d never cheat.”
His voice drops. Something clicks behind his eyes.
“Wait. You’re really playing stepmom for somebody else?”