The Underboss Voted No So I Chose A New Life Chapter 03
Hadrian said it was a dinner to celebrate the end of Chloe’s marriage.
“It wasn’t easy for her to get out of that alliance,” he explained.
“The Bellinis are responsible for her protection now. We can’t have an incident on our property. Everyone just wanted to cheer her up. It’s not what you think.”
He wiped the footprint off the white shirt with a wet wipe, his movements patient.
“She paid for the suite upgrade herself.”
“I was worried about security on the estate, so I used my clearance to push the confirmation through and added the note for the restaurant.”
I asked, “You remember she likes white roses.”
“Do you know what flower I least want to get on our registration day?”
His hand stilled.
“You don’t like flowers, do you?”
I didn’t ask anything else.
Last year, on my birthday, he’d given me a bouquet of heavily scented lilies.
I was allergic to pollen. I’d coughed all night.
He’d stayed by my bed, pouring me water and promising he’d remember from then on.
It turned out what he remembered was who needed taking care of.
It just wasn’t me.
The next day, the company sent over the official transfer notice for the Austin position. I was to report by the end of the month.
I didn’t tell anyone right away.
I’d already paid the deposit for the wedding venue, and I had the planning contract in hand.
I went through every refund deadline, line by line, then called a realtor and scheduled an appraisal for the apartment.
That afternoon, Hadrian’s mother called.
“Mireille, I heard you want to postpone the registration again?”
“Yes.”
“Hadrian says you’re upset about him going away and you’re using this to scare him. I know you care about him, but the underboss’s wife can’t keep tabs on every private meeting he has.”
Her tone was still gentle.
“Be more mature. Once you’re seated at the family’s long table, don’t undermine him in front of his superiors and allies.”
“He told you I was trying to scare him?”
“Doesn’t he know you by now? Every time you threaten to leave, you’re just waiting for him to come back and make up with you, aren’t you?”
I held the phone, silent.
In seven years, I had only threatened to leave twice.
The first was when he’d vouched for one of Leo’s nightclubs. The club went under, and Hadrian was on the hook for two hundred thousand dollars in debt.
It was Family credit on the line. The debt couldn’t be delayed; it had to be settled privately.
I sold the gold bracelet my mother left me and paid it off for him.
At the time, he wrote me an IOU, swore he’d make it up to me after we were married, and held me while promising he would never again put his friends ahead of us.
The second time was at our engagement party. He left me alone to face the Bellini family boss, the adviser, and relatives from both sides so he could go pick up a drunk Chloe.
He stood outside her building all night.
The next day, I forgave him.
Apparently, to him, neither of those times had been about disappointment.
They were just ploys for his attention.
That evening, the group going on the trip came over for dinner to finalize their plans.
The moment Leo walked in, he grinned at me. “Mireille, can you throw Hadrian’s allergy meds in his bag?”
“He gets pollen allergies by the water,” he explained to the room.
Emily chimed in. “And his charger, and motion-sickness patches.”
“You’re a travel editor. You really are more thorough than any of us.”
I looked at the table full of people who had voted to keep me out of Hadrian’s inner circle.
They didn’t want me there.
But not one of them refused to take advantage of my skills or my care.
Chloe handed me a list.
“Everyone’s ID info is here. When the return tickets go on sale, could you keep an eye on them for us? You’re the best at this.”
“I’m busy,” I said.
The smile on her face stiffened.
“It’ll only take a few minutes.”
Hadrian ladled soup into a bowl for me.
“She’s been busy lately. I’ll get the tickets.”
Leo immediately waved that off.
“You? No way. Mireille stayed up till midnight to get these.”
“We’ll deal with it when the time comes.”
Hadrian slid the soup over to me and lowered his voice.
“Just eat. Don’t make a scene in front of my guys.”
I didn’t touch the soup.
After dinner, they played truth or dare in the living room.
Someone asked Hadrian, “Seriously, are you still going to hang out with us after you get married?”
“Of course.”
“And if Mireille doesn’t like it?”
Hadrian glanced at me.
“I’ll just tell you Mireille won’t let me. Isn’t that what I always do?”
Laughter broke out around the room.
I was standing at the study door, holding a sheet of paper I’d found next to the shredder.
It was in Hadrian’s handwriting.
*Chloe’s in a bad mood—if Mireille asks, just say it’s an inner-circle weekend.*
*The drinking, the all-night poker, booking the suite—say Mireille’s being too controlling. Don’t let her know.*
At the bottom was one more line, torn in half.
*If we push back the registration and the marriage acknowledgment dinner, then…*
The rest was gone.