The Mafia Devil in My Inbox Chapter 04
Don DeLorenzo was dressed in a black V-neck suit.
Beneath the jacket, an oatmeal-colored fitted turtleneck peeked through the open collar.
The sweater outlined the broad planes of his chest just enough to be noticed, while the suit concealed the rest.
It left far too much to the imagination.
His fingers wrapped around a glass of water as he took a slow sip. The sheer presence of the man was intimidating.
I swallowed nervously.
Under Orlando’s prompting, I presented my proposal to Don DeLorenzo.
Once I started talking about work, however, my nerves faded. I became confident. Professional. Composed.
When I finished, Orlando applauded, “That was excellent, Hannah.”
He turned toward Dante, “What do you think?”
Both Orlando and I looked at Dante.
Dante, however, was looking at my neck. Then, out of nowhere, he said, “Hannah, that’s a beautiful necklace.”
Startled, I looked down.
The neckline of my dress was lower than usual today, revealing the diamond necklace around my neck.
Well…
A fake diamond necklace.
Panic instantly shot through me. I grabbed the pendant and tucked it beneath my collar.
Because when I’d first bought it, I’d sent Inferno a picture: “Helldog, look at my new necklace. Pretty, right?”
The photo had been a close-up of my neck with the necklace resting against my skin.
Inferno had replied: “It’s beautiful. But you deserve a much bigger diamond. One that shakes against your chest every time I fuck you.”
It made me blush for an hour.
What if Orlando recognized it?
I quickly glanced at him. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to react at all.
In fact, he was still waiting for Dante’s answer. Then again, why would he remember?
He had a fiancée. Countless beautiful women around him. To him, I was probably just a passing amusement.
I was the only one foolish enough to remember every detail of our relationship.
I lowered my hand, “It was just something I picked up. Nothing special.”
Orlando sat down beside Dante and took a sip of coffee, “Dante, stop changing the subject. Tell us what you think.”
Orlando was staring at Dante. Dante was staring at me.
Several seconds passed, then he finally said, “It’s excellent.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Orlando laughed and slapped him on the shoulder.
“See? That’s why we’re friends. Reliable as always.”
I secretly sighed in relief. All those sleepless nights revising the proposal had finally paid off.
Dante casually removed Orlando’s hand from his shoulder.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he looked at me, “I think Hannah deserves most of the credit.”
It was our first formal meeting. Yet something about the way he looked at me felt strangely unsettling.
My ears grew warm.
Across the room, Orlando looked genuinely shocked.
“Wow.” He leaned back in his chair, “Now that’s rare. Don DeLorenzo complimenting someone?”
“Getting a nice word out of you is harder than negotiating a peace treaty. I thought you were in a bad mood after getting dumped.”
My ears practically perked up.
Wait, what?
The legendary Don DeLorenzo got dumped? What kind of woman would break up with a man like him?
Before I could stop myself, my eyes flicked toward Dante. Unfortunately, his gaze drifted directly back to me.
There was something oddly resentful in his expression.
I immediately lowered my head. For some reason, guilt twisted in my stomach.
Dante looked away and took another sip of coffee, then he said flatly, “If you keep talking, I might reconsider investing in your company.”
Orlando instantly raised both hands, “All right, all right.”
“Can’t even take a joke.”
My heart was beating far too fast.
I quickly stood up, “If there’s nothing else, Don Riccardi, Don DeLorenzo, I’ll get back to work.”
Without waiting for a response, I practically escaped. I buried myself in work for the rest of the day.
Five minutes before quitting time, a man stopped beside my desk.
It was Cesare. Don DeLorenzo’s assistant.
He handed me an invitation edged in gold, “Ms. Benson, Don DeLorenzo would like you to join him for dinner tonight.”
He paused, “He also has a few questions regarding the proposal.”
I stared at the invitation.
Without thinking, I asked, “Will Don Riccardi be there too?”
Cesare looked mildly surprised, “No. He’s having dinner with his fiancée’s parents tonight.”
The familiar ache immediately returned to my chest.
Seeing my silence, Cesare added, “Don Riccardi also mentioned that if you attend, you’ll receive a bonus.”
That got my attention. Who would turn down free money?
“I’ll be there.”
That evening, I put on my second-prettiest dress. A dark emerald fishtail dress with delicate straps.
My prettiest dress was a blue one.
Inferno had helped me choose it. He’d said blue made my eyes stand out.
But ever since I’d realized Inferno was probably my cheating, playboy mafia boss, I’d shoved that dress to the back of my closet.
Following the address on the invitation, I arrived at an extravagant luxury hotel.
Dante was already standing outside waiting for me. For a split second, the image of Inferno in my mind overlapped with the man before me.
Distracted, I missed a step. My heel caught the edge of the stairs.
Before I could fall, Dante caught me. One arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me firmly against him.
The sudden contact made my breath catch.
His body was warm. Solid. Dangerously close.
“You okay, Angel?”
My head snapped up. His deep voice seemed to echo in my ears.
Then he added casually, “Why aren’t you wearing the blue dress today?”
“I-I’m fine…”
My mind went completely blank, then realization hit.
I froze.
“Wait,” I stared at him, “What did you just call me?”
