The Older Mafia Boss Had Given Up on Dating—Then His Curvy Friend Secretly Set Him Up With Her
Chapter 4
Dinner should have been awkward.
Instead, it became the strangest peaceful evening Marcus had experienced in years.
Elena didn’t ask about his money.
She didn’t ask about his business.
She didn’t ask whether the rumors were true.
She asked him what he liked to eat.
He admitted he had forgotten.
She asked where he traveled.
He said he rarely traveled anymore.
She asked what he did for fun.
He stared at her.
“I work.”
Elena smiled.
“That’s not fun.”
“It’s efficient.”
“That’s even worse.”
Marcus laughed again.
By dessert, he was relaxed.
Elena told him about the bakery she had inherited from her aunt.
She spoke about customers who ordered the same cake every week and children who pressed their noses against the display window.
Marcus listened.
Really listened.
Then Elena asked:
“What do you actually want?”
Marcus looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
“You have everything.”
He didn’t answer.
She continued.
“A big house. Money. Influence. People who answer your calls.”
“I suppose.”
“So what do you want?”
Marcus looked down.
“I don’t know.”
Elena nodded.
“That’s an honest answer.”
He studied her.
“Why are you so comfortable asking questions?”
“I’m not.”
“You seem comfortable.”
“I’m terrified.”
That surprised him.
“Of me?”
“Of saying the wrong thing.”
“You don’t seem frightened.”
Elena smiled.
“I’m good at hiding it.”
Marcus leaned back.
“I understand that.”
Their eyes met.
Something changed.
Then a man approached their table.
“Mr. Bellini.”
Marcus’s expression immediately changed.
The warmth disappeared.
The man whispered something.
Marcus stood.
“Not here.”
“There’s a problem.”
“I said not here.”
The man left.
Elena watched Marcus.
“What happened?”
“Business.”
“Should I go?”
“No.”
He sat down.
But the mood had shifted.
Elena looked at him carefully.
“You don’t have to pretend with me.”
Marcus almost asked what she meant.
Then his phone rang.
He ignored it.
It rang again.
He answered.
“What?”
A voice on the other end spoke quickly.
Marcus’s face became rigid.
“What do you mean she’s missing?”
Elena heard enough.
“Who?”
Marcus looked at her.
“Someone close to me.”
He stood.
“I’m sorry.”
Elena rose too.
“Do you need help?”
“No.”
“Marcus—”
He looked at her.
For the first time that night, she saw the man everyone else feared.
Not because he shouted.
Because he became completely still.
“Stay here.”
Then he walked away.
Elena watched him disappear.
She thought the evening was over.
She was wrong.
