The Older Mafia Boss Had Given Up on Dating—Then His Curvy Friend Secretly Set Him Up With Her
Chapter 7
Marcus told her enough.
Not every detail.
Not every name.
But enough to explain why people feared him.
His business had begun with legitimate nightclubs and restaurants.
Then came gambling.
Then loans.
Then territory disputes.
Over the years, Marcus had built a network that operated in the shadows.
Some people called him a crime boss.
Others called him a businessman.
The truth was complicated.
He had ordered things he regretted.
He had protected people by threatening others.
He had made enemies.
Elena listened.
When he finished, she stared out the window.
“I appreciate you telling me.”
“You’re afraid.”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“I understand.”
“But I’m not afraid because you’re powerful.”
Marcus looked at her.
“I’m afraid because I don’t know which version of you I’m getting.”
The words stayed with him.
Nobody had ever said that.
Everyone else assumed Marcus was one thing.
Dangerous.
Untouchable.
Cold.
Elena saw something else.
A man divided between the person he had become and the person he wished he could have been.
“I can’t promise you a perfect life,” he said.
“I don’t want perfect.”
“What do you want?”
She turned.
“Honesty.”
Marcus nodded.
“Then I’ll give you that.”
Their relationship developed slowly.
They went for walks.
Had breakfast.
Visited Elena’s bakery.
Marcus discovered that children loved him when he wasn’t wearing a suit.
He learned how to frost cupcakes.
Badly.
Elena laughed so hard she nearly dropped a tray.
“You’ve destroyed that one.”
“It’s still edible.”
“It’s supposed to look like a rose.”
“It looks like a crime scene.”
She laughed again.
Marcus smiled.
He hadn’t heard that sound directed at him before.
Then one evening, Elena found a photograph of Isabella in his study.
She didn’t touch it.
She simply looked.
“She was beautiful.”
“Yes.”
“She must have loved you.”
Marcus nodded.
“I loved her.”
Elena looked at him.
“And now?”
Marcus couldn’t answer immediately.
Finally:
“Now I’m learning that loving someone new doesn’t erase loving someone who came before.”
Elena smiled.
“That’s enough for me.”
Then Marcus kissed her.
For the first time in twelve years, he felt something other than loss.
He felt hope.
