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Chapter 2

Author: Velvet
Vanessa came back from the office without a single tear.

There wasn't even a frown.

She was smiling.

Leo followed her, looking less like the Don's terrifying right-hand man and more like a personal escort.

He cleared his throat.

“The bonus reduction has been canceled. No overtime tonight. Mr. Romano is taking the department to dinner.”

A ripple of astonishment traveled through the room.

“Vanessa will also be joining Mia as deputy team lead in Planning.”

He paused.

“And, to avoid any confusion, Mr. Romano has confirmed that they are in a relationship.”

There was plenty of confusion. Just not the kind Leo meant.

Vanessa had been here six months.

I'd worked for five years to get the same position.

But who was going to complain?

Nobody expected a man as distant as Dante to show such open favoritism. I wasn't even sure jealousy was the right word for what moved through the office.

Most people simply looked dazzled.

They abandoned their desks and crowded around her.

“You're dating him?”

“How did you even get him to talk to you?”

“You saved us. And got us dinner.”

Vanessa stood in the middle of it all, smiling shyly beneath perfect red lipstick.

I checked my phone under the desk.

Nothing.

Atlas hadn't tried to stop me leaving. Apparently, that was it for us.

I was on my way to make coffee when Vanessa detached herself from the crowd.

“Mia?”

“What's up?”

She hesitated prettily.

“The pen you lent me. Was it from your boyfriend?”

“Yeah. The online one.”

“Have you ever seen him?”

“Not yet. We met on a hobby forum. We haven't done the face-to-face part.”

I looked toward Dante's closed door.

“The pen didn't get you into trouble, did it?”

“No. Nothing like that.”

She smiled.

“I really like writing with it. Would you sell it to me?”

It was a lovely pen. Substantial, smooth, probably far more expensive than anything I'd buy myself.

But keeping it felt like keeping an invitation to miss someone.

“Just keep it.”

“Are you sure? If your boyfriend gave it to you—”

“We broke up.”

“Oh. Why?”

I lowered my voice.

“Terrible timing. We argue, my work life explodes. I'm choosing peace.”

She considered that with surprising seriousness.

“Tell me about him?”

Then she seemed to realize how odd the question sounded.

“I mean, men can be so difficult to understand. I haven't dated much, and Dante's hard to read.”

I picked up my coffee.

“You seem to be doing pretty well.”

I smiled and went back to work.
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  • I Dumped the Don Without Knowing It   Chapter 10

    Dante laughed.“There's one more place.”“Should I be worried?”“No. This one's important.”I settled back in my seat.With him, the uncertainty was starting to feel less like fear and more like possibility.He drove downtown to a tower that occupied some of the most expensive real estate in the city.Inside, people interrupted themselves to greet him.“Mr. Romano.”A few of the older men said, “Don Romano,” more quietly.“This is the family's main office,” he told me. “I worked here before I came to your company.”Worked here. Such a modest way to describe preparing to inherit an empire.Everyone who passed us looked like the most competent person in a room full of competent people.I glanced around, suddenly conscious of the distance between our lives.It wasn't his face or his abilities that worried me.It was the family. The wealth. The men who straightened when he walked past. The obligations attached to the title Don.I didn't think I was worth less than he was.I knew families l

  • I Dumped the Don Without Knowing It   Chapter 9

    Dante stood by the window with his hands in his pockets.Even his back was distracting. Deeply inconvenient in an employer.“Mr. Romano. What do you need?”He turned, hiding a smile badly.“Nothing. I missed you.”“We were in a car together ten minutes ago.”I went to stand beside him.“If that's all, I have work.”“Wait. Are you very busy?”“Yes.”The promotion question had been sitting in my chest all morning. If I let it stay there, it would turn into something uglier.“Why Lucy instead of me?”He looked at me.“For team lead.”A pause.“I thought a promotion here would mean longer hours. We'd have less time together.”I stared.“Dante.”“I know how that sounds.”“It sounds like you made a decision about my career based on your dating schedule.”He accepted that without arguing.“If you want the role, I will respect that. Or tell me what you do want, and we'll discuss it properly.”I took a breath.“First, everyone here is exhausted. Including you. Something has to change.”“What do

  • I Dumped the Don Without Knowing It   Chapter 8

    He remembered my favorite color.My breakfast order.The small things I'd mentioned and forgotten.Dante was still Atlas. I just had to learn how to see him.After breakfast, I looked at the clock.Ten.Ten in the morning.For a woman who was supposed to have been at her desk an hour ago, this was not a relaxing discovery.I drained my coffee and reached for a napkin.“We need to go.”Dante didn't move.“Finish breakfast. You're taking today off.”“What? Are you firing me again?”He looked genuinely startled.“No. I thought we could go shopping. You said you never have time to buy clothes.”I'd said that a month ago.“I was complaining. It's a hobby. You don't have to act on every complaint.”Besides, our department had a major deadline. I'd rather earn my money than sit at home wondering what everyone was saying.“I also remember you calling your boss a workplace supervillain,” he said.I coughed into my napkin.There should have been a warning label on anonymous romance.“In fairness

  • I Dumped the Don Without Knowing It   Chapter 7

    He looked at me.“Because I was bad luck?”The breakup message had seemed entirely reasonable from the safety of a screen.Saying it to his face was another matter.“I didn't know it was you. And every time we argued, you made us work late.”“The deadlines were real.”“So were the arguments.”He looked away, then back.“When I was upset, I buried myself in work. I expected everyone else to keep up. That wasn't fair.”“And the bonus cuts?”“I was angry. By then, I suspected you might work for one of our waterfront companies. Your messages about the overtime lined up too closely.”I stared.“So your plan was to upset everyone until I identified myself?”“It was a bad plan.”“That is an extremely generous description.”His mouth twitched, but he didn't try to defend it.“And I did say we were done.”“I don't want us to be.”His voice softened.“But I'm asking, Mia. Not ordering.”I looked at the pajamas again, then at the absurdly large bed.“I need a shower. And time to get used to this.

  • I Dumped the Don Without Knowing It   Chapter 6

    After the statement, I stood outside the station feeling hollow.All that ambition. All that effort to get ahead.And this was where she'd taken it.“What's wrong? Do you feel sick?” Dante asked.He reached toward my face. I flinched away.“I'm fine.”He stopped.“Are you afraid of me?”“No. I'm sorry, Mr. Romano. I didn't mean to drag you into this.”Apparently, that was the worst possible answer.His face closed.“Come with me. You're staying somewhere secure tonight.”“I live close by. I can—”“Mia. She sent someone to your street. Please don't go back there alone.”He took my wrist, then loosened his grip when he felt me tense. I went with him to the car. He opened the passenger door and waited until I was seated.The interior smelled like him. Cool cedar. Something clean and expensive.I sat very carefully and tried to fit two men into one person.My affectionate, occasionally needy, generous boyfriend.My terrifying boss.The same man.At least he was good-looking. My brain offer

  • I Dumped the Don Without Knowing It   Chapter 5

    “Someone's following me.”“Where are you?”His tone changed instantly—urgent, but steady enough to keep me from falling apart.“On my way home. Near the station. The road's closed, so I'm on Mercer—”“Send me your location. Move toward somewhere lit. I'm close.”I tapped the location button with shaking fingers.The street was narrow and mostly residential. I put down the box from work so I could move faster.At the next corner, a man stepped directly into my path.I turned to run.An arm locked around me from behind, a hand clamped over my mouth, and the phone fell. I fought. Something struck the side of my head, and the street tipped out from under me.When I came to, I was staring at the dark roof of a car.My wrists and ankles were bound. A cloth gag cut into the corners of my mouth.The car braked hard.The driver hammered the horn, threw me a furious look, and got out.Somewhere nearby, a siren was getting louder.The rear door opened.Leo Rossi leaned in.For a moment, relief wa

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