Chapter 42

It’d been a few weeks, and all Kyle had been able to get out of Cannin was that his father was involved in money laundering and drugs, but she knew there was more.

She was hoping to find out tonight during dinner. Cannin had requested that she join him and his father for tonight so they could get to know each other.

Cannin bought Kyle a dress for the occasion. The dress was red and backless, it hugged her curves in all the right places, and Kyle was in love with it.

“Are you ready?”

“I am.”

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Kyle blushed at the comment.

“I want to warn you about my father. He can be rough and demanding; he’s not a nice individual and does what he wants.”

“What do you mean, he’s not nice?”

Cannin sighed. “I lied to you about what we do. We participate in money laundering and drugs, but we are hired hitmen, and my father, he has a hand in sex trafficking.

“Just be respectful and try not to entertain any offers he throws your way.”

Kyle was a little taken aback by his confession. “Am I safe?”

“As long as you are with me, you are.”

Kyle was nervous and afraid of the dinner. She didn’t want to cause problems; she wanted and wished to have her normal life back.

The life before the Mafia, even though it meant that she wouldn’t have Max and Dimitri. But at least they would be safe.

When Cannin and Kyle arrived for dinner, they were greeted by a man who ushered them to the dining room.

“It’s about time you showed up.”

“Sorry, Father, we ran into some traffic.”

Kyle was amazed at how much Cannin looked like his father.

“Kyle, this is my father, Joseph, and my stepmother, Gloria.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Kyle said.

“Please call me Joe. After all, you are going to be part of the family.”

Kyle nodded at him and looked at Cannin.

“Let’s have a seat, shall we?” Gloria stated.

Once they were all seated at the table, the food was brought out. Each plate was already piled with food, and their glasses were filled with wine.

“What did you do before this, Kyle?”

Kyle finished chewing her food before she answered Gloria’s question. “I was a waitress.”

“Interesting. Did your father not want you in the business?”

“I didn’t know. Viktor was my father. I found out a few months back that Viktor was my father.”

Silence fell over the table as everyone finished their plates.

“You’re beautiful, and if you weren’t with my son, we could make some money with you.”

Kyle stared at Joe and then looked at Cannin.

“Don’t go there.”

Kyle could hear the anger in his voice.

“You know how I feel about that part of the business. It shouldn’t exist.”

“You’ll get over it. Besides, it’ll be yours soon. It’s why you need to be settled with a wife; you can’t be distracted by the girls around you, and you’ll need to continue the family line.”

“Cannin is a very attractive man, and from what I can tell, he’s very respectful. Why did you make a deal with my father?”

Joe chuckled. “I like a straightforward girl. Your father makes good money and has some great connections.”

“With the combination of our families, we can create a business that has no limits on what we can do.”

“Why not make a business contract instead of an arranged marriage?”

“Contracts can be broken, but bloodline secures the deal by providing a rightful heir in one person for both sides.”

Kyle was thankful Joe was honest, but the more she found out, the less hope she had.

“So there’s no way out for me? Do I have to be with Cannin?”

“Is that so bad?” Gloria asked.

“I don’t love him.”

“But you can learn to. The consequences of you breaking the contract are severe—keep that in mind,” Joe warned Kyle.

Kyle’s emotions were getting the best of her. She needed to tell Max and Dimitri that she needed out now, but could she ask them to give everything up for her?