Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 228 -

James.

The joy of marriage and taking care of the kids in general made my heart lighter, but I also needed to focus on the darker things. At the moment, I was looking over a report for the family business and frowning very deeply.

"I know you have been taking care of most things, Giovani, while I've taken on the family man role. But we're still in danger," I said, letting out a sigh. At the moment, we were meeting not at a casual restaurant, but in a private room in my compound.

Two cups of coffee sat on the mahogany table in front of us, along with scones on small plates we nibbled on as we spoke. There were organized papers next to both of us, as well, though most of what we spoke of, we typed on a laptop. My cousin gave me a nod, letting out a soft sigh and reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He said, "Times have been rather tough, James. With a lot of pressure from the fuzz, the value of bribes has only gone up. A pain in the rear, really."

I nodded, then asked, "Have we successfully made back our losses from the last interception?" I was referring to one of our shipments being crossed by another family who was far less than friendly. Ours had the power in these parts, but we still didn't avoid every single headache.

"We have," Giovani said, now smiling somewhat. "I have made that happen. I am rather sure the people who gave us trouble learned a harsh lesson that day. Trust me, James. I enjoy reminding people of their place in this world if I have to." Giovani had many sides to him, and this one could be downright frightening to most people. To me, it was a boon. Reminded me of myself, really, which was good. My thoughts once again touched on whether he would accept being a Don. He reveled in this business, after all, and could get the job done properly. I took a sip of my coffee in contemplation, eventually nodding. "As fascinating as forensic technology is," I said, "it makes keeping bodies hidden an inconvenience." "True. At least we are no longer dealing with a civilian death toll. Keeping this stuff within the families has always been safer. Investigations and headlines would only get eyes on the family with the missing person in general," Giovani said, taking another sip of his coffee.

"You've got that right," I said, my thoughts turning to Tally, and my heart clenching. I didn't want that to be the fate of Becca, or any of my other children. Giovani must have noticed that flash of sadness in my gaze because his smile turned sympathetic.

"Your family is safe, James. I will make sure of it. I promise. I admire you, you know," my cousin said, dipping his head. "You're made of tough stuff and have gone through a lot. You know how to solve issues when they come up. Far more competent than others in the family."

"Like Ronaldo?" I said with a smirk, prompting him to chuckle and nod.

"Yes, exactly," Giovani said. He thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you still plan on transitioning to a smaller compound and reducing your workload? As a reminder, I don't mind picking it up." A sinister smile crossed his face. "I enjoy this line of work, after all."

I nodded in confirmation. While we'd gotten used to this larger compound, that incident with Allison taught me we were out in the open a bit too much. My security team was excellent, but even they couldn't avoid what happened there. "It would be safer for our growing family," I said. "I spoke with Becca and she agreed. She was over the moon at the suggestion, as a matter of fact. Our nanny, Madeline, doesn't mind the idea of moving either."

"Good. Well, I have just the spot. It's still in Florence, but ways away from your current compound. You won't be wanting for space, either, though it will be smaller," he said, making a few clicks on his laptop before sending me a few details. I read them over and said absentmindedly, "Space has never been an issue for us. We've always had plenty of it and don't need a mansion. As long as we have the important rooms settled, I am happy, and so is Becca."

"A mansion does seem excessive," Giovani agreed, waiting for me to look over the details and give my go-ahead. This place looked great, and it was near a small park Becca and I could take the kids to. Perfect, really. I smiled, then tilted my head.

"It looks excellent. We can start the transition process as soon as possible. Thankfully, it won't take us long, probably a day," I said, then snickered. "While there is a little playground nearby, a playscape for the kids would be nice for the days we don't want to take them to it."

"One playscape to be built or carted over ASAP for our family man. Got it," Giovani said with a wink. "You sure it's not for you? Swinging around can be a massive stress relief." His tone was humorous of course, as he poked fun at me. I couldn't help but chuckle and shook my head. "No time for hanging around, sadly," I replied, causing him to chuckle as well. He typed up a few things to finalize the details, then gave me a nod.

"We are situated. Smaller compound for your growing family-soon-it is. Now you'll be less involved, just as you wanted," Giovani said. "As I said, I got most of this covered. You focus on your kids and your wedding."

"Thank you," I said genuinely. Curiously, I asked, "You seem pretty lenient on me being a Don and asking this much of you. A lax in my responsibilities, when it comes down to it. Why is that?" I took a sip of my coffee, leaning forward to see what he had to say.

Giovani glanced up toward the ceiling thoughtfully, a small smile on his face. He said, "Hm. Well, I don't mind helping out like this, James. But I also understand family. Family is very, very important to me, and I know it is for you, too. You're doing what's best for yours."

"And you, for yours," I said, realizing something. He was going above and beyond because he cared about me as well. Granted, that should have been obvious, but it was still something that struck me in a good way from time to time. The difference in our ages had prevented us from being too close before, especially when I lived in the United States and he was here. We'd had some connection in the past, but not much. Now that we were living in the same city, he was eager to do more than just impress me because I was Don. Not that I worried otherwise. To members of the family with honor, Giovani had a good heart.

"Now you're getting it, James," he chuckled. "I hope you never doubted me. I'd have to prove you wrong, say, a hundred times, or so. That, and give you the receipts. I think my little dance with Ronaldo and the mob you had on your back was good for my reputation, though."

"It was," I replied, thinking back to that report. That had gone incredibly smoothly, masterminded by Giovani working with Neal. Thank goodness for his efforts there, it was one less thing to worry about on my end.

"Well, the paperwork is finished, and I have informed the rest of the family of these plans. There was some grumbling, but they'll deal with it," Giovani said with a wink. He downed the last bit of his coffee and stood up, giving me a nod. "Ready to get situated?"

I nodded, closing my laptop and getting up myself. Moving day, though thankfully all of our things would be squared away by our hired men. Giovani took care of that aspect as well, though I could have. I was busy with my own business, separate from the family.

Either that or spending time with Becca and the kids, something I enjoyed having time to do more and more lately. Becca kept gushing about the wedding, which warmed my heart. I found myself excited for it too, even if it was going to be a lot of work out of my wheelhouse.

Exiting the room, I wandered down the hall and to the nursery to inform Madeline we were ready and get the kids set up. As I entered the room, Alessandro looked up and made grabby hands toward me. "Dada! Dada!" he said, causing me to smile. "F*ck!" he added.

I just had to laugh, putting a hand on my forehead. While that word had been used against us in court, or, well-they tried to nail us with it-I still found myself amused. I walked over and swept the child up into my arms, giving him a big hug. "Hello Alessandro," I said softly, leaving a kiss on his forehead. He giggled, reaching up to poke at my nose.

"Hi!" he said, learning more and more words lately. I felt a fuzzy, happy feeling flow through me at the joy in my son's voice. Then, I looked up to give a nod to Madeline, who wore a very warm smile, watching this interaction.

I put Alessandro down for a moment, as Dahlia had taken notice and was crawling over, wanting attention as well. She, too, I swept up into my arms, hugging her close and giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Then, I said to Madeline, "We're ready to go. Rest assured, it will be a very low hassle." Usually, moving was a pain, but we'd have it taken care of for us. There would be a jumble for a day as we moved to the smaller compound, but that was it. "Oh! Do not worry, do what you have to do. I will help occupy the kids while things are situated," she said. "Moving day! So exciting."

I smiled, gave Dahlia one last hug, and exited the room. I sent a text to Becca, letting her know all was well, and that everyone was ready to start the transition to the smaller compound, which would be over in a flash.

As I walked toward the front door, I passed by Giovani. I opened my mouth to greet him again, but stopped upon seeing him on the phone. His brows were knit, and he sounded somewhat agitated.

Something was causing him distress, I knew, but he could handle it. I didn't want to intervene and make him think I was hovering. Therefore, I carried on and began directing security for moving protocol. Whatever it was, I knew he would take care of it. Even if, when he spoke, he had that cold, shark-like tone that meant he was very, very annoyed.