Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 483 -

*Olivia*

"I win!" Dahlia cheered, throwing her arms above her head.

"Dally!" Elio cried, pouting unhappily as he crossed his arms and stared at his godmother like she had just greatly insulted him.

I sighed, glancing at my overly excited best friend as she gathered up the plate of chocolate candy pieces we'd been wagering over. She dumped the wooden tic-tac-toe board again, letting the pieces fall to the floor and Elio huffed, turning away with teary eyes.

"You know, don't you think you have an unfair advantage? You should at least let our team win one. This is an advanced game for a one-year-old," I told her, frowning as she purposefully gloated by popping the chocolate into her mouth and making an "mmm" sound.

"I'm not going to just hand him a win," Dahlia scoffed, "That's not how life works. He's got to work if he wants to win the prize."

I rolled my eyes at her overly competitive nature, especially against a one-year-old. On our turn, I'd been alternately putting the game pieces on myself and then letting him put the Xs and Os anywhere without any understanding of the game, so it wasn't exactly fair.

But I knew very well that this was exactly how James had taught us when we were kids, though his particular choice was Go Fish and we never won against him ever... until Becca had thrashed him in one game and declared everyone got sweets but him. But Elio was taking this lesson a bit harder than we did. We had been much older before James had tried to teach us how to lose constantly.

"Mama!" Elio whined, turning to me with his wide sad eyes filled with shiny tears. Like a puppy left on the side of the road in the rain, I could never resist him and he knew that.

"Aw, baby," I cooed, grabbing him and plopping him in my lap. I hugged him around the middle, rubbing his curls as he buried his face in my chest. He wasn't actually sad, just upset that Dahlia wasn't letting him have his favorite candy, and we all knew that.

But still-I glanced at Dahlia as she grinned, popping another candy in her mouth, and narrowed my eyes at her smug look.

"Don't worry, baby, I'll kick Aunt Dally's butt for you," I smirked.

Elio looked up at me with wide, uncomprehending eyes. He seemed to sense something was happening though as Dahlia paused in her munching, sending me a challenging smirk.

"Oh, you think you can, Olive?" She leaned back, crossing her arms confidently.

I grabbed the three X blocks and flipped over the board, simply gesturing to the Os for her to take.

"Who knows? I remember that one of us was the poker champion of 2012 and it wasn't you, was it, Dolly?" I smirked. She bristled, just as I knew she would at the reminder.

I'd beaten her by two points and she had never forgotten it.

"Oh, you're on," she smirked. "Xs go first, Olive."

And the game was on. Dahlia and I glared at one another from opposite ends of the board as I made my first move, sliding the X into position. She was quick, slamming her O down to block me from across.

Elio watched us, seeming to somehow understand that it was just me making the moves this time. He blinked with wide eyes as we went back and forth until I was down to two pieces and she was at her last, staring determinedly at one another.

"This is just going to end in a tie, Olive, and you know it," Dahlia smirked, twirling her last O block around her pointer finger. "It's going to be a stalemate forever."

"That's what you think," I smirked, setting my X into place. "Go Fish, Dolly."

"That's not even the right game. What are you-" She glanced at the board and her eyes widened. There was the perfect set-up. With only two pieces remaining, one X and one O, there was no way for me to lose. Either way she placed her next piece, I had three in a row.

Elio blinked up at me and I grinned, triumphantly.

"That's right, baby. Mama wins," I said confidently and proudly. "That's how you beat Aunt Dally."

Elio cheered in his baby babble, throwing his arms up. He turned in my arms, standing to give me a big smooch on the cheek.

Dahlia stared at the board in sheer horror, her mouth open as I snatched up the remaining candies and handed them to Elio.

"You son of a-" She began, but then she halted at Elio's innocent eyes stared at her. "Gun," she finished lamely, crossing her arms as it was her turn to pout.

I laughed, handing a piece of candy to my son as he celebrated his hard-won victory much to Dahlia's ire as he tackled her to the floor, repeating his baby cheers loud enough for everyone to hear.

That was how Gio walked in to replace us. He glanced at Elio and Dahlia, raised an eyebrow, and then turned to me but I just shrugged in response, getting to my feet. "Dada!" Elio cheered.

"He won," I said with a laugh.

"Good job, bud." He chuckled, looking more exhausted than before he'd met with Tallon. He turned to me with a serious look. "Can I steal you for a minute?"

I nodded, following him out into the hall, and he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

"How was everything?" I asked worriedly, touching the wrinkle between his eyebrows from the accumulated stress. He looked tired but he relaxed into my touch, sighing as he nuzzled his cheek into my hand.

"Elio and you were staying in tonight, right?" he asked vaguely, giving me a meaningful glance. I swallowed, understanding immediately, and nodded. He breathed a sigh of relief, pressing a kiss to my inner wrist as he continued, "I have a meeting to go to and I'll be back late. Can you make sure Dahlia stays here with you? Just for tonight."

"Of course. What's wrong?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know.

"The Russians are a problem again. I'm meeting with the team to see what our next moves are, but it's better to assume that you, Elio, and Dahlia are only safe in large numbers. That means lockdown until we know what we're dealing with," Gio told me, a flash of guilt in his eyes. He knew how much I hated to be confined.

But for Elio's safety, I could suck it up this time.

"Okay," I said obediently. "That means no going to the city, right?"

"Yes. At least, not without a reason, and if you do need to, take extra guards as a precaution," Gio told me. "Have you heard from Salvatore lately?"

I unconsciously touched the pocket where I kept my phone. I could feel its rough shape and feeling torn, I reluctantly nodded.

"He's been calling," I admitted. "But I haven't answered. I didn't think it was safe and I don't... I don't know how to act around him."

Gio immediately sensed my sour mood, stepping forward to wrap his arms around me and pull me into a hug. "I know this is a lot to ask of you, and I would never do so if I thought there was another choice," Gio started tensely. "But next time he calls, if you can answer and see what he knows, or if he starts acting weird or panicky, then it would be a great deal of help."

"I-" I pushed back from him, shaking my head. "I don't know, Gio. I'm not a good liar and he's... experienced in working with liars, obviously."

Even I could hear the bitterness in my voice and I sighed. "I don't think I can fool him if I have to fake my emotions. I'm hurt, I'm angry, and I feel betrayed. How can I just act like everything with him is fine, that I don't know he's been using me to get to you? If I talk to him now, I'm afraid it'll all bleed through."

"The decision is up to you, carina." He gently brushed his palm against my cheek, lifting my gaze to meet his. "I would never ask you to do this if I didn't think you were capable of it, but if it's too much, then we'll figure out another way, okay?" I swallowed, trusting the sincerity on his face, the loyalty in his words and actions. Instead of answering him, however, the lingering question burning between us blurted from my lips before I could stop it. "Are you going to kill him?"

Gio remained unflinching like he had expected this question, and he probably had. It was a black fog over our heads, always out of sight since I'd found out the true motives of my father.

"I don't know, carina," Gio answered honestly, searching my eyes for something I didn't know, "How could you feel if I had no other choice and that happened?"

"I...."

I trailed off, unsure of how to answer. How would I feel? Did I even know at this point?

I didn't trust my father. He'd chosen his own road, throwing me away for the second time. I barely knew him, or at least, I barely knew the person he appeared to be. I had clung to the idea of him more than the actual person, and he had taken advantage of me.

Blood or not, I couldn't love someone like that.

But that didn't mean I wanted him to be hurt, or worse. He was still my father, after all.

"It would bother me," I told him, unhappy with myself at the answer I knew to be true, "more than I want to admit."

Gio nodded, giving me a soft smile. "I know. I'll do everything I can to avoid that, Olivia. I promise you."

"But," I added on, giving him a knowing look.

He gave me a sad smile. "But you and Elio are my priority. If it's between my family and him, I will always choose you and Elio. You are my world, carina, and I can't put you in danger to save him."

Though it hurt to hear, I knew he was right. I would never sacrifice him or Elio for my father if I was in the same position. I hoped it would never come to that, but I couldn't ask Gio to save someone who wanted him dead, or our child.

"I understand," I said quietly, stepping into his embrace and letting him hold me for a second. I clenched his suit, the fabric wrinkling in my fists but I knew he wouldn't care. I just needed the security his arms brought me.

I could hear Elio giggling from the living room, completely unaware of what was about to happen, of the world he had been brought into.

"Everything will be okay, carina. I promise," Gio mumbled into my hair, rubbing my back with one hand.

I shut my eyes tightly, wishing from the deepest pit of my heart that he would be right, that all of this would truly be over this time.

But I knew better than most that sometimes, people made promises they couldn't keep.