Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 701 -

*Three Months Later* *Elio*

Construction had finally finished a few weeks ago on our new home, and tonight we were going to have a housewarming party so that everyone could see it. Caterina was dressed in an elegant black gown that I had picked out for her. It was form-fitting with a back that draped just low enough for me to be able to brush my hand against her bare skin every time I came up beside her. I loved it, and I loved how she looked in it. I would dress her every single day if she would let me.

There was something so enticing about seeing her wear something and knowing that I was the one who had picked it out for her.

Cat and I both loved the penthouse, but as the new Don, we needed something a little different.

Our new home was as vast as the old compound in Italy. We had bought a few acres of farmland just outside of the city and built a modern fortress. Nobody could get in or out without entering a password into the only gate that broke up our massive fence.

A security detail made up of new recruits manned the gate constantly. After everything that had happened with Antonio and Junior, I wasn't taking any chances when it came to my family's safety. Caterina was too precious to me to ever put her at risk, and as much as we had loved our penthouse, we knew that it wasn't possible to keep it truly safe all the time.

Cat had been responsible for designing our new home. She had worked with one of the city's most famous architects to create a gorgeous mansion in the Italianate style. Wide steps lead up to a front porch full of rocking chairs, and the front door was magnificent.

The home was three stories, with ten suites scattered across the top two stories so that we could easily host our Italian colleagues. Each suite on the second floor had access to a balcony that wrapped around the home and doubled as a roof for the porch.

Caterina's and my suite had its own private balcony that looked out over a pond behind the house.

The first floor had a formal dining room, a massive kitchen, two living rooms, and my office. There was a password-protected basement door hidden within the pantry of the kitchen that only a select few people knew about.

The basement served as our top-secret meeting room and could double as a panic room if anyone ever managed to get past the security at the gate.

We'd designed that to be impossible.

On the grounds were sprinkled three small cottages that matched the style of our home. Mathilde lived in one of them, and the other two we had saved in case we needed to provide anyone with a safe place to stay. Each cottage had two bedrooms of its own and was big enough that even a family could live in them if need be.

I loved knowing that we could provide safety to anyone who needed it.

Caterina had thought of absolutely everything, and then she had hired a designer to come in and take care of the furniture. It was worlds above my "horribly modern bachelor pad," as Cat loved to tease me about my old house.

And although I hadn't thought that any home would top our penthouse, I had to admit that this one did. It was full of little Italian influences that made me feel truly at home, and getting out of the bustle of the city was exactly what we both had needed so that we could focus on leading the American branch of the Valentino family.

I knew that we would be happy living here for years to come.

I was straightening my tie in the mirror in our bedroom and checking that my hair had managed to remain presentable even though I had spent the last hour helping the catering staff pull their equipment into our kitchen. They had insisted that I didn't need to, but it felt wrong for people to be working in my home while I just sat around and did nothing.

"Elio!" Cat yelled from the foyer. "Come on, they're driving up!"

I hurried down the grand staircase just as Alessandro's car was driving around the fountain in the middle of our driveway. Caterina turned to me and looked me up and down. "You look good, baby," she said approvingly.

I grinned down at her. "I could say the same to you."

Before I had the chance to sneak my hand into the side of her dress, Mathilde wandered in from the kitchen to help us greet our guests.

Every time I saw her walk, it sent a shock of relief through me. I still couldn't believe how well she had managed to recover. I knew we were lucky to even have her with us at all.

Caterina opened the front door as Alessandro was walking up our front steps. Leo was following close behind him. A few of Alessandro's men had driven in their own vehicles.

Before we knew it, our new living room was full of guests for the first time. I glanced across the room at Caterina and loved the way she sparkled as a host. It was like she was born for this life, and I supposed that in some ways, she was. My admiration of her was cut short as Alessandro walked up beside me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm feeling great," I answered honestly. "This is exactly what I'm meant to be doing."

He nodded approvingly. "That's good. I know shit doesn't quite feel real until you're in the fancy house hosting the fancy parties, so I'm glad to hear you still want to do this. You've done the hard shit. Now I hope you can enjoy some of the easy shit."

"Thanks, I appreciate that. I just wish my dad could be here to celebrate with us," I said.

My father still refused to accept that I wanted what he had once had. He insisted that he had gotten out of the life for a reason. I had decided to hide the fact that I was taking over in the US from him, because I knew that he would just try to fight it tooth and nail if he knew.

"He might come around. Gio's one of the most stubborn assholes I know, but he loves his family. If you give it some time, maybe eventually you'll be able to tell him." Alessandro clapped me on the shoulder. "In the meantime, I hope you know I'm proud of you, and I think you're doing the right thing."

His words warmed me. It wasn't the same as having my father's approval, but it was a comfort, nonetheless.

"Alright everyone, dinner is ready!" Caterina announced over the mingling voices in the room.

We had yet to hire any house staff, but for the party Caterina had managed to replace a catering service that was accustomed to absolute discretion.

All of them had signed NDA's saying they would never reveal our names or address to anyone. Apparently, they were used to working with celebrities, so they hadn't even batted an eye at the requirements.

The entire party went to our dining room, where the massive table had been set with real china and silver. Mathilde had been the one to create the table setting, and I was amazed at how well she had done. Fresh flowers had been placed in a few vases here and there, and each place setting had a tiny rose laid over the napkin. The effect was beautiful.

The table was a large oval, and I had purposefully arranged the chairs so that Caterina and I would be side-by-side at the head of it. My message was clear: she was my equal in every way.

I might have been the one everyone called the Don, but Caterina was my other half.

At my side sat Leo, who was going to be my second-in-arms. On the other side of Caterina was Franky, who was staying on with us for a while longer until we had fully established ourselves.

Although we'd had our rough patches, he had been thoroughly impressed with Cat and me when we had taken out Antonio, and I was glad that he would keep providing advice to us for a while to come.

As everyone sat down, the catering staff quickly rolled out the food and walked around behind everyone, serving them from a delicious menu of Italian food. My plate was filled with different pasta dishes and fresh bread, the aroma making my stomach growl. We drank a fine wine to compliment the food.

Once everyone had been served, Alessandro stood up and clinked his knife against his glass, proposing a toast.

"I'd like to raise my glass to Elio, who has stepped up for our family since he was barely a grown man himself. It's rare to replace a man who is as honorable and trustworthy as Elio, and I am happy to announce that he is the new Don of the Valentino family in the US. Under his guidance, I know that we will see growth like never before. To Elio!"

"To Elio!" The rest of the table took up his cheer as they raised their glasses.

After everyone had the chance to sip, I stood up to make my own toast.

"And to my beautiful Caterina, without whom none of this would be possible," I said, my hand resting on her shoulder.

"To Caterina!" Everyone agreed and took another sip.

Cat's cheeks had turned an adorable shade of red. When I sat back down, she reached out and took my hand, squeezing it once under the table. I squeezed hers back. We both knew exactly how much we needed each other.

After dinner, the party had migrated back to the living room. Everyone was full of delicious food and slightly buzzed from the wine. We'd already made plans for everyone to stay at the house tonight so that they wouldn't have to drive home. I was laid back against the couch, with Caterina's head on my shoulder, as Alessandro and Leo argued about soccer. Mathilde was in a deep conversation with Franky. I couldn't quite hear it, but it looked like they were discussing something about Italy.

As I looked around at the room full of happy people, I felt on top of the world. Once again, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, doing exactly what I was supposed to do. Everything felt so right. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I excused myself, helping Caterina sit up. I walked to the foyer so that I could speak without interrupting anyone else's conversations. I grimaced when I saw my dad's name flash across the screen. I hated lying to him, and having him call while we were celebrating just made me feel like an even bigger liar. "Hello?" I asked.

"Congratulations, Don. I hope you're happy now."