My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 76

Ivy

I paced back and forth in the living room like a caged tiger. My brows pinched together, and my hands clamped over my arms as if I were holding myself together. Anger simmered beneath my skin, and I couldn’t shake the restless energy.

"Hey," Aidan’s voice intruded, soft yet edged with concern. I halted mid-step, turning to see him leaning against the doorway, his presence both calming and infuriating.

"What’s wrong?" he probed, keen eyes watching me.

I whirled around to face him. "What’s wrong? You are what’s wrong. You did this," I hissed, words laced with venom. "You turned my home into a prison."

Aidan’s eyes held mine, his gaze calm. "Ivy, you know why we had to do this." His voice was steady, but I could see it cost him. "It’s not just us anymore. It’s about keeping you safe, keeping our baby safe from the threats that haven’t gone away. Especially after what happened the other night in Ellie’s bedroom."

True. Ellie saw some guy’s face in her window and screamed. It was definitely some guy from the murderous Italian Mafia, so Aidan had to amp up the security in the house.

Logically, that was the right decision but my pregnancy hormones didn’t want to listen to logic at the moment.

"Safe?" I barked. "There’s a difference between safety and suffocation, Aidan."

He stepped towards me, hands outstretched as if he could smooth over the turmoil with a touch. But I was a live wire, buzzing with pent-up energy, recoiling from his reach.

"Listen to me," he urged. "The Italian Mafia—"

"Why aren’t you doing something about it faster?" I cut him off, my breath coming fast. I didn’t want to hear his justifications.

"I am working on it," he said. "Come on baby. How about we go to bed and cuddle?"

Cuddle? I was going stir-crazy in the house, and this asshole wanted to cuddle?

"Stop!" I threw my hands up. "Don’t patronize me."

"Okay, okay," he conceded, raising his palms in surrender, but there was a mischievous glint in his eye that didn’t escape me. "But can we at least agree that your craving for pickles dipped in peanut butter at three in the morning was something worth protecting?"

The joke landed like a stone in still water, its ripples pushing my anger aside for a fleeting moment. But I was too emotional to let him off that easy.

"Really?" I snapped, incredulous, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "That’s where you’re taking this?"

He opened his mouth and then closed it.

"Fuck you and your stupid Mafia bullshit!" I declared and stomped out of the room.

I slammed the door behind me. My feet pounded against the hardwood floor as I stormed toward the kitchen. "I need ice cream."

I yanked open the freezer, the blast of chilled air greeting me like a long-lost friend.

"Wait, Ivy." Aidan’s voice trembled. I didn’t turn around, but I felt his presence close behind me.

"Please, let me just—" I started, but he interrupted.

"You shouldn’t be eating so much ice cream. Maybe you should try something healthier..." he stopped as I glared daggers at him.

"Excuse me?" I hissed.

He stepped back as if I was a wild animal.

"Uhh...I was saying, you should..."

"Spit it out, Aidan!" I barked, my hands on my hips.

"I was saying," he stammered, his hands wandering nervously as if searching for the right words in the frigid air, "that maybe we could try a...a fruit salad?"

I blinked at him. Once. Twice. "A fruit salad?"

"Or you can have all the ice cream you want, my love," he quickly said.

"Good answer, Aidan," Ellie said as she walked in. "Didn’t anyone teach you not to mess with a pregnant woman?"

"Hi, Ellie," I greeted her with a small smile, grateful for the distraction from my argument with Aidan.

"Hey Ivy," she replied, her face radiating warmth and understanding. "I heard you yelling at Aidan from upstairs."

"Ivy is having a meltdown because she can’t leave the house," Aidan said.

"I’m not having a meltdown!" I retorted, slapping a container of double-chocolate ice cream onto the counter. "I’m perfectly fine!"

Ellie shot Aidan a knowing look before turning back to me. "You know, Ivy, it’s okay to be frustrated," she said, her voice soothing. "This whole situation is...beyond stressful."

"Beyond stressful is an understatement," I muttered, stabbing the ice cream with a spoon. It made a hollow thump as it hit the frozen treat.

Aidan watched me from the corner of his eye, his expression one of apprehension. He looked like he was about to say something but swallowed it down at the last minute.

"I know how you feel," she said, looking down at her own pregnant belly. "I can’t wait until Elora is born."

I raised my eyebrow. "Elora?"

She nodded. "Yes, Elora. After all the chaos and trauma, something beautiful and pure...It just seems fitting."

I laughed. "Beautiful and pure? You know she’s going to be a spoiled Mafia princess, right?"

Ellie smirked at my comment. "I guess she will be," she said, rubbing her belly. "I guess we’ll have our hands full keeping her in check."

"I hope they become best friends. Elora and Max," I said.

"I bet you also hope Max doesn’t turn out to be some overbearing, controlling Mafia boss like his father," Aidan interjected, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"No, I hope he doesn’t turn out to be as annoyingly sarcastic as his father!" I shot back, the corners of my mouth twitching upward. Aidan chuckled lightly at my retort.

I smiled at Ellie. "And Lucas will be a protective big brother to them both."

As if on cue, Lucas trotted inside the kitchen, holding a toy truck. "Mommy, Mommy, look what Uncle Aidan gave me!" he squealed delightfully.

"And what did Uncle Aidan give you, my little champ?" Ellie asked, amused as he showed off his new toy with utmost pride. His eyes shone brightly, mirroring the lights bouncing off the shiny red truck.

"A big, vroom-vroom truck!" he exclaimed ecstatically, demonstrating the vroom-vroom part by swooping the toy around in the air. Ellie and I laughed as he proceeded to show the truck’s various features.

Aidan stepped in from the doorway, a satisfied grin on his face. "Well, it seems like our Lucas here is happy with his gift."

"Happy is an understatement," Ellie said, her eyes twinkling. "He’s over the moon! Thank you, Aidan."

Lucas turned to Aidan, his eyes now serious. "Uncle Aidan, you promise to get me another one if this one breaks?" He asked earnestly. Aidan knelt down to his level and extended a pinky towards him.

"Pinky promise," Aidan said solemnly.

Aidan locked eyes with me. "I promise you too, Ivy," he said slowly, a smirk spreading across his face. "I’ll keep speaking up annoying sarcasm whenever necessary."

"Oh great," I huffed, rolling my eyes at him but unable to keep back a small smile.

Suddenly, one of Aidan’s men barged in, interrupting our family moment.

"Boss, we got a situation," he gasped out with a scowl, his body language screaming urgency. Aidan stood up, the humor draining out of his face at an alarming speed.

"What is it now?" He asked tersely, already moving towards the man.

"No!" I protested, standing abruptly and wincing at the sudden movement. "If it’s another threat, I want to know."

Aidan paused, his piercing gaze boring into me before turning back to his man. "What’s up?"

The man hesitated, shooting me a glance before replying. "The security system is giving off false alarms since morning. We’re not sure if it’s malfunctioning or someone is trying to hack into it."

I gasped inwardly but held my composure, clenching my fists at my sides to control the sudden rush of fear coursing through me. Suddenly, Aidan’s extra precautions didn’t seem so irritating.

"Bloody hell," Aidan muttered under his breath before turning to me. His worried eyes locked onto mine. "Don’t worry Ivy."

"You say bad word, Uncle Aidan! You need time out," Lucas declared in his most stern voice, pointing a chubby finger toward the living room. Aidan looked taken aback for a second before chuckling.

"Ellie, why don’t you take Lucas inside while I talk to Josh?" Aidan suggested.

Ellie nodded and ushered Lucas out of the kitchen.

Aidan looked at me.

"I am staying," I announced.

Aidan nodded and asked Josh to sit at the table.

Josh hesitated before pulling out a chair and sitting down. His fists clenched on top of the table, knuckles turning white with tension. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"We’re repairing it as we speak," Josh started, trying to reassure Aidan. "There’s no need to panic just yet."

Aidan was silent for a moment, letting Josh’s words sink in. Then he drummed his fingers on the table impatiently, a sign that he was far from happy with the situation.

"We need to find the rat," Aidan said, speaking more to himself than anyone else at the table. "And soon."

"How?" Josh asked.

Aidan looked up at him. "Call all of my men and have them line up in the garden. Even the ones that are not here. Tell them it’s an emergency."

Josh nodded, getting up swiftly and heading out the door. Aidan sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. His eyes met mine and I saw the worry etched in their depths. He came to me then, wrapping his arms around me protectively.

"I won’t let anything happen to you, Ellie or Lucas," he whispered fiercely into my ear. I sighed, leaning into his solid warmth.

"I know," I murmured back. "But how will you know which one of your men is secretly working for the Italian Mafia? It’s not like he will just come out and tell you the truth."

Aidan smirked, a wicked glint in his eyes that was almost enough to make me forget what we were facing. "Darling, you’d be surprised what people will confess when they’re convinced they’ve got nothing to lose." His voice was low and dangerous. The intensity in his gaze made my heart skip a beat.

"But..." I began.

He silenced me with a finger on my lips. "Trust me, Ivy. I’ve been dealing with men like these for longer than you know."

I rolled my eyes at him but relented, nestling further into his embrace. "Fine," I mumbled grudgingly into his shirt, "but if this goes sideways..."

"Then I’ll personally apologize with a foot massage every night for the remainder of your pregnancy," he promised.

I raised an eyebrow at him, my annoyance making way for amusement. "I’m holding you to that."

Just then, we heard the sound of car engines revving up outside. Aidan held me tighter before letting go and heading straight for the door to address his men.

As I stood alone in our kitchen, I couldn’t help but chew on my lower lip anxiously. Trusting Aidan was easy, but trusting the world around us? Not so much.