My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 83

Ellie

A few hours earlier...

"You are Ellie Blackwood?" Giovanni Leones asked in a thick Italian accent, his deep voice surprisingly gentle.

I looked at him, studying his features slowly and carefully. He looked about in his late thirties with jet-black hair and eyes so dark that they seemed almost black.

His face...well, he could almost be considered handsome, I suppose, but there was a deep scar running from his forehead down to his cheek on the right side of his face. It made him look intimidating, to say the least.

He sat with an air of confidence, his posture tall and regal, indicating a man of stature and strength. Even though he was seated, I could sense he was tall from the width of his broad shoulders and the powerful build of his chest and arms.

One look at Giovanni Leones and I could tell he wasn’t a man to be trifled with.

"Yes," I replied briskly, holding my stomach protectively as if to protect my baby from the predator in front of me. I was sitting on a couch in front of him with one of Aidan’s men standing behind me. He had his eyes glued to me just as he promised he would.

"Hmm," Giovanni said. He narrowed his eyes at my pregnant belly. "And that’s Slava Morozov’s child."

"Yes."

The man made a face as if he had eaten something bitter. "You decided to have a child with that Russian sleaze bag? Could’ve done better, mia cara."

I rolled my eyes. Why did everyone, including my brother, just assume I could’ve done better than Slava? Sure, he was a douchebag and a cheating bastard at times, but he was at least nice to me. Sometimes. And he took me in and protected me when I needed it the most!

"Is there a point to this conversation?" I asked impatiently.

Giovanni’s black eyes flashed. "A little impatient, are we?" he remarked, his tone laced with amusement.

I bristled at his condescending tone but forced myself to stay composed. "I didn’t think you brought me here to make small talk," I said.

He chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that sent a shiver down my spine. "Of course, of course. Pregnancy does tend to make women a bit...testy."

I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to snap back at him. Instead, I forced myself to remain calm and focused on the task at hand. "Let’s get to the point. What do you want from me?"

Giovanni leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers together as he studied me with those intense black eyes. "Straight to business, I like that," he mused. "Very well, Signorina Blackwood. Like I said to your brother, you have something that belongs to me."

"What would that be?" I asked.

"A series of codes. I won’t go into details, but they are written on a piece of paper," he paused and leaned forward. "I have reasons to believe that you have it in your possession."

I narrowed my eyes. "And if I did have these codes, why would I give them to you?"

Giovanni’s smile was like a predator’s, confident and unnerving. "Because, mi amore, you don’t have a choice."

"What? You are going to kill me? And my unborn baby?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady.

His eyes widened. "Kill you? Oh no. I am more decent than that."

I snorted loudly.

He frowned at me. "Do you have something to say?"

"If you are a decent human being, I’m the Virgin Mary." I paused and pointed at my swollen belly before continuing. "And this...here...is baby Jesus."

The muscle on his jaw twitched, and for a moment, I thought he would smile. But his face stayed serious.

"You seem to have a sharp tongue, little lady," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I guess what they say about red-headed girls is true."

I rolled my eyes.

Giovanni’s gaze narrowed, his demeanor shifting from playful to intense. "But let’s not forget why we’re here," he continued, his voice low and commanding.

"I don’t have your stupid codes," I barked.

Giovanni’s expression remained unreadable for a moment before he leaned back in his chair, seemingly unfazed by my outburst. "That’s a shame," he replied calmly. "Because I have reason to believe otherwise."

The room suddenly felt hot. I gripped the edge of the chair. Sweat broke out on my forehead and my heart pounded in my chest.

Giovanni leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table between us. "Is there a problem, Ellie?" he asked, a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he watched me squirm. "Did I catch you in a lie? You know where the paper is, don’t you, Bella?"

I shook my head. "No, no, I don’t, asshole."

"Then why do you look uncomfortable," he pointed out.

"Just hot, that’s all," I mumbled, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand. The room was suffocatingly warm now and I glanced around helplessly. Was it my imagination or was everything beginning to sway?

Suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through my abdomen, making me gasp and clutch at my stomach. My dress was wet suddenly, and I looked down in shock. My water had broken.

Oh no.

Why?

Why now?

Of all the times to go into labor, now was definitely the worst. I could already feel the first contractions coming on, a sharp pain that made me grit my teeth and clutch at my belly.

Giovanni looked at me with raised eyebrows, his smug smile quickly disappearing.

"Err...Ellie?" he asked, suddenly sounding less confident and more...worried?

I ignored him, breathing heavily as I tried to ride out the pain. I was too caught up in the moment, and my mind focused only on getting through this.

"Is she...is she having the baby now?" one of Giovanni’s goons stammered. He looked pale and terrified, his eyes darting from me to his boss in panicked confusion.

Giovanni stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Get the car!" he roared at one of his men, who disappeared from the room like a shot.

Aidan’s man was by my side in a flash. "I...I will call Aidan and take you away Ellie."

"There’s no time for that, you fool!" Giovanni barked at him. "I am taking her to the hospital. You come with me so Blackwood doesn’t think I am harming his sister."

Despite the pain, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh at Giovanni’s expense. His confident facade had completely shattered and he looked utterly helpless now.

But damn...I could finally see how tall he was and he was a motherfucking giant!

"Is this your first time witnessing childbirth?" I asked through gritted teeth. A fresh wave of pain hit me then and my body convulsed.

Giovanni looked at me with wide eyes and nodded mutely. "I have seen death," he admitted quietly. "But never life."

"Well," I gasped out between contractions, "you’re in for a real treat."

Giovanni watched me for a moment longer before he stepped toward me hesitantly. He reached out slowly and placed his hand on my arm. It was a comforting gesture but not nearly enough to take away the pain.

And besides, I wasn’t exactly expecting to be comforted by a murderous Italian giant.

"The car is ready, Capo," Giovanni’s goon informed us.

I yelped as he scooped me up in his arms and strode toward the front door. "Breathe, Amore," he urged as he held me in the car.

What is even happening anymore?

I held onto Giovanni’s suit jacket, my fingers digging in as another contraction made my vision swim. His usually calm exterior was ruffled, his dark eyes wide and a frown creasing his usual smile lines.

"Drive faster!" he barked at the man behind the wheel.

"I’m trying!" the man snapped back.

As the car sped through the streets, I tried to focus on breathing as my doctor instructed. His hand was warm against my shoulder. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain.

Somewhere between the hospital entrance and being rushed into a room, Giovanni’s hand left mine. The sudden absence of his touch felt strange, even though I should be relieved that he was nowhere near me now.

A nurse leaned over me. "Oh dear, you made it just in time."

"Yeah, just in time," I gritted out, my breath hitching as another contraction rocked through me.

In a whirlwind of motion, doctors and nurses rushed around me. I was lifted onto a gurney and wheeled down the hospital corridor at an alarming speed. The lights above me blended into one long, glaring strip as we whizzed by them.

A doctor appeared in my line of sight, her eyes full of kind concern. "You’re doing great, Ellie. Just keep breathing."

I nodded, clenching my teeth against the next wave of pain that roared through me.

Suddenly, the door burst open again and Giovanni was there.

Wait...why was he in the delivery room?

"You’ll need to gown up," The doctor told Giovanni, and handed him a sterile set.

Giovanni blinked at her, a look of bewilderment flashing across his face. But then he seemed to square his shoulders and nodded. "Okay," he said, disappearing behind a curtain to change into the sterile gown.

"Wai...wait..." I tried to protest when another contraction hit me. Words failed me as I rode out the wave of pain. By the time I recovered, Giovanni had reentered the room, garbed in sterile scrubs.

Was he seriously planning on helping me deliver my child?

Fuck my life.