Chapter 24: Chapter 24

C H A P T E R - - - - F I F T E E N - - - - R E I D A N

“It’s been fine,” Reidan replied a little awkwardly. “I’ve only been on the job a couple of days, you know. Still figuring stuff out, going over old documents and things like that.”

His mother narrowed her eyes and lifted her eyebrows in silent question, clearly broiling over with a thousand judgmental things to say, but she held herself back, nodding and forcing a tight, polite smile instead. What was the meaning of all of this? Why wasn’t she being a total bitch, like she usually was?

It didn’t seem like she was particularly sad, even though her husband had just recently died. Maybe grief looked differently on her, but somehow, Reidan figured that wasn’t what was going on. No, everything Mrs. Bianco did was about money or success or victory over her foes. Even her relationships with her children were about status.

Ah. That’s it, Reidan realized, suppressing a satisfied smile as he realized what his mother was really doing here. The inheritance. It’s not enough. Dad didn’t leave her enough money for the rest of her life, so she’s got to make sure she’s in my good graces. Otherwise, she’s fucked.

For the first time in his life, Reidan felt like he had power over his mother, like he wasn’t a scared little boy subject to her total domination. He almost didn’t know what to do or say, frozen in his seat, overwhelmed with the realization that for once he was in control.

Still, though, his mother was the same woman, even if she was fearful that her eldest son wouldn’t take care of her. She still looked over at him imperiously, sizing him up like she always did, eyes narrowing as she took in every inch of his skin. Reidan fought not to squirm in his seat, reminding himself that he wasn’t a little boy anymore. She’s scared now, he told himself. She’s scared. Not me. I don’t have to be afraid. I have the power. That’s all that matters, no matter what she says.

“So, you’re learning the books and things, I presume?” his mother finally said after a protracted pause.

Despite everything, Reidan still tensed up, aware that his mother’s words could never be taken at face-value. She had a motive here that somehow tied in with her overall goal of securing her financial future.

“Yep,” Reidan replied, smiling politely, trying to reassure his mother that he had everything under control. “Selena is showing me the ropes.” He almost winced after that sentence left his mouth, realizing his mistake as soon as his mother smirked in ironic satisfaction. That was what she was hunting for. She wanted to bring up Selena without actually saying her name out loud.

Now Selena was fair game for his mother to rip apart. How could Reidan convince his mother that nothing sexual happened between Selena and his father? She’d never believe him, even if he told her how he knew for sure. She’d probably only become angrier if she knew that her son was sleeping with the “whore” that allegedly ripped her husband away from her.

“And that’s going well, then? Using the old secretary?” his mother said, smiling in that sharp, hard way that Matteo always did whenever he was angry. They were too much alike, Reidan’s mother and his younger brother.

“She’s not a secretary,” Reidan reminded his mother. “She’s an assistant. She does a lot of really essential things for the business.”

“Ah. I see.” Reidan’s mother leaned back in her chair as if she owned it. “And what essential things has she been doing for you lately, pray tell?”

Reidan’s spine stiffened uncomfortably. Clearly, his mother was a lot smarter than Reidan had given her credit for. She seemed to sense, right away and with very little information, that he was sleeping with his assistant. Dammit, Reidan thought, feeling some of the precious power he’d gained slip away from him like wind whistling between his fingers.

“Well, like I said,” Reidan replied rigidly, his lack of confidence betrayed by his awkward tone of voice. “She’s helping me get acclimated to the business—showing me stuff about our partnerships down south and stuff like that. Really, Mother, she knows so much. We couldn’t afford to lose her.” He knew that sooner or later in this conversation, his mother was going to tell him to fire Selena, and he wanted to go ahead and mount a defense against any arguments his mother might try to use against his new assistant and lover.

“Hmm, it does really sound like she knows an awful lot,” his mother said, tapping her fingertips together thoughtfully. “Have you considered that she might know… too much?”

Reidan furrowed his brows together in confusion. “What do you mean?” The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, almost painfully erect, like his body could sense the danger in this conversation before his mind could catch on to what was going on.

His mother shrugged, like she didn’t know what she was talking about, but then she launched into speech again, leaning forward on the desk so that her face was closer to Reidan’s than before. “Well, I just mean, it’s dangerous to have people not in the family know certain things. Like, for instance, personal details about your father. I get the sense that this little secretary knows quite a bit. And… that can be risky. That’s all I’m saying. I just wonder if you’ve accounted for those risks or not.”

Oh, Reidan realized, feeling a cold chill go down his spine, sapping out any and all of the remaining, happy warmth from his body. His mother wanted him to get rid of Selena. And not just fire her. But permanently remove the “danger” that she represented.

“Mother,” Reidan began slowly, trying to keep his tone calm so that his mother wouldn’t figure out how panicked that suggestion made him feel. He needed to be cool. Confident. He needed to be in control of this, or else the situation could become a lot worse, very quickly. There were still plenty of lieutenants and enforcers around who’d be more than willing to kill somebody off for Mama Bianco, if only out of respect for Giovanni’s memory. “I don’t think it’s as dangerous as you think. Selena—who isn’t a secretary, by the way, she’s an assistant, like I said before—is very loyal to the business. She cared about Dad. A lot.”

“Oh, I bet she did,” his mother muttered, her real bitterness seeping out into her voice for just a moment before she adjusted, nodding at Reidan to continue speaking.

“It’s not what you think. Nothing happened there. Nothing happened between them, Mom, I promise. I swear it’s true.” But Mama Bianco just stared at him blankly, clearly entirely unconvinced. “Well, regardless, it’s no reason to kill her. She’s been a huge help to me, getting me adjusted to everything, and it’d be an awful message to send to the rest of the company.”

“And what message would that be?” his mother asked, raising her eyebrows with skepticism.

“That if you work hard and become important to the Bianco family, you’re only going to be punished for it,” Reidan said, realizing that he believed the words as soon as they left his mouth. “It’s an awful strategy, Ma. We can’t do it.”