Page 63 of Ruthless God

My cheeks tightened from the thought.

I was everything Andre had said I was.

Useless.

I couldn’t even be Massimo’s wife correctly.

“Pack your things and leave. And I’m being generous in letting you leave,” Massimo said to them, drawing me out of my thoughts.

“What?” This came from me. I hadn’t planned on saying anything, but was he… was he really firing them?

Massimo moved over to me, his footsteps slow and sure.

It felt like everyone was holding their breath as he moved, not wanting to make another sound to draw his attention. I flinched slightly when he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in closer to him.

“I won’t allow anyone to disrespect my wife. Had they been men, they wouldn’t be leaving this house with their belongings.”

Lettie sputtered out something unintelligible, shutting up quickly when Elena reached her arm out for her daughter, shaking her head.

“Thank you,” Elena said quietly. “We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

And with that, they left the kitchen, and I was left reeling over all that happened, wondering if it was true—that in a flash, both Elena and Lettie were out of my life for good, and it had been over his defense of me.

“You didn’t have to fire them over that,” I said, turning over to Massimo and looking up to meet his eyes. It took everything in me not to look away, especially when he frowned slightly, the move pulling on the scar over his face, making him look not quite so…human.

After a small moment of neither one of us saying anything, he let out a small sigh. I flinched and felt his inquisitive eyes on me, like if he looked hard enough, he might be able to see right through me.

He probably could.

“No?” he asked finally. “What would you have me do?”

I shrugged. “Issue a warning?”

He smiled a little. It wasn’t a pleasant smile. “I don’t issue out warnings.”

“No?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I have expectations of my people, and they are to do what is expected of them.”

“And you would fire them if they don’t?”

He hesitated, making me feel like a child who had just asked a stupid question that had an obvious answer. Firing people was a mercy rarely ever afforded in Massimo’s world. I knew that. I looked away from him, wondering how I was going to get out of this conversation, when I felt his fingers under my chin. He turned me around until I was looking back at him.

“That’s not something you have to worry about.”

I nodded, unable to voice the question I really wanted the answer to.What would happen to me if I didn’t meet your expectations?

He looked past me and took in what Elena had referred to as my mess, frowning a bit. “What are you doing?”

I followed his gaze. “I was making you breakfast.”

“You know how to cook?” he asked, sounding skeptical. I didn’t blame him. I had burnt most of the food. I didn’t knowhow to cook. Mom didn’t think it was an appropriate skill for any of her daughters to learn, even though I had always wanted to. I tried to learn by observing some of the kitchen staff back home, but obviously, that didn’t result in anything, considering I had been fumbling around all morning trying to make a decent breakfast, and all it amounted to was crisped burnt potatoes.

And Massimo just fired his cook.

Because of me.

What were we going to eat for dinner tonight?