Page 32 of Savage Empire

He insists on it, really. I hate when heinsistson things.

“The Capo wants to meet me?” Yordan chokes out. “Why? Oh god, why didn’t you tell me? I would have put on a suit.”

Elio chuckles at the worrying teen. “You don’t currently have a suit.”

“I would have figured it out,” Yordan insists. “He’s going to think I didn’t put any effort into meeting him. Don’t you want him to like me? Am I being set up for failure?”

“He won’t care about your clothing,” I tell him dryly. “Did you eat breakfast?”

“No, I didn’t eat breakfast,” Yordan croaks. “Which sucks because that means when I throw up it’s going to be exclusively bile and acid.”

“You won’t throw up,” I huff. “You’ll be fine. We’re going to have coffee and breakfast while he gets to know you.”

He scoffs, shaking his head. “Like I’ll be able to eat while Dante Moretti questions me. He’s going to hate me.”

“No, he won’t.” Giving a tired sigh, I add, “Just don’t look at your phone when he’s speaking to you, and shake his hand when you’re introduced. He isn’t torturing you for information, he’s expecting small talk and a proper meeting, that’s all.”

Elio hums, nodding in agreement. “Dad is easy. You’ll be fine.”

“You only think that because he’s your Dad.” Yordan looks like he might faint. “Why does he want to meet me? I’m literally nobody.”

“Apollo took you in, you’re far from nobody to him,” Elio explains patiently. “He wants to meet Rayna too, but he agreed to wait until she doesn’t want to set his heir on fire. Which means we’ll probably have dinner as a family with her in, what, ten years?”

Yordan gives a startled laugh. “She doesn’t hate himthatmuch.”

I’m not so sure about that.

The last few minutes of the drive consist of Elio assuring Yordan that he’ll be fine. He tells him that after we finish breakfast, we’ll go around to a few different places. Stores, restaurants, training centers…just casual Moretti businesses so he can get a feel for our operations.

He won’t learn enough to induct him into the family or anything, but enough for him to understand how The Outfit works.

When we pull up to the mansion’s main entrance, Yordan freezes.

“Jesus Christ, you all live here?”

“Most of us,” Elio answers. “A couple of us were even born here.”

“Fuck, what’s it like being some of God’s favorites?”

I hold in a laugh. This kid…

Not many people can break my resolve with humor, but he’s so blunt and has zero filter. I wonder if I could even teach him to reign that in—or if I’d even want to. It feels wrong to encourage stifling his personality, but it’s a useful skill to be able to switch into someone cold and ruthless.

As soon as we open the front door, the chaos hits. Loud, babbling baby noises mixed with laughter, a running vacuum, and faint music all blend together in one spectacular bundle of sound.

“Welcome to the mayhem,” Elio jokes, clapping Yordan on the back and encouraging him to step over the threshold.

“Hi! Bye!” Jade rushes out, zooming past us in the entryway toward the living room. She’s carrying a baby bottle in one hand and a chocolate muffin in the other.

She was aware we’d have a guest stopping by today, but didn’t let that affect her typical routine. Her hair is tumbling out of a messy bun at the top of her head, and her T-shirt is almost large enough to cover her short sleep shorts. Mornings with the twins can be hectic, but she handles it with energetic ease. Having so many helping hands around the house makes it a lot easier, I imagine.

“Who’s here?” I hear Matteo call out from the room Jade just darted into. “Is that my muffin?”

“Apollo and friends,” Jade replies, sounding like she’s batting him away. “And fuck off, this one’s mine.”

“Rude.”

“Overwhelmed yet?” Elio asks, stepping further into the empty entryway. Yordan is looking around with a dazed expression, noting the chandelier, the grand staircase, and the marble floors.