Page 146 of Scorned Beauty

“I’m not gonna let Ma steamroll you. She never could with me. I gave in only as much as I allowed myself. And my boundaries with you are clear.”

I shot him a reassuring smile. Dom was the one stuck between a rock and a hard place. He’d made it clear he was one hundred percent in this relationship and we wouldn’t knowexactly what was ahead until we lived it. I trusted him implicitly. I trusted he wouldn’t betray his words of commitment to me. Because if he did, I didn’t think I could recover enough to trust another man for a long time, but I knew I was going to be okay. I wasn’t going to fall into a deep depression over a man because I had my job to live for, and friends who would support me no matter what path I chose.

And with clarity and confidence, I was ready for this adventure.

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

Sloane

Dom’s motherambushed me a week after the gala.

Carlotta De Lucci was done being ignored.

I was on my way to have lunch with Nurse Addy. She’d given Luca a glowing rec and deserved more than lunch, but it was a start. She was also excited to hear about my Delphine project and said I could use her as a resource.

Since I was running late, I had the driver bring the car to the entrance of the building. That was when I ran into Carlotta in the lobby.

“Mrs. De Lucci.” My bodyguard, a De Lucci soldier, intercepted Dom’s mother. When Dom moved back in, Lucy’s security went with her, so Dom was interviewing for my permanent security detail. It chafed, but I was learning to live with it.

“Surely I’m not a threat, Hector.” Carlotta smiled at him.

“The boss said?—”

“Said what? You’re forgetting I’m hismother.” She said it in a way that reiterated her position in the crime family. Rednessclimbed Hector’s neck and his jaw clenched. Matriarchal respect was huge in Italian families but I wasn’t about to hide from Dom’s mother or put my bodyguard in an awkward position.

“It’s okay, Hector.” I inserted myself between them.

“But boss?—”

“Like Mrs. De Lucci said…” I held Carlotta’s eyes. “She’s not a threat.” First lesson for Dom’s mother to learn, I was not changing my schedule to fit in her pettiness. I nodded to the doorman who held open the elegant dark wood door. “But you will have to walk with me. I’m late for an appointment.”

“An appointment?” Dom’s mother said behind me. I could feel her eyes give me a once-over. I’d slowly rebuilt my wardrobe both with my money and Dom’s. With my upcoming responsibilities, I had no problem dressing the part. Sera and Ivy helped me pick out suits and cocktail dresses I could wear to events where we met with donors. For my lunch with Nurse Addy, I simply wore a tailored pantsuit.

“Dom’s not home.”

“Oh, I know.”

I glanced at the driver standing by the sidewalk. I wondered if he was the one who tipped off Carlotta. No wonder Dom wanted my security detail to be separate from the crime family. “Listen, Mrs. De Lucci, I don’t know why you’re here. I don’t think Dom is comfortable with us meeting behind his back.”

“He changed the code to his floor.”

“He doesn’t want you barging into his penthouse anymore.” I checked the time on my phone. “And I know you used to take care of things inside the penthouse for him, but he has me now.”

Her mouth thinned, and I knew that was the last thing you told a mother who was used to being the central female in her son’s life. But Carlotta needed to understand that the situation had changed.

“I’m not keeping your son from you. I’m just leaving it to Dom when he thinks it’s right for us to share dinner or get to know each other?—”

She waved her hand. “I’ll cut to the chase. I know I can’t offer you money because Dom’s already given you free rein to his bank account.”

In her eyes, I was still a gold digger, which was fair, and surprisingly, I didn’t care. Only a few people’s opinions mattered to me and so far Carlotta hadn’t earned it.

“You’re a hardworking woman and I like that,” she continued. “Success? I like that too. But my son is both a Moretti and a De Lucci. You don’t understand the opportunities open to my son to make a good match.”

“According to your son, I’m his perfect match.”

“Miss Scott,” Hector cut in. “We’retooexposed here andyou’rerunning late.”