The Mafia's Princess

Chapter 54

Stephen's POV

"Yeah I got something. He has Intermittent Explosive Disorder. Turns out his family has been trying to get him help for years. Going to different therapists and psychiatrists. The little shit is fucked up in the head boss. Carmella isn't the only girl he's beaten. He did it to his last two girlfriends. Family paid them to keep silent. They aren't exactly good with their spending habits either. The father is an compulsive gambler and lets just say his wife likes the finer things in life. All of this explains why they're going broke. After a while they aren't going to be able to pay their lawyers" he said.

"Look I want you to set up a meeting for tomorrow. Contact them and tell them I want to meet them at our restaurant. Me and Ariana will be there and I'm pretty sure they're going to show up" I said. "I'll handle it for you boss" he said before hanging up the phone.

After that we all sat at the dinner table for dinner. "How's your school work been going?" I asked Carmella. "Fine, still passing my classes, but I was wondering when could I return to school?" She asked. I looked up at Ariana. "Umm sweetie are you sure this is something you want?" Ari asked. "I don't want to feel ashamed. Me hiding and not going to school is proving that I'm ashamed to face the world. I'm starting to feel like I'm suffocating myself by staying cooped up in my room half of the day" she said sitting her fork down.

"After he's sentenced and put away you can go back to school and not do online anymore. We want to make sure you're safe. You don't have to sit in your room all day. It's plenty to do around here. Tomorrow we'll go horseback riding" I said. I promised myself I would be more involved with my children. "Okay, what time?" She asked. "Me and your mom have some business to handle that afternoon but we can do it in the morning, but be up and ready at 7:30 sharp" I said. "I'll be ready" she said before she continued to eat her food. I looked up at Ariana and she looked proud.

"What business do we have to handle tomorrow?" Ari asked me as she put the dishes in the dishwasher. "I got Massimo to set up a meeting with Gian's parents at the restaurant. They still owe me 50k. They're in debt. Right now they have no choice but to play ball. If not I can make their life worse than what it is right now" I said. "I'll be ready" she said picking up Stella. "Put Papa to bed for me" she said before leaving out the kitchen. "Come on big fella time for bed" I said swooping him up in my arms causing him to laugh.

The Next Morning

"You ready?" I asked Carmella as she sat in the kitchen eating a bagel with cream cheese. "Yeah I was just putting something on my stomach" she said finishing up. "You ready to see the horses?" I asked. "Yeah I'm excited. It never crossed my mind to go down to the stables to see them" she said. "We have a lot of land. I wanted to make sure being at home was never boring" I told her as I drunk my coffee.

"You know mom is lucky to have you" she said as we walked out the house. "I like to think of it the other way around. She saved me from a lot" I said. "Your partner is supposed to be your shield from the world. Being with your mother taught me a lot. When I met her it was the first time I actually realized maybe life isn't so bad. Even though she didn't like me very well at first" I added recalling that first night I laid eyes on her. "Can you tell me about the first time you guys met?" She asked. "Yeah I'll tell you after our ride" I said as we got close to the stables.

"This is my horse Midnight. He's a Friesian bloodline horse" I said rubbing the stud. "He's beautiful" Carmella said. "Your mom's horse is over there. Her name is Lady. She's a Akhal Teke. Your mom loves her coat and how sweet she is" I said. "What horse will I be riding?" She asked. "Well this was a gift I got you about a week ago. This is Bella, she's also a Akhal Teke"  I replied as the stableman brought the horse out. "Oh my god! This is for me!?" She asked excitedly. "I figured you would love her and take care of her" I said as she rubbed the horse.