The Mafia's Heirs

76. I Will Tell You Another Time

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"River?"

River turned around while Victor tensed at the voice.

It was Aaron Grady. He was Flynn's father. He was the father of the sweet little boy her baby girl had a crush on.

"Aaron, hi." I said, walking towards him and leaning in to his outstretched arms. After the incident where Kiara fell and sprained her ankle and Lucas pushed Flynn, the two parents had been on a talking basis. And Flynn was now Lucas' best friend though Kiara was still shy around him.

'Ahh young love I tell you.' River smiled as soon as the duo's faces came to her mind.

Flynn has even had a sleep over at their place this one time Aaron was flying out of the country on a business conference.

"Woman, I called you after the kids were kidnapped and you didn't even pick up!" He said pulling away but still resting a hand on her arm.

"You might have heard what happened afterwards." She smiled sadly.

Aaron raised a brow.

"A little bird told me what you do other than architecture." She shrugged.

Mateo strained his ears as soon as he heard that. What was she talking about?

Aaron's eyes widened as soon as he realized that River now knew the truth.

The truth that Aaron Grady actually worked for Dmitri Petrov, the younger brother of Sergey and late Mona Petrov. According to River's good tattoo-artist of a friend, Eric, Dmitri had informed him about Mona kidnapping the twins through Aaron. And Eric knew the connection between Aaron and River because, well, he had eyes and ears at all places of New York at all times.

"Yeah, I did." Aaron said finally, knowing that there was no use pretending anymore. "Dmitri is heartbroken about Mona's death. She might have been a psychotic bitch but she still is his sister." He said, pursing his lips.

Mateo's eyes widened when he realized that the man his baby mama was talking to had something to do with the Russian Mafia. How the hell could she be so calm about it?!!

River nodded in understanding. Even she had no anger left towards her and she only did bad to her and her kids. It was weird that a woman River had never seen in her life had managed to do the amount of damage she did.

"Dmitri doesn't suspect any of you though. He thinks it could be the Boss. After all, Mona was trying to snatch his position from him and blaming it on Mateo will kill two birds with one stone."

River bit her lips, nodding. That actually made sense.

She had never met the Boss of the Russian Mafia either. She just knew that his name was Sergey and that he was the elder brother of Mona and Dmitri. It was safe to say that all three of them siblings weren't her favorite people in the world but she guessed Dmitri wasn't that bad, considering he did help her find her babies though Mateo would have even if she hadn't.

"Give me your new phone number." He said, pulling out his from the vest pocket.

River looked down at her phone to see that Mateo was still on the line, and he was staring at her with a stoic face.

"I will tell you another time." She smiled apologetically at him. He nodded in understanding. They said their good-byes and Victor and she got into the car.

River was not so surprised to find that Mateo still hadn't hung up and was looking increasingly irritated.

"Are we going to fight over this right now?" She asked, rolling her eyes for the nth time that day as she put on her seatbelt.

"I have nothing to say to you. You are impossible and stupid." He said in a detached voice, turning around to his laptop.

"I thought you had nothing to say." River commented and narrowed her eyes when Victor let out a chuckle which he quickly covered up by pretending to cough into his fist.

"Why are you in contact with a man who works for the Russian Mafia?" He asked, his irritation and anger seeping into his words.

River took her time fishing out her air pods from her purse and connecting them to her phone before she spoke, "I was friends with him before I knew he had a connection with the Mafia or that the kids were yours. And he is also the dad of Lucas' best friend so.."

"Now that you know who he is, don't you think you should be keeping your distance?" He scuffed, furiously typing away, not glancing at her even once.

"Mateo, Dmitri helped us find the twins okay?"

"Dmitri did? Really? Last time I checked, I found the kids!"

"So did I. And that was thanks to Dmitri!"

"I can't believe you River. I get that you want to keep your options open but-"

River hit the end button without a second thought, feeling her blood boil with rage.

So much for trust, understanding, promises and respect!

Her phone rang; it was Mateo. She declined the call and stuffed her phone into her purse, staring ahead as she grit her teeth, blinking back the pathetic tears that threatened to leak out.

"Ma'am, Capo is calling." Victor was eyeing his phone.

"I don't care if you pick it or not but I am not talking to him." She said.

He picked up his phone and looked at her nervously as he listened to his Capo before connecting it to the car audio system. River quickly pulled out her phone from her purse. "River, listen-" She turned up punk rock on Spotify.

Victor sighed and spoke but all River could see was his moving lips and after briefly speaking who knows what, he hung up.

River knew that she was supposed to be the mature understanding tolerant one between the two but he really did cross the line.

One step forward, two steps back.

She admitted that there was some sparks going about between the both of them, but one, nothing was official so even if she was 'keeping her options open' he had no right to speak that way to her and two, how the hell is being friends with a fellow parent and being grateful to the man who played a role in her finding her kids 'keeping her options open.'

River's phone rang again and this time it was Adam. She refused to pick it up as well but he started sending messages, one of which caught her eyes.

'I know it's deadly for me but I can break his nose if you want me to.'

She smiled a bit and replied, 'As much as I would love for you to do that, nope. The kids will be worried.'

River sighed and put the phone back after turning off the music and tossed her air pods inside as well. She going to lose them one of these days.

"Victor, take me to the hospital."

"But ma'am-"

"It wasn't a request."

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