The King Killer | Mafia dark romance | ✔️

4. Leave me alone

Antonio

"What is it?" Tossing a half-eaten sandwich, I turned to face Agustin. He leaned at the entrance of my study, his eyebrows touching his hairline.

"Nothing," he shrugged. With Agustin, it was never nothing. All I needed was to be patient. "Actually, there is something." Waltzing in, he plopped into the chair. "You haven't picked your wedding suit yet."

Agustin tapped his fingers over my table, his excitement growing with each beat. Maria must have set him up for the task. She knew I rarely got mad at him.

"I don't need a suit. I have one from my previous wedding."

Agustin's face shriveled like a raisin. He walked out, shoving the door close in his wake. Bang. I counted the seconds in my mind before Maria's entry. Like clockwork, she walked in with a pouting Agustin trailing beside her. Maria and Agustin were the Bonnie and Clyde in a mother and son form - always helping each other's devious plans.

Maria's longing to bear a daughter was partially fulfilled when she had delivered this mama's boy. While Alejandro and I grew up in time, Agustin stayed as a kid. Don't get me wrong - Agustin was ruthless when needed. I have seen him chop open a man with a meat cleaver with no remorse on his face. Yet, when it involved maamá's needs, he changed his personality like clothing.

"Que le dijiste a Agustin?" *What did you say to Agustin* Maria's anger warmed the room. She walked around, her nostrils flaring and eyes blinking constantly. Taking her usual seat, she sighed, her hands anchored into her set hair. "What will I do with you?"

I don't know. Leave me alone.

Lowering the laptop flap, I rested my face over my knuckles. "I told Agustin, I don't need a suit. Already have one."

Maria got up, tossing the chair backwards. A soft bang when her palms landed over my table. "¿Estás loco?" Walking around the room, she grunted. "Do you want this marriage to also...."

Palming her mouth, she halted both in words and steps. My mouth soured by her unspoken words, my vision heated watching her sunken face.

Certain things were prohibited from discussion in the Moralez household - where Alejandro went every weekend, when would Agustin graduate or anything close to Elena was an untouchable topic.

Maria crossed that line today, almost.

My parents wanted to ensure the Moralez firstborn had an heir. It would display our strength, having a child and a woman by my side. According to Maria, there were many suitable candidates. I wanted none. None would fit the mold.

Elena was the love of my life, the mother of my unborn child. Nobody knew that except for me, the secret which she carried to her grave.

My teeth powdered as I moved across the room and I towered over Maria. "If Valentina is fine marrying a widower, then she wouldn't have a problem with what I wear."

Not waiting for her to build her defense, I walked outside while Maria's footsteps followed me. A long, deep breath calmed the boil I felt inside, running its course under my skin and veins. Every time I remembered Elena, I fell into a bottomless pit of despair. A dark place where I couldn't heave for air or call for help.

In the past, Maria had made many good decisions. But the one about my second marriage and choosing Valentina to be her new daughter-in-law was wrong. A woman like Val was best paired with anyone who loved a challenge. Since Agustin met her, he was smitten. He gushed and giggled about the olive-skinned siren, enchanted by her appearance. My brother had a hard time controlling his tent from rising every time he thought about her.