Chapter 363

Aria When I expressed my feelings of wanting to get married, I had not expected to sit back and watch without being allowed to do a single thing.

I trusted mom, always have-but watching her plan my dream wedding, choose my dream dress, and so much more while I could only sit back and watch tiring-

Not wanting to waste my day, I focused on the business which would soon be mine. Today was collector day.

A day where we would go through some of the small local businesses we had funded to collect our money.

We hadn’t been in the city for long, but we had been investing in some businesses for quite some time.

“And that is why you don’t send out men to take care of your issues.” Dad ranted as we were walking to our first target. “Seeing the big boss in person scares them, and that’s what we want. We don’t even want them to think about screwing us over.”

I typed all of his words on my phone. “Yes, daddy.”

If there were one thing I was serious about, it would be the fortune and the well-being of our family. I wasn’t even ashamed to admit that not being the center of attention in this city was a blow to my ego.

Still, Christian was someone I respected, and | appreciated his way of working. There could only be one winner, and as long as it was him- I had no issues with it.

“So I just ask for the money?” I asked. Dad twitched his nose, shaking his head. “No, absolutely not.”

“Then what?”

“You stand back with your arms folded while the guys take care of it-and only if they refuse to pay, it’s time to take your stage.

“Got it.”

Dad patted my head. “Make sure you do because a few days from now, all of this will be yours.”

Taking over the Morales’ sooner than expected was not what I had in mind as I had planned on spending some time as Vince’s wife-but the Garcias could do with some cleaning, so maybe it was a good thing.

From what I’d heard-their business was an unorganized mess. Commoners walked over them, didn’t pay their debts, and raised their voices at them. They were too soft.

Leading the family could also serve as a way for Vince to respect me. Despite everything, I had not forgotten about Beau’s words, and the thought of Vince disliking me had not left my mind.

Even then, I was still in love with him, and I still believed he would make a great husband.

Deep down, I knew he didn’t mean anything he said. Pince wasn’t like that.

“Pay attention!” Dad whispered, waking me from my thoughts.

“I’m here to pick up a special delivery!” One of the four men we were with announced as we entered a small bakery. Flustered, I looked back only to see dad had stayed behind.

I scanned the empty bakery and stood at the back as the Morales’ men stepped forward.

The man behind the counter revealed himself with a guilty smile on his lips, and I grabbed my notebook to search for his information.

Joe Corio, 56, married with three daughters. Took a loan of 500k, expected to pay 10k each month for four years.

“S-see, t-the t-t-thing is-“Joe brushed his hand through his thin brown hair, his dark eyes blinking out of fear.

“It’s only ten-thousand.” I read out loud, frowning. “You don’t have it?”

I cleared my throat, surprised as Joe pulled a disgusted face. “Stay out of it, little girl.” He snarled.

“Men are handling business.”

This didn’t faze me, and it never did. I was prepared for this and knew I had to earn my respect.

People saw me as young and inexperienced, and I had to prove them wrong.

“So you don’t have the money, but you have a wife and two daughters.” I squinted, reading through the notes. “Livia, 24-Paloma, 22-Anastasia, 18-Clara, 15′′

“N-no, wait!” Joe stuttered, losing his balance. This man had ten daughters and didn’t even let me “W-who are you?”

finish.

“Aria Morales.” I closed my notebook with a thin smile. I’m in charge now.” Joe’s jaw dropped at my words.

“You can choose. Do you want to pay by cash, or should I find another way to make you pay?”

-I-I’ve got the money!” The man rushed back to the counter to grab an envelope before pushing it into my hands. “It’s here!” He said. “All of it!”

I opened the envelope and counted every bill, ensuring the money was in there. “See, why couldn’t you just give me it the first time?”

“The Morales has been taking everything from us, leaving us with crumbs, so I didn’t have a choice.” Joe stressed. “How am I supposed to pay my taxes? My oldest daughter’s husband passed away. We need the money for our grandson and-”

“I do not care.” I didn’t give Joe a chance to explain himself as it would only be a waste of time.

What did his problems have to do with our business? “As long as you haven’t paid off your debt, I couldn’t care any less.”

It was quiet for a few seconds until Joe bowed slightly. “I-I’m sorry!”

“Also, let’s not waste each other time, and please just give me the money the next time.” I shrugged off his apology, not having the energy to stare at this pathetic man for much longer.

“Starting next week, we’ll be merging with the Garcias so you might see a few new faces around here,” I mentioned.

“W-what does that mean for us?” Joe asked.

“It means that the next time you try raising your voice at me-I’ll send my husband, Vincenzo Garcia, to collect the cash. I made sure to mention the last name the city despised that much.

“F-Fabio G-Garcia’s son?” The man stuttered, twitching his body. That name strongly affected many people in this city, this neighborhood specifically-so why not use it to scare him a little?

“Yes, that’s the one. I chuckled. “Come on, guys, let’s go.

Once outside, dad pulled me in his arms with a wide grin and kissed my head. “My daughter.” He overreacted, as always. “Because of this one right here—I know the business will be in good hands,”

From the side of my eyes, I could see a woman carrying a baby rushing inside the bakery, and my thoughts went back to Vince. Becoming a mother had been one of my biggest dreams, and I couldn’t wait to see a little Garcia-Morales one day.

“You’re right, sir-she is a natural.” A guy I hadn’t noticed before tilted his head to the side so I could see him. He shot me a slight smile as we returned to the vehicle-and I was curious about his identity.

He walked up front with dad while I walked behind the two, and that’s how it went for the rest of the day.

All the money had been collected, and everything went well-but I had yet to receive any information about our mysterious guest.

“Who is this?” I finally asked in the car on our way back home. Before dad could answer, the guy removed his cap, showing me his chocolate brown, laid-back hair.

“Angelo Marino, the grandson of Nico Marino. He introduced himself, sitting beside me in the back.

I’m older than you.”

Like I cared He wasn’t even from the so-called main branch. He was just a grandson, “Shouldn’t he be with his family?” I turned away from Angelo’s honey eyes and focused on dad.

“No. He works for you for the time being.

Everyone knew the Marinos and the Garcias were not on good terms, so if this were his way of keeping Vince in check to make sure he wouldn’t betray me-it was a low move.

I looked Angelo up and down, giving him a dirty look. One wrong word about Vince, and I would kill him.

Dad sensed my worries. “He’ll be a good friend, advisor, and mentor to you. Very loyal, trustworthy, kind “I know you might have some worries concerning my opinion on your fiancé, but I can assure you that I do not share the same views as my family.” Angelo gave me the explanation I had never asked for.

If this was daddy’s way of protecting me from future threats-so be it.

There were times the two of us didn’t agree with each other, but I would never dare to go against him.

As the future head of the family, I did what got expected of me and stuck out my hand to the guy who I already could tell was going to be a hand full.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

What would my wedding dress look like?

What would Vince’s reaction bel All those thoughts were going through my head as I rested on my bed, waiting for the time to pass.

Not having anyone to hang out with was a pity, but at the same time, that wasn’t my fault. These people in this city just weren’t on my level.

I had sent Vince and text in the morning, hoping he would invite me over for dinner-but his answers were short and dry. Yes, no, ok, maybe.

I had even helped daddy make a list of our demands to put together a contract and kept it mild because 1 didn’t want to hurt him. However, Vince hadn’t thanked me for keeping it nice.

Operation making Vince like me wasn’t going as well as I expected-but we were taking one step at a time.

“Miss, you have a visitor.” My maid Ana stuck her head through the door.

I sat up straight. “Tell them to leave. I’m not expecting anyone.” I told her. Unannounced visits were one of my biggest pet peeves and made my skin crawl.

Who in his right mind would show up at my doorsteps at 11 PM, knowing I was most likely barefaced and in my pajamas.

“It is Vince,” Ana whispered, not moving a muscle.

“Vince?” I jumped up, placing my hands on my cheeks. “No-No-No!” I ran to my closet with Ana following behind. “I can’t see him like this!”

If his hatred towards me was not enough to make him run, it would have to be the baggy pajamas almost floating around my body.

“Ana, please tell him I’ll be down soon!” I rushed the woman as I threw several dresses onto my bed. “And do not let mom bother him!”

What was he doing here?

Was he here to thank me for keeping the contract civil and fair?

It took me a good fifteen minutes, but I found a cute tight knee-length dress and powdered my face to perfection. “So, this will do,” I said, untying my sloppy ponytail.

Curious about his surprise visit, I went downstairs and followed the sound of mom’s exaggerated laughter –and there she was, talking to my fiancé. Good job, Ana.

“Mommy!” I called out, embarrassed, looking at her hand, which rested on Vince’s chest, and his uncomfortable expression.

“Oh, there she is!” Vince stepped away from mom and moved closer until he was right in front of me.

I looked in his eyes while he looked back into mine with no words being said. His eyes bored into mine as if he was trying to see for how long this could go for until one of us would finally decide to speak up.

So these loving looking eyes were really the eyes of the man who supposedly secretly hated my guts.

“You’ve changed your hair.” Vince eventually touched my wavy curls.

“Yes, I cut it a bit shorter.” It was only a few inches, and one could barely see it.

Dad hadn’t noticed, and neither did mom-not even Ana, but Vince did. He had noticed.

“Looks good on you.” Vince complimented me. “And I’m sorry for showing up out of the blue, but-”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind!” I waved my hands. He could show up anytime, and I wouldn’t mind. We would be living together in a few days, there was no need to get shy.

“Okay, the two of you have fun.” Morn released another round of fake laughter and trailed her finger down Vince’s shoulder. “It was good seeing you, Vince.” She said to the same man who according to her, wasn’t good enough to be my husband just a while ago.

“You too, ma’am. Vince grabbed her arm, smiling as politely as ever.

“So.” I cut to the chase the moment we were alone. “I hadn’t expected to see you today-but I’m so happy you did. There are a few things I would like to discuss about the wedding.”

“The wedding?” Vince slightly bit his lip, creating distance between us. “I’m not here to talk about the wedding”

T-Then why are you here?” I asked, taken aback.

“I’m here because I think it’s time for us to have a talk