Business Endings

EMMA

I pull out the papers and slide Diablo his copy. I start from the beginning, explaining the contract bit by bit. With each clause, I see Diablo’s anger growing.

In essence, the contract frees me from any obligations I have to him. The profits from all our businesses are split evenly between us.

All the clubs are now mine. The three Mafia bosses I persuaded to join Diablo will now be my allies. The meeting I set up with Mason Magaddino, he can keep.

It’s not exactly a fair contract, but after the emotional turmoil he’s put me through, I think it’s justified. He shattered my heart for the third time yesterday. How can I forget the hurtful things he said?

I can’t just wipe it from my memory, which makes it even harder. I feel so foolish for trusting him with my whole heart and soul. He was my future, my everything.

He broke me. This contract is my attempt to hurt him back. It’s childish, I know. Revenge never ends well. It always comes back to bite you. But in this case, it’s necessary.

“Sign it, Diablo,” I say, my voice dripping with bitterness.

“No, Emma! I won’t sign this shit. Be reasonable, baby. Can we talk alone? I need to explain what happened yesterday.”

He glances past me to Levi and Alex.

“Get out of my office now,” he orders, his voice growing louder with each word.

Both men stay put, not budging an inch. This only fuels Diablo’s anger. He stands up so fast his chair topples over. I’ve never seen him this desperate or out of control.

“Get the fuck out of my office now so I can talk to Emma alone,” he demands. Still, they don’t move. They won’t unless I tell them to.

My heart is torn. Do I let him explain, straying from the plan, or do I stick to the plan, do what needs to be done, and ruin him? I’m so confused.

Diablo’s chest rises and falls as he tries to control his breathing. His hands are clenched into fists, ready to strike both men.

I rise from my chair, turning to Levi and Alex, intending to ask them to leave. Levi looks at me and shakes his head.

He knows me too well. If I give in to Diablo, I’ll just fall back into our old patterns, with him controlling me and treating me like a plaything, ignoring my feelings and needs just like before.

Shaking my head, I walk over to Diablo. I place my hands flat on his chest, feeling his erratic heartbeat.

“Diablo, I think we said enough yesterday. And if last night is any indication, we’re done. Please sit down and sign the papers so we can both move on,” I say calmly.

My touch seems to calm him. He looks down at me, his green eyes softening as they meet my blue ones. I see the love and regret in them. But he went too far this time. I need to stay strong.

He places his hands over mine, gently stroking my hands, moving up my arms until they rest on my shoulders. One hand moves to the back of my neck, pulling me closer.

We stand chest to chest, no space between us. He lowers his head, maintaining eye contact with me. He’s waiting for a sign from me to stop him, but I don’t give him one.

I need to let him do this to give us both closure. I reach up, wrapping my hands around his neck, pulling him closer.

When our lips are just inches apart, I whisper, “This is the last time you’ll kiss me, Diablo. We need closure, so make it count.”

I press my lips to his, our mouths moving in sync. He slides his tongue over my bottom lip, seeking entrance to my mouth, which I willingly grant. The kiss is filled with passion, hurt, guilt, lust, and above all, desperation.

I feel butterflies in my stomach and a warmth spreading in my core. He always has this effect on me. I can feel the wetness soaking my panties.

He moves one hand to the front of my neck, gripping it tightly, which only excites me more. His other hand moves to my ass, cupping it.

Despite what happened with Dean last night, being in his arms feels so right. This is home. This is where I belong…but he slept with Crystal and he crushed my heart with his cruel words.

I pull away from the kiss abruptly as thoughts of Dean and Crystal flood my mind. He’s taken aback at first but recovers quickly.

Turning back to the desk, I realize Diablo and I had completely forgotten about Alex and Levi’s presence in the room—the kiss was that intense.

Knowing Levi, he probably read my lips when I told Diablo it was our last kiss. That’s probably why they stayed.

I blush a deep red as I realize what they witnessed between Diablo and me. It was incredibly intimate. But I can’t be bothered. I sit back down at the table, gesturing for Diablo to do the same.

I notice the bulge in his pants he doesn’t even try to hide. He just picks up his chair and sits back down.

“Emma, baby, that kiss just proved we’re meant for each other. Don’t do this. We can get through what happened yesterday, together,” he says, trying to take my hand, which I quickly pull away.

“No. Sign. I have things to do, Diablo,” I say firmly.

He pulls the contract closer, sighs deeply, and signs where necessary. With a look of defeat, he hands the signed documents back to me. I sign as well. Turning to Levi, I ask him to make copies.

Once he’s done, he hands them back to me. I pull out my laptop and log into the bank. I transfer Diablo’s share to his personal account. I change all the login details for each business.

I draft an email to all the club managers, telling them to expect a visit from me in the coming weeks. Turning to Levi, I nod.

He pulls out the encrypted phone and sends a message to all the Mafia bosses, informing them of the current situation. Diablo looks utterly defeated. He stays seated, staring at the desk, silent.

I feel awful. What I’ve done has ruined him. With only four alliances left, minus his other businesses, he drops to the sixth rank among the Mafia leaders.

I’m fifth in line, thanks to my businesses and a couple of other things. But I need to know who’s at the top and why. I want that spot.

Diablo’s phone rings after a bit. He excuses himself and heads to his desk to answer it, probably seeking some privacy.

Levi seizes this chance to talk to me. “Emma, what the hell? You almost caved in to him twice. He shattered you three times, for God’s sake. You were actually thinking about taking him back. Have you lost your mind?”

“Levi, I love him. I can’t help it. I know what he did, but yes, I was going to give him another chance—but it’s too late now, isn’t it?”

“If we hadn’t been here, you’d be having sex on that desk. Please remember what he did and said to you. He shattered you, and I had to put you back together piece by piece.”

“I still love him, Levi. It doesn’t matter what he did to me. He’ll always be the man who first owned my heart and still does.

“I don’t think I’ll ever love anyone else the way I love him.” Tears threaten to spill from my eyes.

“What about Dean, Emma? Is he just a distraction to you? You know how he feels about you, but you chose to exploit his feelings.”

Before I can respond, Diablo comes back to the desk. His face is a picture of disbelief. He sits down, staring at the desk, avoiding my gaze.

“We’ll continue this conversation later, Levi, not now,” I whisper. I sit back down, looking at Diablo. I don’t know how to react; he looks so lost. The ringing of the encrypted phone snaps me back to reality.

Levi answers it, then hands it to me, whispering that it’s Mason Maggadino on the line. I take the phone from Levi, puzzled why he would be calling me. His meeting is with Diablo, not me.

“Hi, Mason, what can I do for you?” I ask in a professional tone. I listen carefully while Mason talks and signal for Levi to hand me my digital diary.

I flip through it, scheduling him for a meeting at the same time we had planned before. I’m stunned. Why does he want to meet with me if he’s meeting with Diablo?

I end the call and look at Diablo.

“What the hell did you do, Diablo? Why is Mason asking for a meeting with me?”

He continues to stare at the desk, lost in his thoughts. I slam my fist on the desk, making everyone jump, including Diablo. Slowly lifting his head, he looks at me. His eyes are empty, sad, and utterly defeated.

“He doesn’t want to meet with me,” he whispers. I can barely hear him. “He said he only agreed to meet with you knowing I would stay in the background and you would handle the business side of things.

“Now that I’m out of the picture, he wants to meet with the person he wanted an alliance with in the first place: you. No one will want to do business with me again, Emma. You’ve officially ruined me.

“I hope you can live with yourself. I made you the person you are today and this is how you repay me—by following through on your threat of ruining me.”

My emotions flip in a matter of seconds.

“What the hell did you just say, Diablo? ~You~ made me who I am today? Are you kidding?

“Did you earn my academic achievements? Did you endure the most brutal training known to man? Did you acquire the new businesses? Did you get the other bosses to align with us? No, it was never you.

“It’s me. Even the Saltentro twins want nothing to do with you until they meet with me.

“The only thing you did, Diablo, is break my heart not once, not twice, but three damn times. And every damn time I took you back just to walk down the same path again, the one where you break my heart and slowly kill me.

“That’s where your credit for who I’ve become starts and ends. You made me this heartless bitch. You broke me, you broke us.”

“All of this—” I gesture with my hand, “is a result of your actions, not mine. ~You~ ruined everything.”

My voice cracks at the end of my rant. I’m on the verge of tears. This is more painful than I thought it would be—facing the end of what could have been a power couple.

“Make sure your stuff is out of my office by five today. Effective immediately, Luis is fired. You can keep him if you want, but I have no use for him.

“I’ll let Travis know if he still has a job when I see him later tonight. I hope you’re happy, Diablo. All of this is on you. The infamous Diablo is screwed because of a little innocent woman.

“You broke us. Never forget that you’re the damn reason things escalated to this point. You’re the reason there’s no ‘Diablo and Emma.’”

I turn and storm out of the office, with Levi and Alex right behind me.

The wait for the elevator is tense. I try to hold back my tears by taking deep breaths. I just want to get home, shower, crawl into bed, and break down.

What the hell have I done? Why did Diablo have to push me so far this time?