Sold To My Secret Mafia Father

The day the company hit rock bottom, the man Id loved for five years held me and sobbed through the night.

My heart broke for him. I was ready to swallow my pride and crawl back to the father I hadnt seen in half a decadethe man Id sworn to excise from my life like a tumor. The rumors said the former underworld kingpin had finally scrubbed his money clean; his empire now stretched across every corner of the city.

I wanted to surprise him. I didn't say a word. I just spent the afternoon cooking a feast, waiting for him to come home so I could tell him the nightmare was over.

But I never got to eat that dinner. One sip of my drink, and the world began to tilt. I went limp in his arms, the floor rushing up to meet me.

"Regina, baby, please understand... it took everything I had just to get a meeting with Big Mick," I heard him whisper, his voice sounding like it was underwater. "He told me himself. The CEO of Summit Holdings is looking for a woman. He's offering ten million dollars for anyone who matches your description. Youre a perfect fit."

"Don't hate me. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being too good to me when I had nothing. Youre too much for a guy like me to keep."

"Don't worry. I heard theyre legitimate now. Youll be living in luxury. Youll be happy..."

As my consciousness frayed at the edges, the words Summit Holdings hit me like a physical blow. Suddenly, the terror vanished, replaced by a cold, surreal irony.

Summit Holdings?

That was my fathers company. The "legitimate" front for the man who had spent five years trying to hunt me down, desperate to play the doting parent.

He was selling me to my own father.

If Nelson wanted me to live a life of luxury, he was about to get exactly what he asked for.

...

The sedative was heavy. I was tossed into the backseat like a piece of luggage. My head felt like it was splitting open, and my limbs were useless weights.

In the front seat, the conversation between Nelson and his assistant, Amber, drifted back to me with agonizing clarity.

"Nelson, are you really going through with this? Shes been with you for five years," Amber said. Her voice lacked any real conviction; she sounded more curious than concerned.

"What choice do I have? The company is dead in the water. Summit has been looking for her for years. They put a ten-million-dollar bounty on her head." Nelsons voice was a jagged mess of exhaustion and cold pragmatism. "Ten million. It covers every debt we have. Its a clean slate."

I kept my eyes closed, drifting through the fog of our history.

Five years ago, my mother caught my father in what she thought was an affair. The stress sent her into a tailspin, landing her in a hospital bed she never left. I hated that man. I hated him for breaking her, and I hated myself for carrying his blood.

At eighteen, I walked out. I changed my name, moved across the state, and swore Id never touch a cent of his blood money.

Then I met Nelson.

Back then, he was just a guy with a dream and a cramped studio apartment in a bad neighborhood. He worked twenty-hour days, but hed always come home with a hot coffee for me. He promised me that once the company made it, hed give me the world.

I believed him. I ate instant noodles with him for months. I pulled all-nighters helping him with spreadsheets. I begged clients to give him a chance. I watched him grow from a one-man show into a firm with fifty employees.

I knew my father was looking for me. But I stayed hidden. It wasn't just spite; it was a matter of pride. I wanted to wait until Nelson was a success, so I could walk back into my fathers mansion on my own termsto show him I didn't need him.

And this was the payoff.

Nelson had succeeded. And now, he was cashing me in.

"Nelson, aren't you afraid she'll hate you when she wakes up?" Amber asked.

"Let her hate me." There was a brief silence. "Regina, don't blame me. Im at the end of my rope. Youve suffered through the lean years with meyou of all people should understand. You wouldn't want to see me lose everything, would you?"

Understand? I dont understand a damn thing about you.

I tried to scream, to lash out, but all that came out was a pathetic, muffled groan.

"Summit Holdings isn't a bad place," he continued, his voice dropping an octave as if he were trying to convince himself. "Mr. Rossi has gone legit. Hes been searching for this specific girl for half a decade. Word is, his wife died years ago and he never remarried. Maybe... maybe he just wants a trophy wife. Isn't that better than struggling with me?"

My brain felt like it was exploding.

Rossi? Mr. Rossi?

That was my father. The man who had been scouring the country for his daughter.

Youre selling me to my own father? And you think he wants to marry me?

Nelson, you delusional sociopath.

I wanted to laugh, but the muscles in my face wouldn't move. I could only lie there, paralyzed, listening to his self-serving monologue.

"Regina, you love me so much. Youll forgive me eventually. Youre saving me. Youre saving the company. Youre saving everything we built together..."

Everything we built?

Five years ago, when he held me and told me I was his soulmate, he sounded just as sincere. Last night, when he cried about the bankruptcy, he sounded just as sincere. Now, he was selling me and convinced himself it was a sacrifice I was making for him.

The car moved fast. The scenery outside the window began to look hauntingly familiar.

Id run away from these streets five years ago.

The car slowed as we approached a massive set of wrought-iron gates. The Rossi Estate. The gold-leaf lettering mocked me.

I was home.

Nelson killed the engine but didn't move.

"Nelson?" Amber whispered, touching his arm.

He said nothing.

Amber watched him for a moment, her voice turning soft and manipulative. "Are you having second thoughts?"

Still, silence.

Amber let out a sharp, cynical laugh. "Think about the company, Nelson. Think about..." She paused, and I heard the rustle of fabric. "Think about me. And think about the baby. Do you want our child to grow up in a trailer park, or do you want the life we talked about?"

A tremor went through Nelsons shoulders.

A baby?

The last string of my heart snapped. Five years of memories. Five years of cold pizza, late nights, and shared dreams. It was all a lie. Hed already replaced me. She was already carrying his future.

I was just the collateral.

"Regina."

Nelson suddenly turned around, looking at me. I forced my eyes open, locking my gaze onto his.

He flinched, clearly not expecting me to be conscious. But the guilt lasted only a second. He gritted his teeth, his expression hardening into something ugly.

"I'm sorry."

He climbed out of the car, and together with Amber, they dragged me out into the cold night air.

Nelson hauled me toward the gatehouse. Two security guards stepped out, looking bored until they saw my face.

"State your business," one said.

Nelson offered a greasy, desperate smile. "Im here to see... uh, Mick. Tell him I have the girl."

The guard looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on my disheveled state with blatant disgust. He didn't say a word, just jerked his head toward the interior. "Get inside."

Nelson and Amber lugged me through the grounds. The estate was massiveit had grown even more opulent since I left. We passed through a grove of birch trees to a detached guest villa.

The guard opened the door. "Wait here."

He disappeared. Nelson dumped me onto a leather sofa. Amber stood by the window, checking her phone every few seconds.

The drugs were wearing off slightly. I was still weak, but I could wiggle my fingers. My throat felt like it was filled with glass, but I could finally make a sound.

Nelson sat beside me. He watched me for a long time, then reached out and took my hand.

"Regina." His voice was soft again, that practiced, soothing tone he used whenever he messed up. "I know you're angry. But think about everything Ive done for you over the last five years. If the company goes under, Im nothing."

He leaned in closer. "When Mr. Rossi gets here, just... cooperate. Don't make a scene. Later on, when hes bored with you, you can come back to me. Ill take you back. I promise."

I stared at him, my expression blank. He took my silence for hesitation and squeezed my hand tighter.

"I swear, Ill treat you better than ever. Well have the money, well have everything."

Suddenly, Amber marched over and slapped his hand away from mine. She reached down and pinched my arm, hard.

I gasped at the sharp sting of pain.

"You little bitch," Amber hissed, glaring at me. "Stop acting so innocent. Youve spent five years riding his coattails, and now that its time to pay the bill, you're going to act like a martyr? You loved him, didn't you? Well, prove it. Save him."

Nelson caught her wrist. "Amber, take it easy."

He turned back to me, his voice returning to that sickeningly sweet pitch. "Regina, don't mind her. Shes just stressed because of the baby. Just be a good girl for Mr. Rossi. Once this hurdle is cleared, Ill owe you everything."

He reached out to stroke my cheek.

My voice finally came back. It was dry, a raspy whisper, but it carried.

"You... pathetic... animal."

Nelsons hand froze in mid-air.

His face transformed. The tenderness vanished, replaced by shock, and then a searing, bright red rage.

"What did you say?"

"I said... youre a pathetic animal."

My voice was hoarse, but every syllable was a dagger.

Nelsons features twisted into a mask of fury. He lunged forward and slapped me across the face.

Crack.

My head snapped to the side. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth.

"Ungrateful bitch!" He stood up, towering over me. "I give you five years of my life, I talk to you like a human being, and you throw it back in my face?"

"Look at where you are, Regina! Look at who I am! You have nothing without me!"

I lifted my head, my hair matted against my face, and looked him dead in the eye.

"I will destroy you."

He blinked, then let out a sharp, jagged laugh. He grabbed me by the hair, pulling my head back until I was forced to look at him.

"Destroy me? Do you have any idea how much this company means to me? You should be honored you're finally useful for something!"

My scalp burned, but I didn't make a sound. I just watched him with cold, dead eyes.

Amber stepped up and kicked me in the shin. "Still staring? You really don't know where you are, do you?" She leaned down, patting my bruised cheek. "Let me make this clear: Nelson loves me. You were just a placeholder. If you really loved him, youd be happy to do this."

Nelson pushed her back slightly, then knelt down again. He let go of my hair and cupped my face with a horrifying gentleness.

"Regina, stop fighting. Listen to me. Just make Mr. Rossi happy tonight. I won't even care that youre 'dirty' afterward. Ill still marry you. How about that?"

Amber scoffed in the background, but didn't argue.

I looked at this man. The man I had shared a bed with for eighteen hundred nights. The man who had cried on my shoulder.

He was leaning in, waiting for my submission.

I opened my mouth.

He thought I was going to agree. He leaned closer.

I bit his ear as hard as I possibly could.

Nelson let out a blood-curdling scream and threw me back against the sofa. My mouth was filled with warm copper; blood from his ear began to pour down his neck.

"You fucking whore!"

He lost it. He grabbed a heavy glass ashtray from the coffee table and slammed it into the side of my head.

The world went black for a second. I slumped onto the cushions. Before I could even register the pain, his fists started raining down on me.

It hurt. God, it hurt.

"Ill kill you! You think youre special? Youre just a piece of meat Im selling!"

He was panting, his voice a guttural snarl.

"I tried to be nice! I tried to do this the easy way, and you had to pull this shit!"

Amber rushed over, grabbing his arm. "Nelson, stop! Stop! If you break her, Rossi won't pay! Thats ten million dollars you're hitting!"

Nelson shoved her away and backhanded me one last time. My vision was swimming, my mouth a mess of blood.

He raised his heavy boot to stomp on me, but a voice like thunder boomed from the doorway.

"ENOUGH!"

Nelsons foot froze in mid-air.

I forced myself to look up. Standing in the doorway was a man with a long, jagged scar running from his temple to his jaw.

Mick.

I remembered him. Five years ago, he was a low-level thug, the guy who fetched coffee for the real players in my fathers circle. Now, he was wearing a tailored suit, flanked by two massive bodyguards. He carried an aura of genuine power now.

Nelsons face transformed instantly. He pulled back his foot, wiped his bloody hands on his trousers, and practically sprinted toward Mick with a subservient bow.

"Mr. Mick! Sir! Im... Im Nelson. Nelson Woods. We spoke on the phone."

Mick didn't even look at him. His eyes were locked on me. I was curled on the sofa, bleeding, my clothes torn, looking like something dragged out of a wreck.

His brow furrowed. "This is the woman? The one the boss is looking for?"

Nelson nodded frantically. "Yes, yes! Shes the one. Matches the description perfectly. I made sure of it."

Mick walked over and looked down at me, his eyes cold. "You sure?"

Nelson leaned in, a sycophantic grin on his face. "Certain, sir. Mr. Rossi mentioned a specific heart-shaped birthmark on her left chest. Look, Ill show you"

He actually reached down to rip my shirt open.

I clutched my collar with the last of my strength, my nails digging into the back of his hand. Nelson hissed in pain, his face darkening as he raised his hand to strike me again.

"Stop," Mick barked.

Nelson stopped instantly, retreating a few steps with a sheepish grin.

I looked up at the scarred man, my voice a dry, rattling ghost of itself.

"Mick."

Micks eyes narrowed.

I didn't stop. I stared right into his pupils. "Youre Mick 'The Blade' Sullivan, aren't you?"

His expression shifted. He reached down and hoisted me up by my collar.

"You think you can get cozy with me, sweetheart?" His face was inches from mine, the scent of expensive tobacco and old violence rolling off him. "Who do you think you are, trying to use my name?"

I was dangling, my feet barely touching the floor, gasping for air.

Nelson rushed over and slapped me across the mouth. Hard.

"Don't you dare use his name, you trash!" He turned back to Mick, his voice dripping with honey. "Don't mind her, sir. Shes just a brat who needs to be taught a lesson. If she gives the boss any trouble later, I have ways of making her talk."

Amber piped up from the corner, smirking. "Exactly. A big man like Mr. Mick doesn't have time for your games, Regina. You're lucky he hasn't killed you yet."

The slap had made my head spin. I spit a mouthful of blood onto Micks polished Italian leather shoes.

He stiffened, his eyes darkening to a dangerous black. He dropped me, and I collapsed onto the floor.

"You've got a lot of nerve," he whispered.

I stayed there, huddled on the carpet, every inch of me screaming in pain. But I forced my head up. I looked at him and said, word for word:

"Mick. Go get Joseph Rossi. Now."

He froze. Then, a slow, mocking laugh rumbled in his chest.

"Youre telling me to go get the boss?" He knelt down, pinching my chin between his fingers, forcing me to look up. "Do you have any idea who Mr. Rossi is? Do you have any idea who I am now?"

His grip tightened, feeling like he was going to crush my jaw.

"Just because the boss is looking for you doesn't mean youre someone. Youre just a job."

Nelson chimed in from the sidelines. "Shes delusional, sir! Mr. Mick is one of the top guys at Summit now. Rossis right hand. You think you can just order him around?"

Amber laughed. "She really thinks shes a princess. Its pathetic."

Mick let go of me and stood up, looking down with icy contempt.

"The boss is busy tonight. Im the one handling this. If youre a good girl, youll sit there until he has a free minute. If youre not..." He paused, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "I have plenty of ways to make you behave."

Nelsons eyes flickered with a dark thought. He leaned into Micks ear.

"Mr. Mick... since shes being so difficult... maybe you should... take the edge off her?" He lowered his voice, but I heard every word. "The boss will never know. Once shes had a taste of what you can do, shell be much more compliant for him."

Ambers eyes lit up with malicious glee.

Mick looked at Nelson, saying nothing.

Nelson pushed harder. "Im a vault, sir. Ill never say a word. If she tries to tell him, Ill tell him shes a pathological liar. Consider it a favorteach this bitch some respect."

Mick remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, he smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

He knelt back down and grabbed my face again. "Hear that? Your boyfriend wants to give you to me as a gift."

"Tell me... how should I thank him?"

I said nothing.

He suddenly let go and stood up. "Fine." He turned to Nelson. "Youve got instincts, kid. I like that."

Nelsons face lit up with pure, unadulterated joy. "Anything to make you happy, sir! Anything!"

Mick waved a hand. "Take her upstairs."

Two bodyguards stepped forward, grabbing me by the armpits and dragging me toward the stairs. Nelsons grin was so wide it looked like his face might split. Amber leaned against him, watching me like I was a dying animal.

As they dragged me past Mick, I managed to hook my foot against the bannister, forcing them to a halt. I looked Mick in the eye.

"Mick."

"My father hasn't been looking for me for five years because he wants a mistress."

His eyes twitched.

I kept going. "I'm his daughter."

Mick went dead still. Then, he exploded into laughter. It was a loud, ugly sound that echoed through the marble hallway.

"You?" He pointed a finger at my nose. "Youre Joseph Rossis daughter?"

Nelson joined in, cackling. "Don't listen to her, sir! Shes just a liar trying to save her skin. If she were Rossis daughter, would I have been able to keep her in a shithole apartment for five years? Would I be selling her?"

Amber was doubled over. "Oh my god, a princess! A princess who lived on ramen and worked a nine-to-five! Thats rich!"

Mick stopped laughing. His face turned stone-cold.

"Listen to me, little girl. Im giving you one last chance." He leaned in, his gaze like a blade. "Go upstairs. Behave. After tonight, youll still be the girl the boss wanted."

"But if you say one more word of this bullshit..." He leaned closer. "I will end you right here and bury you under the patio."

I looked at him, enunciating every syllable. "Are you deaf? I told you to go get Joseph. Now. Immediately."

"Because if you don't..." I spat a glob of blood directly onto his cheek. "You won't survive the consequences."

The room went silent. Dead silent.

Mick slowly reached up and wiped the blood from his face. His eyes changed. He wasn't looking at a person anymore; he was looking at a corpse.

"Fine," he whispered. "Fine."

"I gave you a chance."

He stepped back. "Strip her. Hold her down."

"If I don't break you tonight, my name isn't Mick Sullivan."

Nelson didn't hesitate. He lunged forward to pin my arms. Amber was cheering. "Hold her! Lets see how much she talks then!"

I was slammed onto the floor, my face pressed into the rug. Mick walked over and ground his heel into my hand. I felt the bones groan. The pain was blinding.

He leaned down to my ear. "You wanted me to call the boss? You said I couldn't handle the consequences?"

"Im going to show you exactly what I can handle."

He stood up. "Take it off."

I closed my eyes.

And then, the front door was kicked off its hinges.