MY BABY DADDY IS A MAFIA BOSS

TEN - ISABELLA

"Why would you assume that I was being scolded by my boss?" I asked, feeling the intensity in his eyes as she stared directly into mine with a fierce look. I slowly tried to pull my hands out of his grip but he wasn't letting go and for a split second there I was totally out of breath.

Suddenly, he gave out a sheepish smirk.

"That's better, if he did not scold you in any way then let's go out for lunch like Sofia requested." He said relaxing back on his seat making Sofia jump up in excitement.

As Enzo, Sofia, and I walked out of the building, hand in hand, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. I knew that Miguel's threat still lingered, and his encounter with Enzo earlier had only heightened my worries.

As we stepped outside, the afternoon sun greeted us, casting a warm glow over the busy streets. Sofia's excitement was contagious as she bounced beside us, her little hand swinging back and forth between Enzo's and mine.

"Where should we go for lunch, Sofia?" Enzo asked, a smile playing on his lips.

Sofia pondered for a moment, her brow furrowed in deep thought. "How about the park, Daddy? I want to have a picnic!"

Enzo's eyes sparkled with delight as he looked down at our daughter. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, princess. Let's go to the park and have a special picnic, just the three of us."

Enzo had already had his car ready outside and within minutes, we arrived at a nearby park. The lush green grass and blooming flowers provided the perfect backdrop for our impromptu lunch. Enzo took charge, spreading out a blanket and setting up a small feast of sandwiches and snacks.

As we sat on the grass, enjoying our meal, I couldn't help but steal glances at Enzo. There was a sense of happiness and contentment on his face, a stark contrast to the strained expression I had seen earlier in the office. It was clear that Sofia's presence brought him genuine joy.

But as we laughed and chatted, our carefree moment was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Enzo, I thought I would find you here," Miguel sneered, his presence sending a chill down my spine.

Enzo's face tightened as he locked eyes with Miguel. "What do you want, Miguel?"

"You seem to have forgotten your purpose here, Enzo," Miguel replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You were supposed to be focused on our business, not gallivanting around with Isabella and Sofia."

Enzo's jaw clenched, his voice filled with determination. "Sofia is my daughter, Miguel. She's not a distraction. And as for our business, we can discuss it later."

Miguel chuckled, his laughter filled with malice. "Oh, so you're choosing your daughter over everything else? How noble of you, Enzo."

"Enough, Miguel," I interjected, my voice firm. "We are here to have a peaceful lunch, not to engage in a pointless argument. Please leave us be."

Miguel's eyes flickered with anger as he glared at me. "You have no right to interfere in our business affairs, Isabella. This is between Enzo and me."

Without waiting for any response Enzo, Miguel walked away. He was clearly angry at the fact that Enzo was being distracted by Sofia and thinks I made everything worst by joining in on their picnic.

"Enzo." I whispered.

"No, you can't pursued me to leave." He replied furiously making me even more frustrated than earlier.

"I work for Miguel and from what I have seen so far, you really need to do this you need to secure a deal with Leonardo Dante." I said recalling the file I was supposed to submit to Miguel, if Miguel wants to jeopardize my father why is Enzo against it and Miguel sees his opinion as legit.

"Aren't you supposed to be against that?" He questioned which clearly means he isn't doing any of this for the company but instead he has personal reasons.

"Just trying to make you understand the importance of what you have to do, of what must be done. I was told you were only here to see Leonardo Dante". I said in more like a whisper so Sofia who was busy with her sandwich wont get a glimpse of anything we were saying.

"Do you want me to leave?" He questioned giving me the same fierce look from earlier in the office.

"Enzo." I called speechless and unable to find a good answer to his questions, if I push away then Sofia won't stop asking questions which I would have no answer to, was the time I was avoiding already quick to approach?

"Yes or no." He added not even blinking.

I can't say no or else I would lose my job which made me come all the way here and at the same time I don't think Sofia would be able to recover from this.

"Yes." I said, he finally stops with the intense stare and looks back at Sofia who was now playing with a few kids around the park.

"Enzo, I am…" I was about to apologies but before I could finish my statement he stood up adjusted his suit and walked away without saying two words to me. How could he just leave without say any words to us.

"Daddy!!!!!" Sofia yelled out loudly as Enzo got into his car and drove away, she was already crying out and suddenly started chasing after Enzo's car which made me race after her before she reaches the edge of the road and into the express.

"Sofia stop!!!" I yelled causing people to stare at us in surprise as I pull her away from the road and into my hands and at the same time trying to shut her up.

"Daddy can't leave!!!" She yelled loudly in the most intense way ever, I have never seen Sofia in this kind of rage before.

As I held Sofia tightly in my arms, her sobs slowly subsided into whimpers. I could feel her tiny body trembling with a mix of fear and anger. It broke my heart to see her so distraught, especially when I didn't have all the answers to her questions.

"Daddy will be back, Sofia," I reassured her, though my own doubts lingered in the back of my mind. "He just needs some time alone."

Sofia sniffled, wiping her tear-streaked cheeks with her tiny hands. "But why did he leave, Mama? Did I do something wrong?"

I tightened my grip on her, trying to convey a sense of comfort through my touch. "No, sweetheart, you didn't do anything wrong. Daddy just... had something important to attend to. But he loves you very much, I promise."

Sofia's eyes searched my face, her innocence shining through even in the midst of her distress. "Will he come back, Mama?"

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Yes, he will. I believe he will."

As we made our way back to the park bench, I couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness wash over me. Enzo's sudden departure had left a void in both Sofia's and my heart, and I wasn't sure how to mend it. But I knew I had to be strong for Sofia's sake.

Sitting down, I pulled out my phone and dialed Enzo's number. It went straight to voicemail, confirming my fears that he didn't want to be reached at the moment. I sighed, feeling a sense of helplessness wash over me. There was nothing I could do but wait.

"Daddy isn't coming back, I heard you when you told him to leave." Sofia said angrily to me, I don't think my bond with Sofia can be the same after what I just did and mostly if she heard everything I said to Enzo before he left.

ENZO POV —

Was I just about to tear up after seeing Sofia chase after me, I really wanted to vanish without her even noticing I was gone but now she would see me as nothing but a liar who couldn't keep his promises, I can't risk her life by caring for her in anyway and Isabella was right, I was losing focus because of her, I knew it but just decided to ignore the truth because of my affection for Sofia.

I opened the door to my office slowly still lost in thoughts when Miguel walked in behind me.

"You finally came back to your senses." Miguel said, I felt like strangling him, I just hope Mr Leonardo Dante is worth all the tears I had to make Sofia shade.

"Have you arranged my meeting with Dante."I asked. Taking a seat and keeping a fierce look with Miguel,

"You are suddenly sounding so professional." Miguel said taking a seat opposite my desk.

"Have I not always been professional?" I questioned still trying my best to take Sofia's crying face from my mind, why did I even had to look back at her when I got into the car, why did I have to feel so attached to that little angel.

"Is the meeting arranged or not?" I asked, I need to stop thinking about Sofia.

Just as I thought my day couldn't get any worse, Miguel dropped yet another bombshell on me. Apparently, Leonardo Dante, the man I needed to secure a deal with, was not only sick but his business had gone bankrupt. This meant that our potential partnership was hanging by a thread.

I felt the weight of the situation crash down on me. Not only did I have to put on a facade and act like everything was fine for Sofia's sake, but now I had to face an even bigger challenge in order to salvage our future. As much as I wanted to blame Miguel for all of this, I knew deep down that it was my own negligence that had led me to this point.

"You have to meet Leonardo Dante at his house," Miguel stated, his tone lacking any sympathy. "He refuses to leave his home, so you're going to have to go to him."

I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the anger that was building inside me. "Fine, when and where?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, at his residence. I'll text you the address," Miguel replied, standing up from his chair. "And Enzo, don't mess this up."

"Just leave". I instructed thinking about this proposal, if I ever get to help Dante I would go back to Sofia and amend all my mistakes.

ISABELLA —-

"Sofia." I called for the ninth time tonight but she was still backing me she even refused to eat anything I feed her, all she wants is Enzo which I can't get for her. I even tried to call him several times but it was obvious that he blacklisted my number.

" I am sorry I chased him away." I added patting on her back gently but she was still silent and continued to shiver she sniff in her tears.

" You thought I would never find out what you always wanted to chase him away." She said still shivering.

"He was busy." I lied.

"Mommy, daddy never said he was busy you made him busy with your excuses…first you told me he was on a business trip and now he is back you kept rejecting him, you guys don't even talk to each other." Sofia said slowly sitting up and now facing me.

"I am sorry my baby." I pleaded with utmost sincerity.

"Do you regret having me?" She questioned, I felt so sad with the kind of sentence she just made and pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Don't ever say that, you were the best thing to happen to me." I whispered in her hair slowly stroking it backwards.

"It's either you don't love me like you said you did or daddy doesn't love me." Sofia said making tears roll down my ears, she might just be 5 years old but she already knew the kind of life she was brought into.