Chapter 189 Your Sacrifice

Chapter 189 Your Sacrifice
Dante POV

“Isabella would never expect me to quit working for her.”

“No but I do. You want my daughter? Prove it. Prove to me that you’ll take care of her.”

My temper was rising, but I did my best to keep it sheathed. “I need money to take care of her.”

“You have more money than you’ll ever need them you can retire.....we both know it.”

Looked like he dug into me pretty extensively if he knew my finances. “You do it for your own personal reasons and you get off on putting a bullet in someone’s head.”

“Like you’re any different,” I countered. “You were just like me when you were my age. I’ve never been unclear about the man that I am, but you continue to sugarcoat the man you used to be.”

“I’m not sugarcoating it. I just don’t think it’s relevant.”

“And I don’t think it’s relevant for me because I’m not the same guy anymore. Isabella changed me....for good.”

“Then quit,” he snapped. “Walk away and my daughter deserves a man who will protect her, not bring danger to her front door.”

I brought my hands together, my knuckles starting to ache from the anger in my veins. “I kill bad men Conti. I don’t kill random men who don’t deserve to die. I’ve killed more sex traffickers than any country’s law enforcement. I’ve killed men who’ve beaten their wives or tortured their prisoners. I’m not a hero by any means because I’m doing it for the money,
but it’s not like I murder innocent people.”

“Spin it however you want, it doesn’t make a difference. Once your feet hit the puddle, you leave tracks everywhere you go. One day, you’ll take the wrong mission and wind up dead because of it. I don’t want Isabella to be caught up in the middle of that.”

I understood his request, but that didn’t make me want to cooperate. “I run the business with my boys. They’re family to me. We met on the streets, and since we didn’t have anyone else in our lives, we became brothers. Asking me
to leave is asking me to turn my back on them.”

“I don’t give a shit. If they’re really your family, they’ll understand.”

Maybe but they wouldn’t be happy about it. “So?” he pressed. “What’s it going to be?”

“I can’t give you an answer right now.”

I wasn’t going to give one until I was absolutely certain I could commit to it..He gave me a disappointed look. “Maybe Vanessa was wrong about you.”

I didn’t know what that meant, but I didn’t like it. “She said you would give it up if she asked.”

“I haven’t given my answer yet.”

“Because you don’t want to give her what she wants,” he said quietly.

“What I want.”

“This is unfair. No one asked this of you.”

“Because no one had to,” he snapped. “I stepped up and I did the right thing for my wife and son. I shouldn’t even have to ask you this neither should she.”

“She’s never asked me.”

“My wife never asked me and a man never makes his wife ask for anything. He lives his whole life for her, even if she doesn’t see the sacrifices that he makes.”

“Fine,” I countered. “If I walk away, are you guaranteeing your acceptance?”

I wasn’t going to leave my business without that reassurance. It was time for him to put his money where his mouth was. He drank from his glass, silent. “I asked you a question.”

The bottom of his glass hit the table. “Don’t push me.”

“If you want me to give up one of the most important things in my life, I want collateral. You give me your word that I’m accepted into this family, and I’ll resign tomorrow. You get what you want, and I get what I want.”

Conti stared at me, refusing to give me an answer. “What’s it going to be? Is Vanessa worth the sacrifice or not?”

I was turning his words against him, putting him on the spot and forcing him to make the hardest decision of his life. It was disrespectful and risky on my part, but how could I earn the confidence of a man if I didn’t stand up to him?

I had to show him I wasn't afraid to stand up to anyone especially not him. If I wanted him to understand that I was serious about Isabella, I couldn't sit there quietly and let his money, power, or intimidating presence make me back down.

This wasn't about impressing him. It wasn't about winning an argument.....It was about my daughter. "You’re the one proving yourself to me, asshole."

The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn't take them back. I kept my eyes on him, refusing to let even the slightest hesitation show. "I've already proven my love for my daughter a million times over."

There was nothing left for me to prove when it came to Isabella. Every decision I'd made, every sacrifice I'd endured, every difficult choice I'd been forced to make had always come down to one thing....her.

My daughter meant more to me than anything else in this world. "The fact that I'm sitting here, sharing my prized scotch with a man I despise, is more than enough proof."

I glanced briefly at the glass between us before looking back at him. I wouldn't have been sitting across from him if Isabella wasn't involved. I wouldn't have tolerated his presence, let alone shared something I valued with him, if my daughter's happiness wasn't at stake. "If you want my daughter, you have to earn it."

I made sure every word landed. "You may be rich and powerful, but that's not enough."

Money could buy almost anything, but it couldn't buy my trust and power couldn't make me hand Isabella over and his status meant nothing to me when I was deciding whether he deserved the woman I loved more than my own life. "Nothing is enough when we're talking about Isabella."

My voice tightened as I said her name. "She's the most amazing young woman on this planet."

There wasn't a single doubt in my mind about that and she deserved someone who understood her worth.... who wouldn't take her love for granted. Someone willing to give up something of his own when it mattered, instead of expecting everyone else to sacrifice for him.

"I want to see more than you've given me."

I leaned forward slightly, refusing to soften my stance. "More loyalty and sacrifice."

Those were the things I wanted to see from him. "I've sacrificed everything for her," I said between clenched teeth.

My frustration was beginning to burn through me, but I didn't let it break my resolve. "Everything."

I held his gaze, my jaw tightening then I shook my head slowly. "No."

I paused, letting the correction hang between us. "Not everything yet."