Cara’s hand moved to cover her mouth, which had dropped open.
“Are you saying you’re my father?”
“Let me reintroduce myself.” Miguel leaned forward. “My name is Miguel Rodriguez, leader of the Spanish mafia, and you, Camila Rodriguez, are my only heir.”
“Well, that’s just… f*cked up…” She trailed off with an incredulous look.
Her second reason for coming along was to see if she could find any clue about her birth parents since her father was suspected to be part of the Spanish mafia, but this revelation tipped the scale.
She wouldn’t have imagined something like this in a million years.
Taking a seat, before her shaky legs gave out, she spoke.
“I thought I was adopted but found out recently that I wasn’t. My parents weren’t who I thought they were…” She started, explaining her recent findings to him.
Miguel hummed.
“What were their names?”
“Adrian and Martha Rodriguez.”
The name brought a bitter look to Miguel’s face.
“Adrian is my money-hungry cousin. He has a gambling addiction, right?”
Cara nodded.
“He had been that way since before he left the family. However, I don’t know who Martha is and how he got you. He left long before you were born.”
“Then how did he know I was your child to take me in?”
“He never knew, remember? He was just being used.” Luca supplied, finally snapping out of his half-dazed state.
He was just as stunned as Cara.
“But how come I ended up in the wrong hands? Aren’t you supposed to be the best in the game? I’ve heard of your praises. With all the power, you couldn’t protect me?” She accused.
A sad look crossed Miguel’s eyes.
“I tried. It is an act I have lived the rest of my life paying for and one I’ll forever regret. It taught me that friends do not exist. After all, it took my love from me.”
She scoffed at his words.
“What are you trying to say? Do you expect me to show you some pity when I was abandoned?”
“I want no pity from you. You weren’t abandoned. You were also involved in the accident that claimed the life of your mother. The car had burnt to a crisp. I thought you were dead when there was no sign of life.”
“You could’ve searched harder-
“I did! I did everything I could.” He snarled at Cara. “Do you know what it’s like to be betrayed by the people you committed your life to? To lose your entire family in a day? I do! I went through the pain. It is the reason I decided to take a step back and operate in the shadows. The Mafia took everything away from me.” He gently closed his eyes as if recollecting a painful memory, then added in a calm voice, barely above a whisper. “It took your mother from me.”
Cara could see from his shaky hands that he still struggled with the pain. Maybe he wasn’t as guilty as she thought.
She decided to give him the benefit of doubt.
“How did it happen?”
Eyes filled with malice snapped open.
“Sebastian. I never knew he wanted my throne. I thought we were friends, or should I say, we all thought we were friends since Dimitri was also a victim. He secretly joined hands with Natasha’s father, who portrayed himself as an ally to destroy my empire. Everything I had worked for almost crumbled to the ground because I trusted a friend.” Miguel seethed. “I should’ve known he wouldn’t just stop at that. You were just two years old, and I wanted to protect both you and your mother. To get you guys as far away from the battle as possible, I told Tatianna to run away with you. It was then the accident occurred.
“But Dimitri was also betrayed by Sebastien. Didn’t he see it coming after he betrayed you?” Luca voiced his opinion, earning a subtle shake of the head from Miguel.
“It happened a day after he attacked me. Dimitri was in my country, offering support; he didn’t know it was also a trick to get him to leave home. It was meticulously planned. Giving none of us a chance to prepare. I would’ve killed Sabestien if it wasn’t for the friendship we once shared.”
Cara absorbed his words, taking it all in. His stories made sense. They filled the puzzle, but some pieces were still missing. Her suspicions of her mother being in on her father’s secret dealings were cleared. Although she never told her that she wasn’t her biological mother, Cara knew from the time they spent together that her mother was too pure to be involved in the mess. She just had one question left.
“If my father didn’t know I was your child, then who was the regular payer? The person knew just like Antonio-which, by the way, I still don’t know how he found out.”
Miguel’s expression became a dangerous one.
“I will get to the bottom of that. See that I do not forget Alvaro.”
The short man gave a nod.
Cara sighed.
So this was the direction of her life now? She didn’t just find herself in the mafia world by chance? It was in her blood.
Excitement shot through her at the thought of delivering the news to Adonis, and she parted her lips to ask to be taken to him; Luca cut in.
“But you said the feud won’t end with Antonio being dead. I sent out the men thinking it was something more secretive. No offence, but we already know the people you mentioned as scoundrels. Thus, it doesn’t change anything.”
Miguel relaxed back against the plush sofa.
“It changes things when the scoundrel is a stepbrother to your capo. Do you want his men challenging him for the fear of being ruled by a Greco?”
Luca staggered on his feet.
“Where are you going with this?”
“Blood is more thicker than water. At the end of the day, Antonio won even though he’s unaware of this fact.”
“Stop speaking through corners and tell me directly.”
He smirked.
“As you wish. Adonis isn’t Dimitri’s real grandson. His mother had him for Sebastien.”