Ruthless People Read Online Free PDF Page A

ancient Rome than a
     home.
    Finally, the old man stopped and didn’t bother to knock before opening a door for
     us. Stepping in, for the first time in my twenty-seven years I was shocked. It didn’t
     show on my face, but internally, I was shocked.
    “If it isn’t my favorite Irish crime family,” Orlando said, coughing and in a wheelchair.
     The man known as “Iron Hands” was gone. The Giovanni study was filled with ancient
     scrolls, floor-to-ceiling walls of books, with the exception of one large window,
     and nineteenth-century handcrafted furniture. However, nothing in here was more priceless
     than the sight of this old crippled man.
    His hairless face broke out into a smirk. “Sedric, you trained them well. They didn’t
     even flinch.”
    “I am insulted you are just figuring this out now,” my father said and with just a
     sidelong glance I could tell what he was thinking. He was as shocked as we were. He
     just hid it well.
    In the mafia world, Orlando “Iron Hands” Giovanni was the stuff of legends. The things
     he had done could not be said out loud without making many people sick, or causing
     them to piss themselves in fear. He was one of the very few men my father respected,
     and in some way, dreaded. They both had a healthy fear of each other, but the man
     in front of me now looked like he hadn’t been in the same room with “Iron Hands” for
     years.
    This explained why he wanted this merger finalized, I thought.
    “Please, have a seat. The contract is on the desk,” he said to us.
    I knew my family wouldn’t make a move. Only the Ceann na Conairte was able to sit down with the enemy, so I unbuttoned my jacket as the rest of them
     flanked the sides of my chair.
    “We’ve already read the contract. We simply wish to see your daughter sign it,” I
     told him. In fact, I had read it so many damn times, I knew it line by fucking line.
    “Read it again, she has already signed,” he said through a barking cough.
    Tempted to lose my cool, I glared at Declan, telling him with my eyes to read it.
     He could read just as fast as I could, and I did not want Orlando see me bend to his
     games. I would play nice for now, but I was not above beating a man in a wheelchair.
    “Liam,” Declan snapped, handing me back the paper.
    It took me a moment to read over the two lines that had been changed.
    “You’re kidding.” I snickered, handing it up to Neal and my father. “You are asking
     that she basically babysit how I run my company?”
    Orlando’s brown eyes narrowed. The fact that he no longer had eyebrows only made him
     look more ill.
    “We prefer the term empire ,” he stated.
    “Of course you do.” Fucking Italians and their empires. “Orlando—and I will call you Orlando , not out of disrespect, but because I know that by the end of tonight I will have
     a ring on your daughter’s finger—your daughter will want for nothing. She will be
     able to buy the sun twice over if she wanted. She will be taken care of and treated
     like every other Callahan woman, which is like bloody royalty. In my care, your empire will be treated with the same care and reverence.”
    Orlando leered before crossing his weak arms. “Pretty words, boy. And I will call
     you boy because even if you were royalty, you would still never be good enough for my daughter.
     I did not ask her to babysit you. Melody is smart and will be more than useful. I
     have no doubt that the empire will be just fine. As your brother saw when he hacked
     our records.”
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Declan stiffen beside me. No one ever knew he hacked
     into their files. It was then that I realized we had been set up. Orlando wanted us
     to see how much we would lose if we didn’t give in.
    “Orlando—”
    “Don’t try to sweet-talk me. I’m Italian, we wrote the book on it. So take the deal
     or walk away. That’s my only offer. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have time
     to waste.”
    The old