Chapter 5: Ultimatums

Morgan

I was laughing on the phone with Ella as she recounted her encounter with Tanya. Pure satisfaction surged through me. My girl had finally found her backbone! Served Tanya right. The last time I’d seen that girl, I’d chewed her ass out—and that was two years ago.

"I know Haden was right there lurking, too," I said with a chuckle, already picturing the scene.

Ella’s laughter confirmed it. "Literally right there the second I turned around."

I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. That man was crazy as hell—but since it was for Ella, I could live with it. As I lounged on the couch, Luca walked in. The second our eyes met, he smiled, his gaze full of warmth. My heart did that annoying little flutter, but I kept my cool, tilting my head with a smirk.

"Hey, baby," I said as he leaned down, his lips brushing against mine in a slow, teasing kiss.

"Hello, beautiful," he murmured, his voice smooth and deep. Then he glanced at my phone. "Hi, Ella."

Ella and I both burst into laughter. Of course, Luca knew exactly who I was talking to. If I was on the phone, it was always Ella.

"Hey, Luca!" she greeted him through the speaker. He smirked before heading into the bathroom.

Ella and I kept chatting until she suddenly cut me off. "Oh! Haden’s calling. Gotta go!"

And just like that, she hung up on me. I huffed, rolling my eyes. Typical.

Pushing off the couch, I wandered into the kitchen, only to stop in my tracks. Luca had ditched his shirt, his toned back on full display as he leaned into the fridge. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I took my time appreciating the view. He must have sensed me staring because he looked up, catching my gaze with a knowing smirk. Grabbing a bottle of water, he shut the fridge and stalked toward me.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, my voice softer than I intended.

Luca nodded but didn’t stop closing the space between us. His hands found my waist, fingers pressing firmly as he pulled me in.

"I am," he murmured, his lips just inches from mine. "But not for food."

Before I could respond, he tilted my chin up and claimed my lips in a deep, possessive kiss. A soft moan escaped me as his tongue slid against mine, stealing my breath.

Oh yeah. He definitely wasn’t thinking about food.

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Joella

"Haden, you can't control everything," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose in an attempt to ease my ongoing headache.

"Says who?" he shot back, his tone unwavering.

I let out a huff. "I appreciate your concern, baby, but I can handle it."

Before I could even take a breath, my phone beeped in my ear. I glanced at the screen and sighed when I saw Haden requesting a video call. Shaking my head, I answered, only to be met with his blank, unreadable expression.

"I just want to talk to him first," he stated, his voice firm.

"No, Haden," I said immediately.

His jaw clenched as he looked away, the tension rolling off him in waves.

"Haden, baby, look at me," I coaxed gently.

He turned back to face me, but the anger in his eyes was impossible to miss.

"Do you want me to turn down the job?" I asked, my voice softer now.

Haden inhaled deeply, his rigid posture easing ever so slightly. "No, I don't want you to do that. I know how excited you are about this job."

"Then can you please trust that I can handle myself? Why train me so hard if you're still going to hover?"

Haden scoffed. "Because I know you can kick any female’s ass at this point—but not a guy. Especially if they’re trained."

I arched a brow. "Okay, but that’s why you trained me with guns and knives, remember?"

That finally earned a laugh from him.

"Right, because you can just stroll into work fully armed with a gun and a knife," he mocked.

I rolled my eyes. "Why do you think I'd even need to do any of that?"

"I don’t," he admitted, "but I want you to be prepared. I don’t trust Josh. I don’t care how many years it’s been."

"Haden—"

"Okay, tesoro, I won't go talk to him," he interrupted. "But if he tries anything, you let me know immediately."

I nodded, letting him know I understood.

His lips curled into a small smile, and just like that, the tension in my chest lightened. I found myself smiling back, right before he let out a quiet chuckle.

"I should bend you over my lap for your defiance," he teased.

I laughed, biting my bottom lip. "Don’t threaten me with a good time."

Haden’s laughter was low and deep, but the way his eyes darkened told me exactly where his mind had gone.

"Stop," I warned, shaking my head. "I have a test in an hour, and I don’t need you clouding my mind with sinful thoughts."

He smirked and winked at me, clearly enjoying my frustration.

"I can't wait till you graduate," he muttered. "I'm tired of these week-long breaks."

"Three more weeks!" I reminded him.

"Three more agonizing weeks," he corrected with a dramatic sigh.

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Haden

After hanging up with Ella, I stepped out of my office, finally done for the day.

"Have a good evening, Mr. Cooper," Shannon purred, her voice dripping with intent.

I barely spared her a glance before locking eyes with my dad through his open office door. He raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. In response, I simply lifted a hand in a casual wave, acknowledging both of them as I walked past.

Shannon was at least a decade older than me, but that had never stopped her from flirting at every opportunity. Normally, I ignored it, but this was the first time my dad had witnessed it firsthand. It would be interesting to see how he handled it. Not that I cared much. My strategy was simple—offer a polite wave and keep it moving. She never got the sarcastic remarks that ran through my head, only because she was my dad’s top assistant. But the cold shoulder I gave her? That only seemed to encourage her more.

Maybe I needed to bring Ella in here soon. That would put an end to this little game real quick.

Stepping through the sleek glass double doors, I made my way to my car. Just as I slid into the driver’s seat, my phone rang. I sighed before answering.

"Hey, Grandpa," I greeted, already knowing what this was about.

"Haden, why didn’t you and Ella stop by on Sunday?" His tone carried the weight of disappointment.

I exhaled, gripping the steering wheel. "We had to go to church with Dad and Stella, and Ella had to head back earlier this week."

It wasn’t a complete lie—we had gone to church, and Ella did leave earlier. But we still could’ve made time to visit. I just didn’t want Ella worrying about any of this right now. She needed to focus on these last few weeks, finish strong, and then we could talk about it. I refused to add to her stress.

Grandpa sighed, a sound heavy with meaning. "Haden, I know this is tough for Ella. But if you let me talk to her, she’ll see what we have set up. Her security will be the number one priority."

I didn’t doubt that for a second. After the chaos with my cousins, Grandpa had cleaned house, purging a lot of the dead weight within the famiglia. Ella would be protected. But I wasn’t naive. Becoming Capo meant making more enemies—some I didn’t even know existed yet, but who would hate me simply because of my family name and the power I was about to inherit. And no matter how much security we put in place, one fact would always remain:

Ella would always be somebody’s target.

"I know you don’t want to force her, but you have to make a decision," Grandpa said, his tone firm, unwavering.

I clenched my jaw. "Grandpa, don’t make me choose, because I will always choose Ella," I shot back, my voice just as steady.

He let out a long, frustrated sigh, but I stayed silent. There was nothing else to say.

After a beat, he spoke again, his voice calmer but still laced with tension. "Can you two at least stop by on Friday when she gets back?"

"Yeah," I exhaled. "I’ll talk to Ella first and let you know."

He hummed in response, and I ended the call.

I barely had a second to breathe before my phone rang again. I rolled my eyes when my mom’s name popped up on the screen.

"Hello," I answered, starting my car and pulling onto the street.

"Sweet pea, are you busy?" she asked, her tone overly sweet—never a good sign. "I need you to come to Blaze."

"Why?"

She sighed dramatically. "Leah and the new girl got into a fight today. I don’t know all the details, but Leah lost some hair, and the new girl lost some nails."

I dragged a hand down my face. Of course. The last thing I wanted to deal with today was club drama.

"I’ll be there in thirty," I muttered before hanging up and making a sharp U-turn.

---

Sitting in my office at Blaze, I rubbed my temple, irritation thrumming through me. This was a waste of my damn time. I didn’t give a fuck why they were fighting—I cared that they did it in front of paying customers. With a sharp slap of my palm against the desk, the two girls snapped to attention. Luca remained leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his expression unreadable, while my mom sat in the chair across from me, watching the scene unfold.

"I really don’t give two shits about why y’all fought," I said, my voice low and clipped. "The rule is simple—you don’t do that shit in front of customers."

"Exactly," Mom added, turning to Leah. "You already know this."

Leah swallowed hard, her fingers twisting together in her lap. "I’m sorry. It won’t happen again," she mumbled.

I shifted my gaze to the new girl—her name escaping me, not that I cared. She looked at me with wide, nervous eyes, shifting uncomfortably under my glare.

"You’re in your first damn week here, and you’re already fighting? If it happens again, you’re done. No second chances."

She nodded quickly, looking down at her lap like a scolded child.

"Both of you are done for the rest of the week," I added, holding up a hand as they started to protest.

"Next week, come in and do your fucking jobs. Get out."

Luca stepped forward, opening the office door. Without another word, the two girls shuffled out, heads bowed in shame. He shut the door behind them before turning to me, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"I’m sure the clients at Cooper Inc. would be shocked at your choice of words," he teased.

I smirked, pushing back in my chair. "Different dynamics, and you know it. These girls act like they can’t hear you unless you’re cussing them out."

Mom let out a chuckle, shaking her head. "Well, sweet pea, I have to admit—you’re handling things really well."

"Thanks, but can you tell Grandpa to back off? Ella is not about to agree to me being Capo anytime soon."

Mom sighed, rubbing her temple now. "I’ll talk to him, but you know how he is."

I nodded, already knowing exactly how that conversation would go. Turning to Luca, I asked, "Why don’t you just take the position?"

Luca barely let me finish before shaking his head. "Nope. I’m good being your right hand. Besides, Grandpa isn’t letting you off the hook that easy."

I exhaled heavily, grabbing my suit jacket. I was done with today. I was going home, calling my Ella, and shutting the world out early.\

I’d deal with Grandpa on Friday.