Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, Jarred\'s villa ~

Sunday

5:45 PM

Mrs. Ronin is sitting in the garden and staring blankly at the fountain.

Jarred is in the study. He usually spends one-to-two hours in the morning and the same amount of time in the afternoon in his study, dealing with work-related matters.

Mrs. Ronin knows that part of Jarred\'s work involves weapons and dealings with shady organizations, but she decided not to poke her nose in that. If Jarred wants to disclose something, he will. She trusts that if he is keeping something away from her, there is a reason. 

Little by little, Jarred is introducing her to his work, and he is also talking about his family as well. Mrs. Ronin can see that Jarred plans for her to be by his side, as an equal, just how he promised, and that gradually he is presenting his world to her. Her heart warms up at that thought, and she can\'t help but compare her current relationship with how Angelo used to treat her.

Angelo didn\'t disclose information about his family or about their business, he didn\'t tell her his real name until just before the wedding. Would she still be with Angelo if she knew what he is into from the beginning? She is not sure. She is not sure of anything other than the fact that right now, there is something she needs to disclose to Jarred and to describe her current state as uncomfortable is an understatement. But what is her other choice? To leave him? She knows that they met only recently and that they don\'t know each other well but with Jarred, she is happy. For now, at least.

"I knew I will find you here.", Jarred\'s deep voice reached her and she can hear that he is in a good mood.

She looked at him and smiled faintly before patting the spot on the bench next to her. "I have something to tell you."

"Is it related to the talk you had with Emma yesterday?", Jarred guessed. 

Mrs. Ronin nodded. "Emma reminded me that I should not keep secrets from the people I cherish."

Jarred knows a thing or two about concealing things from others. "Sometimes secrets prevent people from unnecessary pain."

Mrs. Ronin nodded faintly in agreement. "Sometimes… and sometimes they put people in danger."

Mrs. Ronin took a deep breath and forced herself to look Jarred in the eyes. "My husband is alive. He left us when Sean and Ryan were born, and I didn\'t see him since then. We never divorced."

It took a second for Jarred to process this information. There was a pang in his chest at the thought that his Donnie is married, but Jarred\'s final conclusion is that if she cares about that man or about that marriage, she would not tell him about it. "If it\'s a matter of annulling a marriage from your estranged husband, or erasing it completely, I can help you."

Mrs. Ronin sighed. "There is more. His name is Angelo De Luca and he is the capo of Nero armi."

Jarred lifted his eyebrows in surprise. This information definitely needed more than a few minutes to sink in.

Jarred had many questions, but the most pressing thing was related to Nero armi and Charlie, so he had to ask: "Is Emma his daughter?"

Mrs. Ronin confirmed. "And Mike, Sean, and Ryan also."

Jarred\'s mind was spinning. It is one thing that his Donnie is married, but the other man is Angelo De Luca? Jarred went through a lot in his life, and he thought that not many things can catch him off guard, but this information surprised him.

Jarred was aware that his Donnie is from Seattle, a single mother of four. Based on their lifestyle he didn\'t suspect that there is more to it, and he didn\'t look into it because all this with Mrs. Ronin caught him unprepared. Few times he wanted to get his men to look into Mrs. Ronin\'s background, but he stopped himself because suspecting that something is off would go against his feelings which are filling him up to the brim and he does not want to risk spoiling them no matter how unreasonable that sounds. His Donnie makes him feel like a teenager, and he is acting like one. 

But he will think about his emotions later, there is something more important: "Does Charlie know?"

"Yes. Angelo\'s man approached Emma recently with bad intentions. Charlie helped her and I believe that was the time when they found out that Emma\'s father is alive and about his identity. Emma didn\'t tell me much. She was angry, with a good reason. I\'m sure that Charlie can give you the details."

Jarred\'s brows furrowed. "He approached her with bad intentions?"

"Angelo would not hurt his children.", Mrs. Ronin said confidently.

Jarred realized that Mrs. Ronin\'s words open up another possibility: "You are saying that his men are rebelling against him and targeting Emma?"

Mrs. Ronin shrugged, indicating that she is not sure.

She decided to tell him how the things between her and Angelo ended: "When I was pregnant with Sean and Ryan, I was kidnapped. They wanted to get close to Angelo. He rescued me, but I was in bad shape. After the twins were born, I told him to leave us alone, to pretend that we don\'t exist. He can go and play his games with guns, but I don\'t want to do anything to do with it."

"And you told your children that he is dead.", Jarred ended her story.

"I didn\'t want them to look for him. Being around him is dangerous and the only thing on my mind was to keep my children safe. They were young and if they stayed by his side, they would grow up as part of that world or end up dead before they grow up. As they were getting older, I was tempted to tell them the truth, but before I realized, years passed and part of me believed that he is dead as well."

Jarred and Mrs. Ronin sat in silence for some time.

Mrs. Ronin decided to say what else is on her mind. "When Emma brought Charlie to Seattle to introduce him to us, and I saw all the bodyguards… I didn\'t like it. I would prefer that he is an ordinary man, but Charlie is Emma\'s choice. Shortly after their visit, I\'ve got a call from Angelo. After two decades, he called. He said that Emma is looking into him, trying to find him, and I suspect that Charlie had something to do with it."

"If Angelo knew that Emma is looking into him, Angelo\'s men knew as well.", Jarred voiced his thoughts.

Mrs. Ronin nodded in agreement. "I don\'t know what Angelo is planning. And I don\'t know if he has any intentions to approach us. After that one phone call, I didn\'t hear from him and I thought how that is the end of it, until Emma told me what happened to her."

"What will you do now?"

"I need to talk to my sons. Emma told me that they are angry." Mrs. Ronin looked at Jarred. "What are your thoughts?"

Jarred stifled a laugh and shook his head. "My thoughts are a mess.", he admitted. "Angelo De Luca is a name associated with my competitor, someone who is disturbing my work and sometimes steals my customers. And now you told me that he is my love rival as well."

Mrs. Ronin blinked. "Love rival?"

"Donnie, my whole life I am facing dangers from my competitors, my customers, the law, my family… everyone is out to get me one way or another. And I found out that there is a danger associated with a woman who stole my heart. If anything changed, that is that I find you more… exciting."

Mrs. Ronin was surprised by Jarred\'s logic. "I think that you are seeing this from the wrong side."

"What is the right side? Did you think that I will shrink and hide? If I am such a person, I would be eaten up by my own family a long time ago." Jarred stood up and extended his hand to Mrs. Ronin, palm up. "Come."

Mrs. Ronin glanced at his hand before lifting her eyes to meet his. "Where?"

"Bedroom."

Mrs. Ronin felt that her whole face is on fire. He can\'t be thinking about…? His mischievous smirk and the fire in his eyes told her that he IS thinking about it. How can a man in his mid-fifties act so wild and irresponsible? But she would be lying if she says that she does not like it. All those years of lying low and living a safe life drowned with her reckless heartbeats which are filling her with adrenaline.

Mrs. Ronin was not aware at what point her hand landed into Jarred\'s. By the time she came out of her daze, they were already inside the bedroom, and his scorching kiss melted all her worries away. Temporarily. 

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