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She changes the subject with a bright smile.
“So did you marry her yet?“
I have no idea if Vittoria wants to marry me, but I also don’t care. I need that woman to get my throne.
“No.” I shake my head at her. She gives me another sad smile.
“We need you to marry her, Romeo. There’s no real choice, you know that.”
“Who gave you that black eye?“
She looks down. She doesn’t want to answer me. But not answering this is answer enough. If it were her dead husband, she’d tell me, because there’s nothing I could do to complicate her life any further unless he was alive.
It was my father then.
I slam the table.
“Be better, Romeo.” There’s steel in Rosa’s voice, and her eyes are guarded when she looks at me. “He rules with fear and intimidation, you can do better than that.”
I shake my head. “I hate that my hands are tied.”
She tips her head to the side and gives me a questioning look. “But are they?”
I look at her in surprise. “Rosa, you of all people should know that forcing someone to get married isn’t what I want to do.” A lifetime of misery and intimidation isn’t what I want at all.
She shakes her head. “You misunderstand me, Romeo. That’s not what I’m suggesting. But surely a man of your power and conviction understands enough to know that you have some say in this?”
Tavi watches us both curiously.
I don’t want anybody to hint around anymore. I want her to tell me exactly what she’s talking about. I want to know exactly what she has in mind.
“Say it, Rosa. What are you telling me?”
“I did my duty as the oldest in this family, Romeo.” She holds my gaze. “You are the oldest son. It’s your turn.
She knows well enough by now that I’m not going to shirk my duties. “You know that I would do anything for this family.”
“Anything?”
“Anything. For fuck’s sake, I just served time for a man I hate.”
“I know.“ She sighs. “I’m sorry, Romeo. I shouldn’t put pressure on you. You’ve done more than your fair share around here.”
Tavi rolls his eyes. “Ok, ok. I’ve had enough of this mutual pity party. What the fuck do you want, Rosa?”
Someone who doesn’t know him would think that he’s angry, impatient. He’s neither. He’s concerned. He knows the stakes as well as we do. Rosa is now single, and any day will have to brace for blowback from the death of her husband. Whether or not it goes to actual war will be up to me. Whether or not we throw fuel on the fire is up to Papa. And we all know what’s more likely.
“So what are you suggesting?” I say to Rosa. Goddamn if I just want a clear path sometimes.
“Romeo,” she says, gentling her voice. “You have so much to offer a woman. Unlike some people we know, you would actually be faithful to your wife.” She gives me a look one might give someone slow on the uptake. “Think about it. You’re a billionaire. You live in one of the most beautiful places in the country, and you have your choice of where you would raise your family. You have an army of men that’s loyal to you.”
“Yeah.”
“You need to marry her, but I wouldn’t recommend by force. Your instincts and mine are right on this. Sometimes an arranged or forced marriage works out, but it’s too risky this time. She knows nothing of our life, and won’t forgive a thing. She’s innocent to who we are.” She looks at me keenly, her eyes bright. “For starters, you need to make sure it stays that way.”
“Already done,” Tavi says to her.
She swallows hard. “I hate that it’s come to that, I hate lying.” She was always the most honest out of all of us. “But I’ve come to realize that sometimes the best choice isn’t necessarily a lie, but to not share the truth until the time is right.”
“I’ve already done everything I can to make sure that she doesn’t find out who we are until she knows a little bit more about what we can offer her.”
“If she finds out too much too soon, she’ll run. Or worse.”
I shake my head. “Might as well tell you.”
They both look at me.
I explain what happened last night. Fill them in. Rosa watches in silence. Tavi already knows.
It wasn’t my first choice. I have plenty of people that will do it for me, and I hate taking the life of someone else.
“Fuck,” Rosa says under her breath. “So she can literally blackmail you?”
I blow out a breath and nod.
“Does Papa know?” I shake my head.
“Keep it that way, too,” Rosa says.
“I plan on it. So tell me, Rosa, as a woman. What do you think I should do?”
Any other person in my family might think that I’m giving her shit, but I respect her opinion.
