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But somethingwillhappen to me. Something to do with me and these men. Not tonight, but soon.
“You don’t need to be afraid. I’ll find a way to help you before it’s time, I promise,” she whispers.
My knees weaken, and Mom steers me into my seat before going back to hers. In front of me, the men all sit down. Salvatore. Vinicius. Cassius. Lorenzo. They stare back at me. I feel like I’m being interviewed for a dangerous job I don’t want.
Dad rings a bell, signaling the staff to come in with wine and starters. I sip from my sparkling water, trying to make sense of Mom’s cryptic words.I’ll find a way to help you before it’s time.Time for what?
Dad and the men talk as Mom and I pick at our smoked salmon slices. Real estate prices. The industrial developments down at the docks. The new nightclub that Cassius has opened. Dad congratulates them about their latest business ventures, and they smirk as they thank him for deals that have gone through. It sends a shiver down my spine to listen to them.
“Speaking of deals…” He glances at the four guests. “Which of you thinks you should be the one? We can discuss the details in private, but a lady likes to be courted.” Dad indicates me with his wine glass and takes a large mouthful.
“Of course she does,” Salvatore says, leaning back in his chair and regarding me. His arrogant smile snares my attention. “It should be me, obviously. I’m the richest—and the strongest.”
It should be him who gets what? And why does money and strength matter? Salvatore has an aura of impeccable grooming and wealth about him, but I don’t know if he means physically strongest or something else. Cassius, who looks like he could bench press a whole lot more, glances at Salvatore and makes a dismissive, “Tch,” sound.
“Obviously you? Obviously nothing,” cuts in Vinicius, and as he glances at me, I’m dazzled again by his good looks. “It will be me because I’m the handsomest and the cleverest.”
At the far end of the table, Lorenzo has produced a knife from somewhere and is twirling it in his fingers. The point is wickedly sharp. Mom, who’s closest to him, shrinks back in her seat, her shaking hand covering her throat.
I wish they’d all leave, but most of all, I wish Lorenzo Scava would disappear. His face doesn’t betray anything, but I have the impression he’s enjoying her fear.
“I’m the toughest. I’m unswerving in my duty to others, and the duty they have to me.” This is Cassius. His voice is accented as if he’s spent several years or more in Italy. He addresses Dad, but then his attention turns to me as he lets his final words hang ominously in the air. A shiver goes through me. I hope he never has any expectations of me.
Salvatore looks down the table. “And you, Lorenzo?”
Lorenzo Scava acts as if he hasn’t heard a word of what’s been going on. He’s still twisting that knife and flipping it across his knuckles while Mom looks more and more afraid.
My hands grip the napkin in my lap until I can’t take it anymore. “Stop that!”
Lorenzo snatches the knife out of the air and pins me with a predatory look. I’m trapped in that pale gaze, and I can’t move a muscle, even though every nerve is screaming at me,run. “It’s simple. If I’m not the one, then you’ll all regret it.”
“Cane pazzo,” Cassius mutters.Mad dog.
“The one what? What is going on?” I look desperately at Dad. If this is a business deal, then it’s the strangest one I’ve ever heard.
At the head of the table, Dad rests his fists on the wood and smiles broadly at me. Anyone would think it’s his birthday he’s beaming so much. “Chiara. Tonight, you’ll be promised to one of these men. On your eighteenth birthday, you’ll become engaged, and when you’re eighteen and one week, you’ll marry, and the Romanos will be joined with one of the most important families in Coldlake.”
Around the table, no one moves. Not even Mom. The room is so silent that I can hear the ticking of the clock. I’m the only one with her mouth open and her eyes wide. Everyone knew about this except me.
My four potential fiancés are drinking in my shock like it’s the finest wine. Dad’s put me on display before them and they’re delighted with the goods.
My palms turn clammy and my breathing quickens. This is the future Dad planned for me all along. He’s never been interested in discussing with me what I want because he’s been envisioning me as the bride of one of these vicious men. He’s always liked to brag that he makes the best business deals. Finds the best leverage. Dangles the juiciest incentives. Only this time, the deal isn’t for real estate, or a redevelopment, or a trade deal.
The deal is me.
Tick tock.
2
Salvatore
“You want me to marry one ofthesemen?”
Chiara Romano’s beautiful face drains of color. I’m glad we’re here when she first hears what her father wants. You can tell a lot from a person from how they handle a surprise.
Or in her case, a shock.
Her hands are clenched in her lap and her eyes are round. She’s petite, almost doll-like with her long lashes and honey-gold hair. The diamonds in her ears and the tiara in her hair set off her fresh-faced beauty. Those lips of hers, though, they’re something else. Lush and sweet and receptive to kisses. I wonder what else that mouth can do.
