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Chapter 3
Carla
I knew dinner wasn’t going to go well. Call it a gut feeling, but things haven’t been going as well as I’d originally hoped. My mother has had an incredibly hard time dealing with my upcoming marriage. As a little girl I’d dreamed for the day we could plan my wedding together. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the case. I’ve been planning every aspect of this by myself. I don’t know if Philippe will end up helping me with anything, but honestly I hope he does. I can’t bear to have all the pressure solely on me.
“Whenever you see Salvatore you should remind him you made the decision. Ididn’tforce this on you.” Dad clearly states as I come back inside our home. His tone tells me he’s trying to convince himself and not me. We all know I didn’t have a choice. Regardless I would’ve been told this marriage was a duty to my family, that there was no way to say no.
I’ve seen it happen in too many other families. Women want to believe we have the upper hand, but we don’t. We’re caught in the midst of power, and with it comes sacrifice. I want to live in a world where women can progress, but I don’t think I’ll ever see the day where it happens. I’ll be rotted in the ground before there is any real progress.
“I can’t make Salvatore think any differently. You know that.” Out of all my brothers Salvatore is the most bull headed. Enzo is a close second, however he just tells people to fuck off and does what he pleases.
My father rolls his eyes at me like I’m a disobedient child. “You need to fix this, Carlotta. Any sort of tension between Salvatore and I needs to be squashed. It’s not good for the family, or for the business.”
Ah, there it is. It’s not about our family at all. It only matters because Salvatore is his most trusted assassin, taking the higher profile jobs because he’s discreet as hell. He’s better than anyone else who works for the Arcane.
“Stefano, to be fair this isn’t her fault.” Enzo speaks up, sneaking into the foyer from the dining room.
Dad turns to his stepson and sucks in a breath. “Lorenzo, you know how much you mean to me but this is none of your concern.”
Enzo laughs, “Shit, now you’re sounding like mom.”
Dad glares at Enzo and I swear he’s thinking about throttling him. Dad has done it to other people for less. I have to admit I’m seeing a different side of my father after talks of this marriage came up. And as every day grows closer, he’s becoming even more bitter and serious. Honestly, I miss my father and not the businessman.
I walk toward the closet next to the front door and open it, grabbing one of my small cross body black purses. I need to get the hell out of here so fucking bad. If I stay in this house a moment longer I think I’ll end up slowly suffocating to death.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Dad hisses out.
I turn in enough time to see Enzo’s expression shift to pure disgust. “Wherever the fuck she wants to go. She isn’t a damn child.”
Dad opens his mouth and starts to snap back at my brother, but I don’t stick around to see what happens. Instead I dig into my purse, yank out the keys to my Ferrari Spider and head out the front door. Thankfully it’s not raining hard and there’s only a slight drizzle coming down right now.
I unlock my car and get in the driver’s seat, turn it on and revel in the sound of my baby coming to life. This is theonlytype of spider I’ll deal with. I squash everything else. I pick up my phone, thanking God I put it in my purse before dinner. Luckily, I’m one of those women who always prepare for the worst case scenario. Had a feeling tonight would go to shit.
I dial my friend Nicola, who is someone I met when she came into my restaurant a few weeks back with her girlfriend Phoebe. They’re both drop dead gorgeous, and I mean insanely beautiful. They could easily be New York Fashion Week runway models.
I start driving down the driveway when Nicola answers. “Hey Speedy. How’d your dinner go?”
“Take a glance at your watch and then think about it.” I retort, speeding up at hearing her nickname for me as I turn down the side street that’ll take me toward the interstate.
“Alright. Point taken, no need to get all sassy.”
“Sorry. I’m irritated as hell. Wanna go party for a bit?”
“Phoebe and I are already out in town. We’re right around the corner from your new apartment. The club just opened up last week. You know the place, right?” She asks.
“Yeah, you’re talking about Bloom. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be there.”
***
I get there in about thirteen minutes with the way I drive and end up parking my Ferrari in my assigned parking spot in the garage the apartment building owns. As a present of sort my father rented out a luxury apartment for Philippe and I to stay in when he got here. I didn’t mind the idea of getting some time away from my family, however the idea of being alone with Philippe when we haven’t spoken since the day we both signed the contracts makes me a bit anxious. As if I need another reason to be on edge already.
I take the elevator downstairs and walk out through the front of the apartment building, make a left down the block and go next door to Bloom. There’s a bright pink carpet that matches the neon sign, along with ropes and a very good-looking bouncer. He’s dressed in a full suit, not letting certain people pass.
I walk up to him in my purple dress and give him a once over. Everyone in these parts knows who I am, and who my family is. You say the name Moretti around here and you’re guaranteed to get whatever the hell you want.
“Miss Moretti, good to see you.” Like I said, everyone knows who I am. He grabs the rope and allows me to pass, getting nasty looks from people who have no doubt been waiting hours to get in. Bloom is one of those clubs where it’s constantly busy. It doesn’t matter whether it’s one in the morning or three in the afternoon. There’s always bound to be a line out the door to gain entry.
I make my way past the bouncer and descend into the club. It’s easy to spot Phoebe or Nicola because they’re always in a VIP booth, and I mean every single time. I don’t know how these two have their money, but I’ve never pried into that part of their lives. Though I can’t blame them for enjoying the finer things in life.
