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“What are you two whispering about?” Lorenzo demanded.
“Please, Dad, sit back down with Mom. You may have secrets, but I do too. There’s something I need to tell you.”
Lorenzo paused, then turned and strode to the couch and settled next to his wife, while Sammy settled into an adjacent armchair.
“Thanks,” Bianca began nervously. “Uh, Mom, Dad, do either of you know my favorite color?”
“I, uh, I’m not sure,” her mother stammered as her father shrugged his shoulders.
“Do either of you have any idea what I’ve been longing to do for years, but never have?”
“Sorry, honey,” her father replied. “I guess there are things we should know about you, but don’t.”
“What about you, Sammy?”
“Aqua is your favorite color. It reminds you of a tropical island, and you’d love to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands,” he replied, “but at the top of your wish list is riding a horse.”
“Mom, lavender is your favorite color, you love the smell,” Bianca declared. “Dad, yours is charcoal gray, especially for your suits and cars. You’re dying to visit Italy and drive through Tuscany, and Mom, you want to attend a designer fashion show in Paris. I don’t doubt you love me, but you’re not interested in anything I say, anything I do, or anything I want to do. Dad, you’re always carrying on about protecting me, but locking me up in your compound and not letting me have a fucking life is driving me nuts.”
“Bianca!” he shouted, jumping to his feet.
“It’s true, and God forbid I meet a guy I actually like. You send one of your goons over to tell him to treat me with respect. Do you think I ever hear from him again? And Mom, I ask you to go shopping or join me for lunch, but there’s always something more important you have to do.”
“Bianca,” Ariana said urgently, “please understand—”
“Let me finish,” Bianca snapped. “I was snatched off the street and I went through hell, and now you’re all over me, but in a couple of weeks things will be exactly the same. Oh, and where’s Alfredo? Too busy running your casino to be here?”
“He was in New York,” Lorenzo said sharply. “The minute I called he arranged for a jet and he’ll be arriving in the morning. Your brother adores you.”
“Perhaps, but I can’t remember the last time we did anything together.”
“Bianca, we may not be the most involved parents in the world, but we love you like crazy,” her mother swore earnestly. “You must know that.”
“I do, but you take me for granted, you ignore me, you have no interest in me. What I like, the things I want to do and see. It hurts, and it’s infuriating.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, honey, I really am,” Ariana said, moving toward her, “but you’re wrong, of course we’re interested in you.”
“Sweetheart, you mean the world to me,” Lorenzo insisted. “I had no idea you felt this way. Maybe something good will come out of this terrible thing that happened to you.”
“But, Dad, what does that mean in real terms?”
“I can answer that,” Ariana interjected. “We’ll take a family vacation to St. Thomas. All of us, we can go for a week, and when we get back I’ll find a barn and we’ll see about riding lessons.”
“Thanks for saying all that, it’s great, really; the thing is, and I’m not sure how to say this so I’ll just blurt it out. Nick has asked me to stay here in Los Angeles and work in his office. I’ve said yes.”
“Hey, you don’t have to start right away,” Nick offered. “Take some time and go on that trip.”
“Hold on,” Lorenzo exclaimed. “How can I protect you if you’re here?”
“There you go again!” Bianca yelled. “Dad, I don’t need your protection. I need a life, a life you’re interested in. That’s why I did it, to get your fucking attention!”
“Did what exactly?” Lorenzo demanded, narrowing his eyes.
“What do you think? I had myself kidnapped, but when we arrived in Malibu, Matteus told me he was going to ask for some serious ransom money, and I wouldn’t be going anywhere until he got it. That’s when everything turned into a total mess, and I’m sorry, really I am. If I’d had any inkling things would get so screwed up I never would have done it. I didn’t mean to put you through so much worry. I only planned to be gone a day or two, All I wanted was to get your attention for more than five minutes,” she finished, stifling a sob.
But watching her parents, she couldn’t understand why there was so little reaction, then Sammy rose from his chair and caught her attention.
“Now it’s my turn,” he exclaimed.
