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“I am.” There’s not a hint of hesitation in his tone. “Tommas Lombardi will be regretfully informed that he will not be Gianna’s choice. As soon as it can be arranged, she and Andre Leone will sign a betrothal contract. It’s expected that the wedding will take place within a month afterward. At which point, of course, your duties here will be completed, and you can return to New York. As you wanted,” he adds pointedly.
I grit my teeth, trying to think clearly, and not say the first angry thing that comes to my mind. “Gianna will argue this. You know she will. Of all the choices she was given, Andre was the one she wanted least. She wouldn’t even entertain the idea of it.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Fontana shrugs. “She doesn’t have a choice in this, Moretti. Her father was too lenient with her, I think. She has a place in this world, and that place is to marry who she is told and produce heirs. I had hoped you would have helped impress that fact on her, since her father was lax in doing so.”
Breathe. I’ve rarely hated a man as much as I hate Fontana at this moment. “There must be some other solution. You can’t possibly think that marrying Gianna to a man she hates will cause anything other than strife—”
“The choice is made.” Fontana pauses. “The only other possible choice isyou, Alessio. If you were to announce your intention to honor her father’s will, there could be no argument with that. Giacomo’s desires were plain and are legally binding. Not even the Leone family can say otherwise. But you’ve already made your position on that plain, and otherwise—my decision is made. My word is final. And this is what I say—that Giannawillmarry Andre.”
“No.” The word comes out before I can stop it, my mind racing. “No, I won’t allow it.”
Fontana’s iron-grey brow rises. “You won’tallowit?”
“I’ll marry her.” The words feel like they’ll burn my lips as I say them, but I can’t stop now. It was difficult enough to imagine her as Tommas Lombardi’s bride, but this is unthinkable. “I promised Gianna that I would protect her. That her safety and happiness were my first priority. If this is the only way to ensure that, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Fontana’s mouth turns down at the corners. “You may want to think this through, Alessio—”
“I don’t need to. As you said, the decision is made.Mydecision is made. If Andre Leone is the only other choice, then I will marry her.”
I know the Leone family must be pressuring Fontana. I know that they must be pushing him to go forward with what he’d planned before he agreed to my compromise. And I know there must be some way to keep Gianna safe from that without backing down on everything I’ve stuck to, every principle that I have.
I’m hoping that I’ve called his bluff. But I can see from the expression on his face that’s not the case.
“If you mean that, then you’ll be prepared to sign the betrothal contract now.” Fontana gestures down to his briefcase next to the chair. “Call Gianna in, and we’ll take care of the paperwork. Giacomo’s will is honored, then, and the Leone family will be unable to argue.”
That knot tightens in my throat now instead of my gut, like a noose. There’s no way out of this, and I think of what I’m signing myself up for—a lifetime of celibacy, if I intend to give Gianna what she desires…a faithful husband. It’s the only way to both keep her out of the Leone family’s hands, and keep my own promise to myself not to touch her. Not to take advantage of her. Not to corrupt her.
I’ll deal with that later.Fontana is looking at me expectantly. Those things can be worked out. Gianna and I can come to some arrangement, or—
“Alessio.”
“Yes. I’ll call her in.” I reach for my phone numbly to send her a message to come to the office, knowing that it will catch her off guard. She should have more warning than this, but I know Fontana won’t care. He wants this handled, one way or another. If I stall, he’ll take it as a sign I’m not serious and leave. Then Gianna will belong to Andre Leone, and that’s something I can’t live with.
I can see the confusion on her face when she steps into the office and sees Fontana there. She’s wearing a pretty chiffon sundress in a bright yellow color, the ruffles dipping between her breasts, and my mouth goes dry just looking at her.
“Is something wrong?” she asks, and I have no idea how to answer that question. Fontana speaks up before I can.
“Alessio has agreed to marry you, my dear,” he says, and I see the instantaneous shock in her eyes, the way her mouth drops slightly open. “So I have the betrothal contract here, for you both to sign.”
“What?” Gianna stares at me. “What are you talking about? I—”
“The Leone family has managed to supersede your choice of Tommas as your husband,” I tell her quietly. “They have convinced Don Fontana that Andre is the only rational choice for you, for the good of the Family. Which means it won’t matter that you have decided on someone else.”
Her face goes pale. I see all the blood drain out of it, her thoughts clearly racing to catch up. “So how are you going to—I don’t understand—”
“Your father named me as the one he chose for you in his will,” I tell her gently. “So if I agree, no one can argue with that. It’s binding. It’s me or Andre. Those are the only two options now, according to Don Fontana.”
He nods. “You may state your opinion if you wish,” he says calmly. “Alessio has made his plain.”
There’s a flicker of mutiny in Gianna’s eyes—I can tell she doesn’t appreciate being told that she’s beingallowedto have an opinion. But she bites it back, which I find impressive, especially considering how difficult it is right now even for me to bite back what I want to say.
“I choose Alessio,” she says calmly, tipping her chin up. “If he is a choice, then I want him. I’ve felt that way since the will was read.”
It’s impossible to tell, even for me, if Fontana is pleased or displeased by this turn of events. He opens the briefcase, taking out the papers. Gianna holds out her hand, silently, and he ignores her. I see the flush of red on her cheekbones, the instant anger in her eyes at being dismissed.
“Let Gianna read the contract,” I tell him flatly. “She should know what it is that she’s signing.”
Fontana makes an unpleasant face, but he hands the contract over. I can see Gianna’s fingers trembling as she flips through it, reading each page. Her lips are pressed together, and I can’t tell if she’s happy or not.Is she disappointed that it’snotTommas now? Is she disappointed that it’s me?
