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“I have one of those faces that puts you at ease,” she said.
He glanced at her, then shook his head. “No, I don’t think that’s it. I haven’t let myself… It’s not often I can think about her, let alone talk about her.”
“Avoidance is an adaptive response,” she said softly. “But suppressing her memory isn’t healthy for you, and it’s not fair to her. If you loved her, putyourmind to rest and let her go.”
“You ask the impossible.”
“You don’t want to be alone for the rest of your life, do you?”
“My father has arranged a marriage for me, to an Italian heiress I’ve never met,” he said. “It’s a business arrangement and nothing more, and it’s not like I’m going to fall in love or anything. I have no love to give her. I just hope I’ll find some semblance of happiness with the children I conceive with this woman.”
Matteo Romanelli didn’t say anything more, but his internal eye was obviously a million years away. Then, finally, without saying another word, he turned away from her and left the room. The grey aura once more hugging him like a shroud. She allowed him his space. But minutes later, it dawned on her that he wasn’t coming back. What did it mean that he left her, a stranger, alone in his mafia father’s home? Did she know how to get back to the dining room?
“Crap,” she muttered. “I should’ve left breadcrumbs.”
****
Pietro Romanelli watched the two leave the dining room before settling his icy, dead stare on Lincoln.
“This matter cannot go past here,” Pietro said with a warning in his tone. “Anything we discuss from here on out will be considered classified. If you talk to anyone about this, you won’t leave here alive. Is that understood?”
“Yes,” Lincoln replied. “Discretion is always best in a situation like this.”
“I think someone is embezzling from me, but I’m not sure where from. And since I don’t know who it is, I can’t even trust my son.”
“What did you tell everyone was my reason for being here?”
“Your reputation precedes you, Lincoln. I simply said I was thinking about utilizing your MC for some of my businesses. The only people that know the truth are you and your president.”
“Noted,” Lincoln said.
“When can you get started?” Pietro asked, shifting slightly in his seat to grab his wineglass.
“Do you wish for me to start tonight?”
At that moment, Matteo returned and nodded at his father. He then returned to his seat. Lincoln glanced at the threshold, waiting for Vivi to walk through. After a few minutes, he redirected his gaze to Matteo.
“Where is she?”Fuck! Did he do something to her?
The younger man looked sheepish as he glanced over his shoulder. “I, ah, may have forgotten her.”
Lincoln blinked.What the fuck?Who forgets a stranger in this monstrosity of a house? Jesus Christ, it’s Vivi! “Excuse me?”
Just then, she hurried into the dining room, a hand over her chest as she panted.
“Good Lord, this place is huge,” she said, sucking in a lungful of oxygen. “I’d always heard you should make all left turns in a maze to find the exit. Or was it all rights? Anyway, I started doing that and then quickly figured out that science doesn’t apply when lost in a mansion.”
“I apologize,” Matteo said.
Vivi waved off the apology. “No harm. Believe it or not, I get lost a lot. Once, I wandered away from my parents in a museum because I had discovered escalators, so I ended up going up and down, up and down, until one of the docents found me and took me to the security office. My parents may have been a little overdramatic with their scolding. I mean, it’s a magic escalator that can eat shoes and nibble off toes. Why wouldn’t I ride it over and over?”
Lincoln smiled at the story. He really loved hearing them. Pietro looked confused, and a frown lingered on Matteo’s face. Guess they didn’t find Vivi as amusing as he did. Oh well, their loss.
The Don cleared his throat. “About starting tonight, perhaps it would be best to get a good night’s sleep before business.”
“Yes,” Lincoln agreed. “That probably would be better.”
Pietro rose, and Matteo did the same. When Lincoln stood, he waited for Vivi, who only smiled at him. He gave Vivi a tilt of his head for her to follow his lead. She stared wide-eyed at him and mimicked the gesture. He did it again and she mimicked again as well. Then he mouthedget upand that’s when it dawned on her and she scrambled to her feet. Matteo gave a muffled snort but when they all looked at him, he was back to unflappable stoicism.
