|GIOVANNI'S POV|I stood, straightening my tie for the umpteenth time, and offered a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes,"Your future daughter-in-law will be arriving shortly," His head whipped up in surprise, and I smirked. "She insisted on meeting her father-in-law...personally."He barked out a laugh, throwing his head back even as his shoulders trembled, "You want to feed her to the wolves already?" I didn't respond, my jaw clenching and unclenching. I was well aware of the situation in the family, no one liked the other. We were all just pretending to be cordial, at least to maintain the family's name."She's going to be my wife soon," I finally said, my tone severe, "It's only right that she knows her in-laws." Father didn't stop laughing even as he stood, he reached out and grabbed his cane, resting his weight on his good leg,"You," he chuckled, his breath hoarse from laughter, "This is why I like you. Aside from being perfect, you're the only one who knows how to make m
The ride was filled with so much tension, and Giovanni not being here made it worse. I assumed he was going to pick me up from home and we would arrive together,Imagine my shock when I was greeted by his driver instead. At least, it wasn't the limousine again. I didn't do well in fancy cars. I scrolled through the pages, sighing when I realized that I had a couple more to read through. I couldn't sleep last night due to the anxiety crawling down my throat,My sister and I worked in different fields, and I didn't know much about the business world. Heck, I barely saw the news. So when Dad told me I would be meeting his family today, I knew that not only would I be interrogated but I would have to put my best foot forward.In other words, I had to impress them. Just like Dahlia would. A yawn slipped past my mouth, and the driver eyed me from the rearview mirror. I offered him a wry smile, returning my attention to the blog. Most of the things there made no sense to me, Dahlia's com
"Which family is that?" This would've been a great time to come from a fairly influential family as well. I opened my mouth to respond but someone beat me to it. "Stop hogging the girl, Cristina!" The sharp voice cut through the air and everyone froze. The sound of a cane striking against the marble tiles caught my attention, and I trailed it to the one person I've been waiting to meet. My eyes grew wide, my fingers instinctively tightening around Giovanni's arms and I swallowed when he stopped a few feet away from me. Luciano Orlando, the patriarch of the family. I've heard about him, his story was almost like that of a legend. He pioneered the biggest and largest holding company in America, and he also came from the first mafia family in Italy to integrate in America. The infamous underworld mafia boss of the '80s. Who didn't know of him, of his ruthlessness. I heard about his lineage during history class but to stand in front of him like this. I swallowed when he grunted, n
I was still staring at the shrimp, my bottom lip trembling, and I heard a voice cut through the silent panic attack I was having. "Are you okay?" I looked up to see Luciano eyeing me, and I smiled, all teeth and cheeks. "I'm just surprised at the intricacy of the meal.""Why?" Cristina jabbed, smirking, "You've never seen food like that before."Her husband not-so-gently jabbed her side, hissing aggressively,"Stop that," José looked at me, apology clear in his gaze, "Pardon her behavior, Dahlia. She's not usually like this." I could tell that he was lying. She was always like that. "It's fine," I said with a shrug, and then turned to the maid at my side. She was an older woman with beautiful salt and pepper hair, almost reminding me of my great aunt. "Thank you," I told her with a soft smile, "this looks too beautiful to eat." The maid smiled brightly, and even Luciano barked out a laugh,"Don't fret, you can eat it without guilt." I smiled, and nodded before turning to look a
I didn't know why but my heart fluttered at the way he protectively stood up for me. I didn't even realize I was smiling until I looked at my reflection in one of the wine glasses.I had no idea where all these feelings were coming from but...A part of her actually liked the girl she was pretending to be. I opened my mouth to respond but froze, my eyes bulging in shock. Shit!I could feel the food climbing back up, and my throat was beginning to close. The allergy symptoms had begun and if I didn't get out of here quickly, I would probably break into a terrifying rash.I couldn't let that happen! Not when things were already going this smoothly. I snatched my purse, and rose to my feet, "I'm sorry, I need to use the bathroom," I mumbled, trying to keep the food down but it was relentless."Oh," Giovanni stared at her with concern, nearly standing as well, "I'll just fetch a maid to show you the-""I can show her," Cristina jumped to her feet, smiling brightly, "you don't have to w
|GIOVANNI'S POV|We spent the rest of the ride back in silence, our fingers were intertwined as I rubbed my thumb back and forth against her skin. For some reason, she'd been unusually quiet since we left my home. The car suddenly stopped, Ken announcing that we had arrived already. I bobbed my head and pulled open the door by my side before climbing down, walking over I did the same thing for Dahlia and offered her a hand,She smiled and with my support, climbed down from the vehicle. "Thank you," she whispered, and I nodded in response. The evening's breeze was cool against my skin, even with the layers of clothes I was wearing. I looked at her, watching as her hair flowed with the wind, and a smile tugged at my mouth. The meetup with my family went better than I expected, while I didn't imagine a complete catastrophe, the smoothness of it still stunned me. Father was definitely sold on her, I didn't think he would like her but her position in business must have done it. The t
|GIOVANNI'S POV|"I didn't think you'd be greedy enough to actually find a wife."I froze, turning on my heels to fully face him. He stood with his arms crossed against his chest, his brows knitted tightly. José was sitting on an armchair behind him, his eyes darting between the both of us. Cristina settled on one arm of the chair, a quiet excitement gleaming in her expression. Father watched our interaction quietly, his fingers tight around his cane. And Alessia, she'd joined them halfway through lunch stood by the side, bored by her boyfriend's antics. I couldn't blame her. "Do you have anything to say to me, Luca?" He walked closer, the space between us less than a foot, "Finding some roadside chick is beneath you, Giovanni," he spat, his tone filled with ire, "Everyone is disappointed in you."I scoffed at him, the corners of my lips twitching. My legs stepped forward, closing the distance between us so we were at eye level,"What the fuck did you just say?"Father slammed th
|GIOVANNI'S POV|The line trilled for a few seconds before he picked it, and I placed it on loudspeaker,"To what do I owe this pleasure?" His voice echoed, and I scoffed. "Let's meet at the bar," my tone was straightforward, "I'm craving a drink."He chuckled, humor lacing his voice, "You got it, Gio.""See you in a few minutes," I responded, leaning my neck back against the head rest. "Enzo." I ended the call, my jaw tight as I remembered all that happened back inside. My family had a talent for testing my patience. It came naturally to everyone of them, including Father. By the time we arrived at the bar, the pulsing rage within me had already withered and all that was left was the insane urge to drink."You sure you don't need me to come inside, Boss?" Ken asked, slamming the door behind me and I adjusted the lapel of my jacket."No, I'll be fine."He eyed me with caution, but nodded, "I'll be right here in case you need me."I waved him off, tucking my hands into my pocket as
I woke up with a start, my breath catching in my throat like I'd been yanked halfway through a race.My head throbbed painfully, it felt like someone had slammed it against a wall while I was asleep. It didn't make sense why I woke up with a nasty migraine, and I realized that I was worse off than when I'd slept last night. The pills were beginning to lose their effectiveness, and doubling always had her throwing up in the middle of the night. So I drank myself to sleep, and now I have an even nastier headache to deal with."Shit," I cursed as I ran my fingers through my tangled hair, the strands sticking slightly with sweat. The room was dim, curtains drawn, and the ceiling fan above spun lazily, creaking every few turns in a way that grated at my ears. I couldn't feel the air it was pushing down, if anything it made the room even more warm. I exhaled slowly and let my head drop back onto the pillow. Although, most of the migraine was due to my inappropriate choice last night,
|GIOVANNI'S POV|The line trilled for a few seconds before he picked it, and I placed it on loudspeaker,"To what do I owe this pleasure?" His voice echoed, and I scoffed. "Let's meet at the bar," my tone was straightforward, "I'm craving a drink."He chuckled, humor lacing his voice, "You got it, Gio.""See you in a few minutes," I responded, leaning my neck back against the head rest. "Enzo." I ended the call, my jaw tight as I remembered all that happened back inside. My family had a talent for testing my patience. It came naturally to everyone of them, including Father. By the time we arrived at the bar, the pulsing rage within me had already withered and all that was left was the insane urge to drink."You sure you don't need me to come inside, Boss?" Ken asked, slamming the door behind me and I adjusted the lapel of my jacket."No, I'll be fine."He eyed me with caution, but nodded, "I'll be right here in case you need me."I waved him off, tucking my hands into my pocket as
|GIOVANNI'S POV|"I didn't think you'd be greedy enough to actually find a wife."I froze, turning on my heels to fully face him. He stood with his arms crossed against his chest, his brows knitted tightly. José was sitting on an armchair behind him, his eyes darting between the both of us. Cristina settled on one arm of the chair, a quiet excitement gleaming in her expression. Father watched our interaction quietly, his fingers tight around his cane. And Alessia, she'd joined them halfway through lunch stood by the side, bored by her boyfriend's antics. I couldn't blame her. "Do you have anything to say to me, Luca?" He walked closer, the space between us less than a foot, "Finding some roadside chick is beneath you, Giovanni," he spat, his tone filled with ire, "Everyone is disappointed in you."I scoffed at him, the corners of my lips twitching. My legs stepped forward, closing the distance between us so we were at eye level,"What the fuck did you just say?"Father slammed th
|GIOVANNI'S POV|We spent the rest of the ride back in silence, our fingers were intertwined as I rubbed my thumb back and forth against her skin. For some reason, she'd been unusually quiet since we left my home. The car suddenly stopped, Ken announcing that we had arrived already. I bobbed my head and pulled open the door by my side before climbing down, walking over I did the same thing for Dahlia and offered her a hand,She smiled and with my support, climbed down from the vehicle. "Thank you," she whispered, and I nodded in response. The evening's breeze was cool against my skin, even with the layers of clothes I was wearing. I looked at her, watching as her hair flowed with the wind, and a smile tugged at my mouth. The meetup with my family went better than I expected, while I didn't imagine a complete catastrophe, the smoothness of it still stunned me. Father was definitely sold on her, I didn't think he would like her but her position in business must have done it. The t
I didn't know why but my heart fluttered at the way he protectively stood up for me. I didn't even realize I was smiling until I looked at my reflection in one of the wine glasses.I had no idea where all these feelings were coming from but...A part of her actually liked the girl she was pretending to be. I opened my mouth to respond but froze, my eyes bulging in shock. Shit!I could feel the food climbing back up, and my throat was beginning to close. The allergy symptoms had begun and if I didn't get out of here quickly, I would probably break into a terrifying rash.I couldn't let that happen! Not when things were already going this smoothly. I snatched my purse, and rose to my feet, "I'm sorry, I need to use the bathroom," I mumbled, trying to keep the food down but it was relentless."Oh," Giovanni stared at her with concern, nearly standing as well, "I'll just fetch a maid to show you the-""I can show her," Cristina jumped to her feet, smiling brightly, "you don't have to w
I was still staring at the shrimp, my bottom lip trembling, and I heard a voice cut through the silent panic attack I was having. "Are you okay?" I looked up to see Luciano eyeing me, and I smiled, all teeth and cheeks. "I'm just surprised at the intricacy of the meal.""Why?" Cristina jabbed, smirking, "You've never seen food like that before."Her husband not-so-gently jabbed her side, hissing aggressively,"Stop that," José looked at me, apology clear in his gaze, "Pardon her behavior, Dahlia. She's not usually like this." I could tell that he was lying. She was always like that. "It's fine," I said with a shrug, and then turned to the maid at my side. She was an older woman with beautiful salt and pepper hair, almost reminding me of my great aunt. "Thank you," I told her with a soft smile, "this looks too beautiful to eat." The maid smiled brightly, and even Luciano barked out a laugh,"Don't fret, you can eat it without guilt." I smiled, and nodded before turning to look a
"Which family is that?" This would've been a great time to come from a fairly influential family as well. I opened my mouth to respond but someone beat me to it. "Stop hogging the girl, Cristina!" The sharp voice cut through the air and everyone froze. The sound of a cane striking against the marble tiles caught my attention, and I trailed it to the one person I've been waiting to meet. My eyes grew wide, my fingers instinctively tightening around Giovanni's arms and I swallowed when he stopped a few feet away from me. Luciano Orlando, the patriarch of the family. I've heard about him, his story was almost like that of a legend. He pioneered the biggest and largest holding company in America, and he also came from the first mafia family in Italy to integrate in America. The infamous underworld mafia boss of the '80s. Who didn't know of him, of his ruthlessness. I heard about his lineage during history class but to stand in front of him like this. I swallowed when he grunted, n
The ride was filled with so much tension, and Giovanni not being here made it worse. I assumed he was going to pick me up from home and we would arrive together,Imagine my shock when I was greeted by his driver instead. At least, it wasn't the limousine again. I didn't do well in fancy cars. I scrolled through the pages, sighing when I realized that I had a couple more to read through. I couldn't sleep last night due to the anxiety crawling down my throat,My sister and I worked in different fields, and I didn't know much about the business world. Heck, I barely saw the news. So when Dad told me I would be meeting his family today, I knew that not only would I be interrogated but I would have to put my best foot forward.In other words, I had to impress them. Just like Dahlia would. A yawn slipped past my mouth, and the driver eyed me from the rearview mirror. I offered him a wry smile, returning my attention to the blog. Most of the things there made no sense to me, Dahlia's com
|GIOVANNI'S POV|I stood, straightening my tie for the umpteenth time, and offered a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes,"Your future daughter-in-law will be arriving shortly," His head whipped up in surprise, and I smirked. "She insisted on meeting her father-in-law...personally."He barked out a laugh, throwing his head back even as his shoulders trembled, "You want to feed her to the wolves already?" I didn't respond, my jaw clenching and unclenching. I was well aware of the situation in the family, no one liked the other. We were all just pretending to be cordial, at least to maintain the family's name."She's going to be my wife soon," I finally said, my tone severe, "It's only right that she knows her in-laws." Father didn't stop laughing even as he stood, he reached out and grabbed his cane, resting his weight on his good leg,"You," he chuckled, his breath hoarse from laughter, "This is why I like you. Aside from being perfect, you're the only one who knows how to make m