Chapter 11 – Nicoletta
Chapter Eleven
Nicoletta
Iwonder if I went too far this time. Angela told me several times that I shouldn’t go through with this plan, but I don’t see why she should have all the fun in ruining our brother’s lives.
It’s unfortunate that Geralynn has to be collateral damage, but I have honestly been searching for a way to get my best friend to join my family for a long time.
Gino might have been a solid option for fooling into an arranged marriage, but he doesn’t get on my nerves enough for me to want to distract him with fatherhood.
Renzo on the other hand is my biggest immediate problem in the family ever since Luigi rode off into the sunset with his nerdy gamer chick, Delphine.
I don’t know if she’s really a gamer chick, but she has the look and the glasses, and she reminds me of Garcia from Criminal Minds if she were dipped in honey and chocolate.
Totally different personality, but similar outfits. Nice lady, Delphine.
Just like Geralynn is a good person, who deserves to have her dreams come true. I know I have to hurt her to make this happen, but you don’t get anything in life without a little pain. The terms of her contract will make her very happy in the long run. I know it will be hard for her to see it.
My father was always tough with me and I don’t often agree with him, but he taught me to think about the long term as often as possible and to consider all your choices in strong consideration of the long term prospects.
Long term? I need to get out of this house and my best friend wants to afford graduate school and her future.
Geralynn might be a down-to-earth person, but I hate the idea that she might feel like we’re not equals because of money. Who cares about money? It’s easy to get money and we could easily be financial equals if my brother pulls his head out of his ass.
Renzo can make that happen with the swish of a pen.
God will judge me for the immoral act I committed in terms of drugging them but…
the chemist I used is incredibly famous on Instagram and through all my connections, I learned that he allegedly works with a very famous family that millions “keep up” with and this chemist swore that the powder would only cause them to act if there was a “natural subconscious attraction”.
Let’s hope that holds up when my soul gets judged at the end.
I can hear my brother reacting with nothing but pure anger on the other side of the door.
My ‘legal representative’ is just Gino, who understands Renzo better than anyone and who agreed to FaceTime me while I wait for Renzo to sign the contract.
I set my phone up against a wine bottle in the kitchen while I grab myself a vodka seltzer to make the wait easier.
Gino’s voice crackles through my phone screen. “When he gets out of that room, he’s going to kill you.”
“He’s not. I told you, I have video of–”
“Yes,” Gino snaps impatiently. “You forced me to watch those disgusting videos. I know what you saw.”
“They both said things they might regret sober,” I explain to him. “But their feelings seemed genuine, didn’t they?”
“Is that what you saw?” Gino grumbles. “I saw two drunk idiots fumbling and saying unspeakable things…”
“Don’t you want to be an uncle?”
Gino sighs. “Nicki, what happened? Did you lose your fucking mind at some point when we were gone?”
“This isn’t about my mental health.”
“You drugged your best friend,” Gino says, his voice almost rising to a yell.
He knows that if he raises his voice, I’ll hang up on him.
But he clearly disagrees with everything I’ve done.
Gino doesn’t have a clue what to do with himself, however.
I just have to hope that he doesn’t tell Luigi about what I’ve done until I’m in a much better situation with signed contracts.
“I didn’t do it to hurt her.”
“You drugged her and made her have sex with someone who hates her, Nicki. Never heard the word ‘accountability’ in all the goddamn therapy dad paid for?”
“Why are you being so mean to me?”
“Accountability, Nicki.”
“Fine! If I didn’t drug both of them, they wouldn’t have a common enemy to bind them together. I used Artificial Intelligence to run through multiple simulations, Gino. I did the research.”
“You used Artificial Intelligence to guide your decision making instead of anyone human with a heart. That would explain a lot.”
“Stop being such an old-fashioned prude.”
“What are you going to do when your best friend gets pregnant? You really think you can stop Renzo from killing them both for ten months?”
“He wouldn’t kill his own baby.”
Gino sounds certain when he replies, “He would.”
“He has hidden feelings for Geralynn. This wouldn’t have worked without that. Once the hormones kick in, he’ll become obsessed with her. Trust me.”
“You’re putting your best friend’s life at risk.”
“I’m helping my best friend pay for college and get a house with a freaking pool. She’s going to be Mack Hollins’ neighbor. Do you know how many people in Buffalo would kill for that opportunity?”
“Renzo is my twin, Nicki. I know shit about him that you couldn’t begin to understand.”
“Stop being a cryptic asshole and spit it out then.”
I can tell that I’m annoying Gino, but nothing will compare to how annoyed he will feel if he doesn’t help me with my plan.
The men in my family make the consistent mistake of underestimating the women in our family and in their lives.
They think they can move us around like chess pieces and we become the villains when we fight back.
It’s not fair.
“He’s going to hurt your friend.”
“He won’t.”
“No,” Gino insists. “He can’t exist without causing pain to other people. Why do you think he never keeps girlfriends for long?”
“His shitty personality,” I respond as patiently as I can, somewhat frustrated with Gino. “Is that a trick question?”
“Women don’t care about a man’s personality if they’re getting fucked right,” he says. I strongly doubt that it’s true, but Gino seems like he’s about to reveal necessary information, so I keep my mouth shut.
“Thank you for that wisdom, Gino.”
“It’s not his personality. He enjoys pain, Nicki. You know that. I know that. Imagine how dark it can get when sex gets involved.”
“Geralynn will–”
“Geralynn will submit to his way of doing things or he’ll throw her out like a piece of garbage. You put your best friend in his clutches because you’re naive and protected. She won’t make it.”
“If you knew half as much as you think, dad would have chosen you for a more important job than managing his World Series bets.”
Gino looks like he wants to kill me, but he stays quiet rather than getting emotionally riled up. He’s infuriating with the way he completely refuses to rise to my bait. But I appreciate him staying on the line. I take the phone away to Renzo’s prison.
“There’s an amendment.”
“What is it?” he asks.
I read it out loud.
Gino waits a beat after I read Renzo and Geralynn’s separate amendments out loud. “Give in,” Gino says to them.
My heart pounds with the realization that they’re close to signing.
The amendments are more than I want to give, but it’s hard to beat the pure rush of knowing that I’ll get exactly what I want.
My best friend will receive a downpayment of $65,000 to cover her first year of graduate school and the costs of living outside of that.
She won’t ever have to mop floors again or put up with anyone treating her like she’s lesser because of her job or her background.
I don’t have access to my own money the way Geralynn does.
Because of my sex, my father will control every dollar of my inheritance and after he dies, a trust of elderly men will control the money.
I can’t help the woman I grew up with without sacrifice.
She might hate me, but once this is all over, she’ll have her dream – law school.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I ask Gino, although I don’t know why the hell I’m asking him for advice since he thinks I’m such a bad person for doing this.
“Is now really the time to ask yourself that question?”
“You agreed to help me, Gino. You’re no angel.”
Men hate it when you enter “male dominated fields”. Like gaslighting.
“Nicki, if you want to stay in control here, give them this amendment. Trust me.”
“Fine. But we’re going to get what we want, Gino.”
My brother becomes deeply uncomfortable again, like he didn’t help me draft these contracts. He’s involved with this, whether he “wants to” be involved with the situation or not.
“Please, Nicki. Don’t involve me in this. I want nothing to do with this.”
“If I get my baby, you get what you want, Gino. Remember that.”
“And what is that exactly?” Gino grumbles.
“Your identical twin brother who is somehow hotter than you gets to be off the market.”
Playing on Gino and Renzo’s insecurities doesn’t make me a good person, but it’s definitely hilarious. He scowls and pretends not to be affected.
“You idiot. I am the hotter twin.”
“Plus, I have blackmail.”
“What kind?”
“Lots.”
Gino scowls. He can’t tell if I’m bluffing or not and I love keeping up the air of mystery. I do have blackmail, by the way. I’m a Taviani. The men in my life think they control everything about my life and in some ways, they do. I have to have collateral and assurances.
This baby is my collateral. My assurance that Renzo will keep my best friend with this family forever and never hurt her. My assurance that my brothers will soften their perspective over time.
When I’m old and grey, nobody will remember how they got together. I know they’re going to fall in love. Renzo – and most of the guys in Buffalo – are stupid for not seeing what I see in Geralynn.
She’s the best friend I’ve ever had. I’m not even that good of a friend, honestly. I try to be a better person, but I come from a family of criminals. Geralynn has never judged me for that and she’s always given me room to grow.
This time, I want to do something to change her life and I know it will change my brother too and break through his icy heart if he would just let it happen. Not like I’ll betray my true motives to Gino. He would just find some way to ruin my plan like all the men in my family do.
“Owing you was a mistake.”
I laugh. “Exactly,” I say, trying to hide the smugness in my voice and probably failing. “Renzo doubted I was a real mobster, can you believe it?”
“You’re a bitch,” Gino says bitterly. “Huge fucking difference.”
Our eyes meet, and we both smile.