Chapter 22 Caterina
Caterina
Roman’s home was a beautiful mansion on the outskirts of the city.
He was a private man and liked his life away from the buzzing media and the hectic city.
I didn’t blame him. My home was secluded, but not like his.
When I dealt with Vincenzo once and for all, I would make sure I bought a villa in the Italian countryside and grew old with Harlow.
It was time to settle down and leave the city life.
Harlow had her arm looped in mine with her white cardigan pulled tight to her chest. When it came to new people, Harlow was jumpy, but I told her Roman and his wife were harmless.
Vera already knew to keep her flirting to a minimum.
When I met Roman and his wife, she partitioned me for one night in her bed while Roman watched.
Vera was beautiful, but that was not my cup of tea.
I watched Harlow take in Roman’s home. He was a fan of Greek architecture, and his home represented his tastes beautifully.
I think some of his home decor was from Athens and Volos.
He and Vera traveled a lot, so their house had various antiques and collections.
Vera was a reader, so I wasn’t surprised Roman took her on adventures.
Harlow took my hand as we walked into Roman’s mansion. He was waiting for us with Vera on his arm as we walked through the foyer.
Roman took my free hand in his and kissed my cheek. “Hello, Cat. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Ciao, Roman.” I felt Harlow tense next to me, but Roman already knew not to approach my wife without her consent. “Roman, this is my gorgeous wife, Harlow Moretti.”
He extended his hand. Harlow was hesitant but accepted it. I gave her other one a reassuring squeeze. “It is lovely to meet the woman who stole Cat’s icy heart. This is my beautiful wife, Vera.”
“It is lovely to meet you, Harlow.” I watched Vera’s eyes roam down Harlow’s body. I narrowed my eyes on Vera, and she smirked. “You have a gorgeous wife, Cat.”
“She’s mine, Vera.”
“Hey, I’m just admiring beauty.”
I glanced at Harlow, whose cheeks were bright red. Harlow still couldn’t take compliments from other people. “Thank you,” she said softly.
I narrowed my eyes on Vera as Roman pulled her into him more. “Will Natalya be joining us?”
“Natalya is on a mission currently, so she will be back in a week. I believe she has plans to see you when she gets back.”
Harlow nodded. We haven’t done defense or training because of her injuries and her mental health. Harlow was stubborn, and I knew she would overwork herself and train harder because of what happened, but I hoped I could persuade her not to be so hard on herself.
We had lunch on the terrace, admiring the views that Roman had in his backyard.
Vera was telling Harlow about her likes, and then they got on the topic of books.
I glanced at Roman and knew we would be in for a long night.
Harlow already gushed about the romance books she read with Lizzy, and now Vera would bug Roman until he would bring her to my home or until I flew Harlow back.
I loved Harlow being able to venture out.
If she wanted to, she could stay with them for a weekend.
While Vera was a flirt, consent was her big thing. If Harlow said she was uncomfortable or wanted her flirting to stop, she would. I knew my wife and Spencer’s constant flirting didn’t offend or harm her, so Vera’s wouldn’t, either.
“Would you like to visit the library Roman created for me?” Harlow beamed and nodded.
I kissed her cheek. “Vera, she is my wife.”
Vera smirked. “I’m showing my guest one of my favorite rooms in my home,” she retorted. “Come now, Harlow.”
Harlow glanced at me, but I wasn’t making a decision for her. This was her life and her choice. “This is your choice, bellissima. I’m not going to stop you.” She kissed me before jumping up. Harlow followed behind Vera with more pep in her step.
I followed Roman into his study that acted as his office when there were important Bratva issues to discuss.
The only family having issues was me dealing with Vincenzo.
The Mancinis, Petrovs and Orlovs were all members of the treaty.
Igor Orlov also worked hand in hand with Vincenzo and Akim Bolkov.
The three of them were dominant in sex trade, something Roman despised, but couldn’t deal with because of the agreement.
If Roman could change one thing, it would be that outdated treaty.
He hated it, but his father, God rest his soul, was the one who agreed to it and for obvious reasons, the other two families wouldn’t veto it.
He poured whiskey into two crystal glasses, handing one to me as we walked to his leather chairs in front of his fireplace. Roman sipped his whiskey and I looked at him with a curious brow. “So, how long until your wife wants mine?”
He laughed, sloshing the amber liquid along the rim of his crystal glass. “It’s been a while since Vera had another woman, but she took to Harlow.”
I swigged my whiskey. “I won’t kill her, but I will stab her. I don’t share, and neither does Harlow.”
Roman rolled his eyes. “Of course. Vera knows to behave. It’s good to see you happy.”
“It feels good. I never thought I would meet someone like Harlow.” I never thought I would kidnap a woman either, nor fall in love with her strength, but here we are. It was the best choice I’d made.
“So, tell me, how did you two meet?”
I laughed, finishing the rest of my whiskey. “I kidnapped her.”
“That’s how most love stories seem to start in this life.”
I went into detail about taking Harlow from Vincenzo without telling him the gruesome details of what he did to her.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to understand what Vincenzo put his victims through.
Roman wanted to help, I knew he did, but this treaty that his father and the other dons agreed on years ago forbade him from getting involved unless he did something that broke that treaty.
“I wish I could assist you, but my father made this pact, and I cannot break it even if I prefer your allyship more than the others.”
“I know. Vincenzo is a crafty asshole, and I am working on ending him. He tried to take Harlow, and he took Luca’s girlfriend, too. If Luca didn’t have a tracker on Lizzy, I might’ve not found her.”
Roman arched his brow. “A tracker?”
“You’d be surprised at how handy it was. We found them before any irreversible damage could be done.”
“He’s a smart man.”
“He is. Now I have to find a way to convince her to let me put one in her.”