12. Alessandro
“Morning, Alessandro, congratulations on your nuptials,” Martina, my assistant, says, greeting me with a stern face and an espresso in her hand. I’m happy she’s back. It was starting to get harder to dodge Paola’s advances each day, especially after my encouragement of her flirting when Natalia visited my office. Martina’s been on holiday for the past couple of weeks, and today is the first day I’ve seen her. She’s been working for the family business for twenty years. She used to be my father’s assistant, then Dario’s, and now she’s mine. Martina is a hard ass, she never minces her words, she always tells me what is on her mind, she’s not afraid of me at all, and I can trust her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”
She gives me a huff in response. “Nice to see you are finally settling down.” I take a sip of my espresso. I think I’m going to need it to get through the interrogation I’m about to receive from Martina. “I’m surprised it’s with a Fiorenzo, though.”
“As am I.”
Her eyes narrow on me. “I read the papers,” she tells me.
“You know you shouldn’t read those gossip pages,” I say, taking another sip of my espresso.
“You know how much I love the gossip pages.” She grins.
How the hell is this my life? I rub my face with my hands in frustration. “You’re going to need to organize more security here, and at my home, the paparazzi were waiting for me outside my front gates this morning and then proceeded to follow me all the way to work today. They were crazy on the roads.”
Concern crosses her face. “They were here bright and early as well. I’ll make sure to organize that.”
“Thank you.” I sigh.
“I’m assuming your father is not happy with the news?”
This makes me chuckle. “No, not at all, he gave me this lip,” I say, pointing to the healing split.
Martina gasps. “I shouldn’t be surprised but still …”
I shrug my shoulders. “He basically told me I’ve ruined the family and he wishes that I had died instead of Dario.”
Martina clutches her heart. “No, he didn’t.”
I nod. “You know how he gets.”
She shakes her head. “I do, but you are his son and to say that is … is ...”
“I know I’m not my father’s first choice for this company.”
“You’re the best choice. I loved your brother, but we all know he had his challenges, and that extended to this company,” she explains.
This is why I’m so thankful to have her working by my side, she understands our family’s dynamics. I swallow hard as I try to push down the emotion that bubbles up when talking about Dario.
“Anyway, you got married in Vegas?” she asks, changing the subject, knowing how uncomfortable it is for me to talk about him.
“It wasn’t planned,” I tell her.
“Obviously, but a Fiorenzo, I don’t understand. I mean, I do, she is a beautiful woman, but she is so much younger than you, and a Fiorenzo,” she repeats.
“Not that much younger,” I argue. She raises a brow at me. Eight years, that’s not much is it? “Vegas was fun. I caught up with Rome, and I guess things got out of control.”
“And you thought marrying Natalia Fiorenzo would be a good idea?” she asks.
“No. I guess I wasn’t thinking.” I shrug as I take another sip of my espresso.
“Thinking with the wrong head, again.” She smirks, shaking her own head. I cough and splutter my coffee at her words. “So, why did she give an interview telling the world the two of you are in love?”
“Because I may have blackmailed her,” I confess.
Martina’s brow raises. “This keeps getting better, Alessandro, continue,” she says, folding her arms in front of her.
“When I found out we were married, I may have refused to give her the annulment she wanted until her family dropped out of the Emerald Hotels deal,” I explain to her.
“I’m guessing that didn’t go down too well.”
I shake my head. “Not at all. She called my bluff and announced to the world that we were some kind of Romeo and Juliet of the Roma social scene.”
“Oh.” Martina chuckles, while I glare at her. “I’m surprised she had the balls to do that.”
“Yes, she’s quite surprising.”
“Is she now?” Martina questions.
“Do not look at me like that. This is not like those books you read. There will not be a happily ever after between the two of us,” I warn her.
“How long do you think this marriage will last?”
I shrug. “We’re both stubborn.”
“Next thing you know it’s five years later with a baby on the way.” She smirks.
A cold shiver falls over me. “Children, hell no.”
“Never say never. You didn’t think you would get married and here you are,” she reminds me.
“I got married drunk in Vegas, hardly soulmate material.” Martina just gives me a knowing smirk. “Don’t you have something to do?”
“I have heaps to do thanks to my temporary replacement, she was useless.” Martina scowls.
“She was more interested in finding a rich husband than doing any work it seems.”
Martina throws her hands up in the air in frustration as she walks out of my office grumbling.
“There aretwo pissed-off brothers here to see you,” Martina advises, a concerned look on her face.
Great, of course they are. “Send them in, thanks.” She gives me a small nod and disappears again. Moments later, my office door explodes as Giorgio and Luca barge in.
“Gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”
“Fuck off, Conti. We’re here to talk about Natalia,” Giorgio states angrily.
“You better not have touched a hair on her head in Paris,” Luca adds.
I hold up my hands. “My bedroom activities with my wife are none of your business,” I say, watching as their faces turn bright red.
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Luca growls as he launches himself at me before his brother holds him back.
“He’s trying to bait you,” Giorgio warns him, as Luca grumbles a couple of profanities under his breath at me. “Why are you doing this?” Giorgio asks.
“Doing what exactly?” I question him.
“Please, let me punch that smug smirk off his face,” Luca asks his brother.
“Ruining Natalia’s life,” Giorgio states.
“I’d hardly call us falling in love and getting married ruining her life,” I reply.
“You know that’s bullshit,” Luca spits.
“The rest of the world doesn’t think so.” I smirk.
“Seems like someone else doesn’t like the news of your marriage either,” Giorgio states, gesturing to my split lip.
“My father wasn’t too happy about the news.” Giorgio’s brows rise at my answer. “This is business, nothing more.”
“Then why did you drag our sister into this. She doesn’t deserve this,” Luca adds.
“Your sister is the one that ran to the papers.”
“Because you wouldn’t sign the annulment papers,” Giorgio states.
“She called my bluff. Your sister is a lot tougher than I thought, I won’t fall for that again,” I tell them.
“Then you stalked her to Paris,” Luca adds.
“It’s the city of love. I thought it would be a great way to show the world how in love we are,” I tell him.
“You’re a fucking asshole. Our sister doesn’t deserve this, being married to you is going to ruin her reputation,” Luca spits.
“Ruin her? This isn’t the eighteen hundreds,” I fire back.
“She’s our little sister, we are trying to protect her,” Luca adds.
“Natalia doesn’t understand how this world works,” Giorgio suggests.
“What, the business world? Because from where I’m sitting, she seems to be playing the game like a pro. You should have more faith in her,” I tell them.
“Fuck you. Don’t make out you’re the authority on Natalia.” Luca sneers.
“What will it take for you to sign the damn papers?” Giorgio asks, frustrated with the conversation.
“That you pull out of the deal with Emerald Hotels,” I tell them, not understanding how they don’t get this.
They both bristle at my request. “Not going to happen,” Giorgio adds.
“Then I guess you two have got yourselves a new brother-in-law.”
“Fuck you, Conti,” Luca spits.
“Let me ask you this, if you had a sister, would you let her marry one of us?” Giorgio asks me.
“Hell fucking no, but I’d also trust her.”
Their eyes narrow on me. “We trust her, not you.”
I roll my eyes at them both. “I promise I won’t put my hands on her unless she wants me to,” I tell them.
“She’ll never fucking touch you,” Luca says angrily.
“She has once or twice. I seem to have lost count of how many times she’s asked me to touch her.” I smirk.
Luca goes to launch at me, but his brother holds him back again. “Don’t, he’s trying to rile you up,” Giorgio tells him.
“I fucking hate him,” Luca spits.
“Feeling’s mutual, Fiorenzo,” I tell him.
“We’re going to win this deal,” Giorgio says, looking me up and down with disdain.
“Don’t count on it,” I argue back.
“Good luck, you’re going to need it. Everyone knows you don’t know what you’re doing. Dario was the leader of this company,” Giorgio states.
That was low, and it takes everything in my power to not let the fists I’m clenching fly. “The difference between my brother and me is I’ll do anything to win. Keep pushing me and you won’t like what I am capable of,” I warn him.
His eyes narrow on me. “Anything happens to our sister, and I’ll fucking kill you, you hear me?”
“Look forward to it.” I smirk.
“Come on, we can’t talk sense into a man like him,” Giorgio says to his brother, then they both leave my office.
I sit back in my chair and shake my head.
“Guess the fact no furniture is broken is a good start,” Martina says, walking back into my office.
“The day is young,” I quip as I hang my head.
“Guess it is. Are you okay?” she asks, looking me over.
I nod. “Yeah, it’s just, you know …” I say.
“The plan has consequences. You’re toying with real people’s lives and that comes with two pissed-off brothers.”
I burst out laughing. “I guess you could say that.”
“I’d expect you to do the same thing if the roles were reversed. They were doing what they thought was best for their sister.”
“You know I wouldn’t harm her, don’t you?” I ask as a frown forms on my face.
“Of course, but there are other ways in which to hurt someone that isn’t physical,” she states.
“She’s stronger than her brothers are giving her credit for,” I mumble quietly.
“Then she’s going to be just fine. You never know, if you pretend for long enough, it might be hard to work out what is real and what is fake.”
I scoff, she is seriously living in Lalaland if she thinks Natalia Fiorenzo and I are going to fall in love and live happily ever after. Maybe happily ever after once one of us knocks off the other.
Martina just smirks and walks out of the office.
Picking up my phone, I text Nico.
Alessandro: I need your help.
Nico: Again?
Alessandro: Fuck you, yes.
Nico: Fine, name it.