5. Valeria #3
Annetta smiles, her face brightening. “I wondered that too. As far as I—and Dom—know, the party was the first night he’s ever seen or heard of you.
So, I did some poking around. Turns out, his dad is forcing him to pick a bride, and it’s an open secret in New York that Nico hates his dad.
” She leans in. “I heard his dad let him get sent to prison.”
And I thought my parents were shitty. “For what?”
“Homicide. I’m not really sure about the details, but apparently his family’s lawyers talked it down to negligence and a year.
His dad thought prison would teach him a lesson but Nico came out angrier than ever.
Dom thinks Nico got sent here just to get him out of the house—otherwise, his dad and he probably would’ve killed each other. ”
I place my hands flat on the marble island, soaking in the cool touch against my clammy palms. Then he’s doing all this to rebel.
The logic calms me. I’ve been asking myself, why me? Why would a Matassa pick an Aceto? What did I do?
But if Nico’s trying to rebel, I am the best possible choice.
None of this is my fault. My dad fucked up, and now I’m paying the price. All the pieces fit perfectly into place. This is the natural order of the world.
On the one hand, it’s a relief. Nico doesn’t care about me, at least not to the point of being “madly in love”. Escape is narrow, but possible.
On the other hand, if Nico doesn’t care about me, and his dad doesn’t approve of me, then that puts me in a bad position. A dangerous one. His dad could kill me at any point, just to get Nico back on track with a more fitting bride.
Shit.
I am a very loose end.
Annetta continues, “Nico and Don Salvatore don’t get along much better. And Dom told me Don Salvatore’s not happy Nico picked you.”
“The Family doesn’t want me?” Finally, some good news. My mind touches the beginning of a new idea and clings to it.
“You weren’t a popular choice,” she admits.
“Who was?”
Annetta’s eyes light up as we come to the same conclusion. “Marilicia Assi. Giorgia Pasino. We could get Nico to pick one of them?”
Giorgia’s a gorgeous girl with long, glossy black hair and an eye-catching body. She’s also an unrepentant party girl, and I’ve heard people call her “Orgie Giorgie” behind her back.
Marilicia isn’t as pretty, but she’s always smiling and went to U of C like I did. I think she’s getting an English degree.
“Marilicia would make the better wife, but…” I start.
“But it feels mean to set her up with Nico?”
I think of him flipping me over on the mattress and rutting into me. Marilicia seems like the kind of girl to quietly expire at the mere thought. She likes church and reading, and she blushes easily. “Yeah.”
“Giorgia might work. Especially if Nico is trying to rebel.” Annetta fidgets with some crumbs on the kitchen island, deep in thought. “You could introduce them at your engagement dinner. I won’t be there, but it’s at my parents’ house.”
I suddenly regret eating anything at all when my stomach flips. “I didn’t know I’ll be having an engagement dinner.”
“You didn’t?” She scowls in a determined way. “I’ll text you when I get updates in the future, okay? We will get this taken care of. Dom and I were going to go on a camping trip for a few weeks, but I’ll cancel—”
“No. No, it’s okay.” Annetta’s been through enough over the past year. She deserves a vacation, and she’s already helped me plenty. I can work with what I have. “Go on your trip. I’ll go to the engagement dinner and see if I can get Nico to meet up with Giorgia.”
She looks doubtful, but before she can argue, the elevator doors to her penthouse beep.
“Angel, I’m home!” a deep voice booms. “I hope you’re naked and waiting on the dining room table, because I’ve worked up a huge app—” Dom Lombardi, giant and terrifying underboss of the Chicago mob, walks around the corner and stops when he sees me.
He grins, and my whole body tenses in a primal response to the appearance of a threat. “Hey, Val, what’s up?”
I stand. “Nothing. I was just leaving.” I trust that Annetta won’t say anything, but Dom would absolutely spill my plans to Don Salvatore.
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Annetta says.
Dom makes a beeline for the cookies as we walk to her foyer in front of the elevator doors.
“I won’t have service while we’re out camping,” she says. “But I’ll call you as soon as we’re back. Hopefully, Nico takes the bait.”
I think of him with Giorgia, with her perfect body and adventurous tastes. I expect to feel jealousy, but instead, I’m struck with guilt. Giorgia didn’t do anything wrong to deserve this. It’s not fair to condemn another woman to take my place.
None of this is fair. At the very least, if Giorgia had any aspirations to marry well, Nico would be the best choice she could make. He’s well-connected, handsome, and young. The guilt fades. Just because I don’t want him doesn’t mean Giorgia won’t. I could be doing her a favor.
“Thanks,” I say.
Annetta hugs me. “You should visit more often.”
“I will.” And I mean it.
As I descend through the long ride from the penthouse to the ground floor, I get a text from Stefano.
Where are you? I’m taking you to meet with Nico.
My stomach lurches, but I shove down my nerves and leave the elevator with my head held high.
I’m going to make my fiancé reconsider his decision.