Chapter 5
The rest of the day was a busy one for Luigi.
Paulo was at the table with Brooke already. While Paulo had a guarded look about him, his new bride-to-be looked like a nervous wreck. As a maid served them under Lucia’s silent directions, Paulo announced his engagement to Brooke.
Luigi didn’t react to the statement. He kept eating in silence.
Paulo waited until he was certain there was no word coming from him before he decided to push: “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
Luigi looked up from his dish at him. He heard Brooke suck in her breath but didn’t even spare her a glance. “I’m going to be in three or four meetings today,” he said. “You’ll go with me. So be ready at 10.”
Paulo frowned. “What does that have to do with anything I just told you?”
Luigi resumed eating.
Brooke left the table and ran out of the room, crying.
“Look at what you’ve done,” Paulo hissed. He left his meal and went after her.
Luigi finished his meal unperturbed. Before he went up to prepare for his meetings, he conferred with Lucia about preparing for the dinner party and sending out an invitation to the Williams. Upstairs in his study, he texted Donald Silva a few instructions.
Donald was to send out invitations to the dinner party to his caporegimes and their right-hand men. He was also to set up a meeting with some movie agents about some upcoming actors whose performance he wished to secure for the dinner party.
Afterward, he dressed in a dark gray suit for his meetings and went down. Dante had the car waiting by the porch, and Paulo stood by the back door. He opened and held it as Luigi approached.
“Thank you,” Luigi told him and climbed in.
After Paulo got in, Luigi gave Dante three addresses. All three were warehouses flung far apart from each other in different extremes of the city. Luigi personally met with their owners to discuss renting them out for a year.
His next meeting was with the head of his trucking business. There were important deliveries to be made the night of the dinner party. Luigi required the manager to have three drivers free to pick up and deliver the supplies to the warehouses.
Paulo was by his side for each meeting. However, his attendance was not required for the meeting with the movie agent. Luigi was specific about what type of actors he needed and what he wanted them to do.
The last meeting was with a criminal attorney named John Campo, whom he placed on a month-long retainer. Like the penultimate meeting, Paulo’s presence was also not required. He waited in the car with Dante while Luigi met with the lawyer in an art gallery.
By the time he walked out of the museum, it was well past 3 p.m. The trap was now fully set. All that was left was to spring it.
The drive back home was interrupted by a stop at his favorite restaurant for a late lunch. It was during the meal that he talked with Paulo about how he'd first told his parents about Mary and brought her home for dinner with them before asking for their approval.
“It may seem like an outdated practice to you,” he told Paulo, “But my parents were definitely more experienced in matters like that, and they knew more than I did.”
Paulo was silent with a thoughtful frown on his face.
Luigi continued: “Besides, my father knew more about the kind of woman who could be trusted to keep our family business in the family.”
“I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the engagement first,” Paulo said.
Luigi shrugged. “You didn't, and now I have to vet her after you put a ring on her finger.”
“But I already vetted her, dad,” Paulo protested. “And I know she loves me. She'll do anything I tell her to.”
And Camille won't.
“Well, I'll find out on Friday,” Luigi decided.
Paulo's frown deepened. “What's happening on Friday?”
“I'm throwing a party to celebrate your engagement. Your fiancée's family has been invited. Now I'm telling you about it.”
Paulo thought about it for a bit and nodded. “I'm sure you'll like them,” he finally said.
“We shall see,” Luigi declared.
The truth was that he already liked one member of the family, just not in the way his son would expect.