Page 18 of Hidden Empire

I feel glances and curious looks as I make my plate, taking a blueberry pancake, a breakfast sausage, and a spoonful of eggs. As I take my first few bites, the table gets louder. People make conversation openly, much more naturally than last night. A bit of the shock from my arrival has worn off, and I’m glad for it.

Uncle Cesar pours an orange juice for me and one for himself, taking a smile as a sign of my thanks. Everyone is just so… nice. I wouldn’t say normal since I can’t think of a single person I know with this much obvious wealth. Not to mention, they’re literally the mafia. They’ve likely killed people before. That fact doesn’t change that this is the safest I’ve ever felt in a room full of people.

“Favorite sibling, pass me your phone. I need to put our contacts in,” Matteo says, leaning toward me in the seat closest to mine.

Unsurprisingly, everyone watches me, observing our interaction closely. I wish they wouldn’t because having eyes on you makes entirely normal things embarrassing. Just like this.

“Um, I don’t have one,” I tell him, setting down my fork. I’m afraid I might drop it loudly without thinking if I don’t.

Matteo’s brows scrunch. “What do you mean?”

My face burns, and I look up from my plate, giving him a shrug. “I don’t have a phone.”

“Why not?”

Armani clears his throat, giving Matteo a look like he’s just asked the dumbest thing imaginable. I don’t want him to feel bad for being curious, and I don’t want to be embarrassed about something I have no control over. So I answer.

“Kim said if I wanted a phone, I had to buy one myself. She wouldn’t let me work to get money to pay for one, and you can’t really get a job without a phone or a car, so I just didn’t. I’ve never had one.”

You can physically feel the mood shifting. I wish I didn’t have to keep ruining the positive atmosphere with boo-hoo stories from my life, but I have a feeling it’s bound to keep happening.

“What did you use for emergencies?” he questions, nose scrunching.

I just shrug.

“Like, what if you needed a ride?” he persists.

“I walked,” I reply carefully. “It’s not like I really went anywhere outside of school. Kim wouldn’t drive me around anyway.”

Something flashes behind his eyes. “You walked… by yourself… without a phone?” The way he draws out the words makes it seem like he’s attempting to compose himself.

“That’s not that abnormal,” I point out. “People do it all the time.”

“People aren’t my little sister,” he retorts, his fists clenching on top of the table.

“Until last night, I wasn’t either,” I whisper sadly.

Silverware crashes into plates, and the sound of a chair scraping against wood screeches through the air. Without saying a word, Armani leaves the table with a clenched jaw and dark eyes. My lips part, and before I can say another thing, Dante is rising to his feet as well.

“I have business to attend to, excuse me.” He rolls up his sleeves and begins to walk away. “Beto! Carlsmio! With me!”

He pauses just before he exits the dining room and takes a deep breath, collecting himself. “And for fuck’s sake, someone get my daughter a cell phone!”

I turn back to Matteo. “Are they mad?”

He shakes his head. “Not at you.”

Uncle Cesar rolls his shoulders and stands, leaving his meal unfinished. “I’ll take care of it.” Turning to Apollo, he asks, “You’ll stay and hold the place down?”

“Nothing better to do,” he sighs.

“That’s the spirit,” Cesar says with a nod. “I’ll return within the hour.”

“I really don’t need a phone,” I reason. “I don’t want you to spend money on me. I—” Not entirely true, but I at least need to protest a small bit, for my pride’s sake. Or what’s left of it anyway.

Cesar blinks at me like he doesn’t understand, and Apollo just smirks. “Better set her up with a card too, Uncle. It seems our newest Moretti isn’t aware that she has money of her own now.”

The older man chuckles at his nephew. “Good idea.”

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