Page 46 of The Last Vendetta

“You never cared about him to grieve him.”

Tilting her head to the side, she seemed to almost smile. Like I was amusing her. “And you did?”

I gawked, stunned that she’d be so… cavalier about this. “Are you trying to say I’ve been acting unusual about his death?”

“Your father’s death is something none of us can change.”

What? Obviously, we couldn’t. He wouldn’t be coming back from the dead. While her cool wording suggested that she’d come to terms with losing him, she seemed too indifferent. I didn’t expect my mother to be sad, and she didn’t look one bit upset. But she was taking this way too calmly.

“However,” she added, causing another twist of dread to knot my stomach, “his death does necessitate our making changes for the future.”

I stared at her, nervous and worried. This heartless woman was always scheming. Always planning. And her goals were always to secure her own best interests, no one else’s.

“Such as?” I lowered my arms, then crossed them again because I needed the comfort of something like a hug. Whatever she would have to say would be bad news. I just knew it.

“You will marry Nickolas Romano.”

Her words were a death knell.

I knew it. Renzo had put the idea—the fear—in my mind. He’d mentioned overhearing Nickolas talking about marrying me now that Father was out of the way.

So many frantic questions filled me as I stared at her.

Did Father not want me to marry Nickolas? Could he have killed him because of that rejection? And what, did my mother want me to marry him and she could go ahead with those plans now?

“Why?”

She smirked, like I was being petulant and silly. “What do you mean, why? Why else?”

I shook my head, refusing to look at her and just accept this punishment.

“We need to secure an alliance with the Romano influence. To gain the support of their wealth and strengthen our Family now that your father is dead.”

“Not like that.” I thought back to Renzo’s accurate description of her. She’d need to heel. She would have to listen to the Romanos. She’d no longer be able to nag and scold the people who controlled the money.

“It’s not your choice to make.”

I glared at her. “Nor is it yours.”

“Oh?”

She was the widow of the former head of the Family, but until all the will stipulations were seen to, she was no more powerful—as a woman—than I was at the moment.

Reminding her of her insignificance in our world wouldn’t change anything. Instead, I tried a different counter. “Uncle Dario thinks that avoiding any marriage arrangements would be smart. At least until we know who killed Father.”

“Dario?” She snorted and rolled her eyes. “He’s not the leader. He’s not the Boss of this Family.”

“But he’s Father’s brother, the de facto man in the Family whom any marital arrangements should come to for his consideration.”

“Dario is weak,” she spat.

“He’s sound of mind,” I argued. “And he’s willing to stand in until we know who our enemies truly are.”

“I know who our enemies are.” She stepped closer, trying to intimidate me but falling short. Literally falling short. I had two inches on her and I wouldn’t be kowtowed.

“Don’t be stupid and think that you have an opportunity or freedom to make your own choices. You have no power in your future.”

“Nor. Do. You.”

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