Page 60 of The Last Vendetta

I looked at Renzo, and he squeezed my hand. That simple touch comforted me more than he would ever know.

“You do understand that you’re risking the wrath of Marcus Romano, right?” She huffed. “Not only are you trying to renege on the arrangement to marry Nickolas, but you are also interfering with Renzo’s engagement to Cecilia.”

My heart dropped. I blinked, trying not to fall into this zoned-out shock. Renzo and Cecilia? Since when?

An instant spike of pain lanced through me at the thought of another obstacle standing between me and this infuriating and stubborn man.

“He’s arranged to be with her,” she said. “I’ve seen to it that you will marry Nickolas first, but be aware of what you are doing, Giulia.”

I had no clue what I was doing anymore. With Renzo, it was easy. I followed my heart. I obeyed this desire. Until I knew who killed my father and what was at play in the bigger picture of my world, I didn’t know what was what.

“Come home. Now, Giulia.”

“No.” I couldn’t censor my reply. I blurted it without thinking.

“You must. You come home right now.”

“No.”

She growled. “No? You have no right to tell me no.”

After a week of her hiding in her room after Father’s death, she was issuing her command with tenfold intensity.

“If you don’t turn around and come home now, I will send a capo out to retrieve you. Come home, or let our men bring you home.”

I shook my head and pressed the icon to end the call.

“Giulia—”

I sniffled, fighting back the tears that rushed to my eyes. “How could you keep this from me?” Wiggling my fingers loose, I tried to sever his touch.

He wasn’t having that. Turning sharply, he pulled off the road again. I barely had time to brace myself from hitting the dashboard with his abrupt braking.

“I didn’t,” he argued, snatching my hand back again. He put the car into park and turned to face me. The severe concern shining in his eyes arrested me. The desperation in his tone persuaded me to listen.

“This is news to me.”

I shook my head. “Don’t act like I’m stupid, Renzo.”

“You’re not. Which is why it’s so fucking infuriating to even think about being with a timid idiot like Cecilia. You are the intelligent, brave woman I want in my life.” He slid his hand along my jaw, cupping my face. “I wish I could be arranged to marry you. Only you.”

I swallowed, so moved by his risk to voice those sentiments. I felt the same about him, praying and wishing that he and I could be paired up. We meshed. We worked. If not for the stupid rivalry between our Families, we were a perfect fit.

“Giovanni mentioned the possibility of my marrying Cecilia.”

“In other words, it was planned,” I scoffed, still too guarded to be swooning and duped by his former words of something like love.

“No. I asked directly.” He shook his head. “I asked if he’d set it into action and if I was officially arranged to marry her. He said they’d merely mentioned it. As a possibility.”

“Well.” I licked my lips and lowered my gaze.

He tipped my chin up, forcing me to maintain eye contact with his blue stare.

“It seems that something has changed, then. If my mother can say that with such authority?—”

“Authority?” He grunted. “She doesn’t have any fucking authority. No woman in our world has authority. She’s got to be talking about rumors, using it as a way to convince you to run home where she can try to control you and force you to be with Nickolas.”

I furrowed my brow, hating that he might have a point there. She very well could be using it as a tactic to sway me.

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