Page 175 of Monster in Disguise

"And you," I turn towards Enzo. "Don't fall for her baiting."

"I'm not baiting anyone," Bianca insists, her voice dripping with pride and superiority. "I'm simply praising the exceptional skills of my daughter, far superior to those of his son." Adrianlets out an audible groan and leans in to whisper something in Bianca's ear.

"My daughter would never!" she exclaims, scandalized by whatever Adrian has told her. She turns back to Enzo with determination. "Diana would never have a crush on your son." Everyone shares a laugh at this statement, but Bianca remains the only one who seems unsettled by the idea. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Diana did have feelings for Luca—she's always following him around and he doesn't seem to mind it too much.

"What about you? Wouldn't you like to have Enzo as your future son-in-law?" I tease, but the look on Bianca's face tells me I should drop the subject. Especially when she reaches for one of her pistols with a fierce grip.

"Right," I take a deep breath and change the subject. "Claudia's bringing her boyfriend home for the first time. I'd like you all to behave. Especiallyyou, Bianca."

She leans back, her eyebrows shooting up. "Me?"

"Yes, you." I answer drily before continuing. "Just be careful with what you say, okay? This is her first boyfriend, and she's serious about him."

"I can't believe you're even letting her date," Enzo jokes. He's mentioned his views on his daughters dating multiple times in the past, and it's always the same thing—never. Good thing his daughters are still young, one eight and the other six. He'll have time to come around.

"It's not that easy." I sigh. Claudia's almost twenty now, and there's no way I can still tell her what to do.

She had turned out to be a prodigy. She'd aced her GED at fifteen and had subsequently enrolled in college. She graduated last year summa cum laude and is now in her first year of law school. Which is also where she'd met this boyfriend.

My mood sours just thinking about it. When I'd been against her dating, she'd given me an ultimatum for the first time. That's when I realized just how much she cared about this boy she's seeing.

Of course I'd relented. I can't have Claudia be upset with me. Lina likes to joke that there's nothing I would ever deny my daughter, and much as I'd like to deny it, she's right.

From the corner of my eye, I see Lina giving me a thumbs up. I nod at her in acknowledgement before turning to the guests.

"Someone needs to round the kids up. The steak will be here soon," I say at the same time that someone knocks at the door.

Shit! They're here.

"Behave, okay?" I repeat before going to open the door.

Claudia's face beams as she sees me, and she jumps into my arms.

"Papa!" She wraps her arms around my neck, holding me tight. I close my eyes and relish the feeling. It hadn't been easy to tell her I was her father, and it had taken her quite some time to get used to calling me papa. But the first time I'd heard the word come out of her mouth, I think I wept.

Lina certainly says I did.

"Welcome home!" I say, and she steps back to introduce me to her boyfriend.

I'd said boy? Well, he was definitelynota boy.

"Meet Sterling, my boyfriend," she happily makes the introductions. I hold out my hand for a tight shake. I reluctantly have to admit that his grip is no joke.

Around the same height as me, Sterling is packing. And by that I mean he is either a bodybuilder or a gym fanatic. Claudia looks tiny next to him. Suddenly my fatherly instincts kick into full gear, and I have to will myself to knock it down a notch so I don't embarrass Claudia.

"Pleased to meet you," I grit my teeth.

"It's great to finally meet you, Mr. Lastra. Claudia has told me a lot about you. You are her role model." And he's polite. Now I can't quite hate him as much, and it's driving me crazy.

I smile and show them to the dining room.

Everyone is already seated, and thankfully the conversation is normal.

Claudia and Sterling make their way to the end of the table.

Just in time, Lina shows up with the last batch of steak. Placing it on the table, she takes a seat next to me. I give her a quick kiss.

"Ew!" Leo, our youngest, makes a face of disgust. His twin, Mateo, joins in and they immediately start chattering away and disrupting the atmosphere.

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