Page 21 of His to Honor

“So what’s the matter?” I ask as I sit next to her on the cream leather sofa in the living room I dragged her into.

“I had a visitor. He came to tell me he intends to marry me.”

“Who is he?”

“You won’t believe it.”

I almost roll my eyes. Clearly the grand reveal is going to shock me, otherwise Livvy would have just told me who her visitor was.

“Try me,” I say tightly.

“Piotr Reznov.”

My jaw drops. Now I’m doubly glad I didn’t lash out at her. What she needs right now is sympathy. Piotr Reznov, second in command of one of the most powerful Bratva organizations in the world, is terrifyingly unemotional.

I’ve only seen him a handful of times, but each left an indelible impression on me. I don’t think he ever smiles, or frowns, or blinks, for that matter. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration, but he is the most unreadable person I’ve ever encountered. When he casts his icy gaze over you, he could equally be thinking he’d like to fuck you or that he wants to gut you and set fire to your remains.

“No wonder you freaked out.” I get up and head over to the small cabinet in the corner by the window, which I hope holds some sort of alcohol. I open the door and hit the jackpot. There are several bottles in here, including a Scotch my dad drinks when he needs some stress relief. Grabbing it and a couple of glasses, I head back to Livvy. “Piotr Reznov isn’t my idea of the perfect husband either.”

“Oh, it’s not him.” Livvy wipes the last tears from her eyes as I pour a glass of the Glenlivet whisky and hand it to her. “I told him where to shove his shitty proposal and threw him out of the house.”

“You did?” I can’t keep the surprise out of my voice. I wouldn’t dare look the man in the eye, never mind order him to leave, but I guess growing up as a mafia princess has given Livvy more of a backbone than I realized.

“Yeah, I mean, he’ll be back, but I can handle him.”

“Right.” I pour myself a glass of whisky. “Why are you so upset, then?”

“After he left, I called Antonio to tell him what happened. It turns out he not only knew Piotr was coming to see me, he encouraged him to pursue me.”

To give myself time to absorb that information, I sip my drink. It’s like swallowing liquid fire, but I manage not to splutter.

“I guess that makes sense,” I say when I feel like I can speak without coughing. “Merging two powerful families is good business.”

“Piotr’s uncle is still Pakhan, and he’s marrying my mother, so the families are already merging.” Livvy sighs and then knocks back her whisky like a seasoned drinker. She holds her glass out for me to fill and I top it up. “You know, I wouldn’t care if Antonio was proposing the match for business purposes.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“No, I mean, I’d still reject the idea, but at least I’d feel like I had some worth if our family had something to gain from it.”

“You feel worthless?” I can’t believe that’s what Livvy’s saying. She’s always seemed supremely confident, obnoxiously so at times.

“My family wants me gone, Antonio especially. He laid it out clearly. I’m too much hassle. He’d give me to the devil if it meant he didn’t have to put up with me anymore.”

“Shit.” I don’t know what else to say to her.

“It’s okay.” Livvy smiles grimly. “You know, I’ve always envied you, Giulia.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I mean, you used to hang out with Matteo all the time. You were allowed to come on holiday with us. I couldn’t even speak to a boy without my brothers giving me shit.”

“They’re protective.” I don’t know why I feel the need to defend them when I think their behavior is over the top. “It shows they care.”

“Yeah, but you can care about someone without suffocating them.” Livvy drains her glass and snatches the bottle from the coffee table to refill it. She shakes her hand. “You wouldn’t understand. You’ve always been free to make your own choices.”

A loud snort escapes me at that. “Really? You think I chose to marry Johnny Lombardi?”

“Oh, shit.” Livvy puts her hand on my knee, realizing she fucked up, but I’m not done yet.

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