Page 100 of Mafia Kings: Valentino

“What doyouread?” Isabella asked cheerfully.

“…um…Men’s Fitness,I guess. Sometimes.”

Isabella frowned. “What’s that?”

“A magazine about getting ripped.”

“…ripped?”

“You know. Bigger muscles.”

“Oh.” She looked puzzled. “But whatbooksdo you read?”

I chuckled. “I haven’t read a book since I left school.”

Isabella looked momentarily horrified – then she brightened. “Oh – so you finished university.”

“No, I didn’t go.”

Her eyes widened. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“So you haven’t read a book in – fouryears?”

“…uh… yeah.”

“…I see,” she murmured.

“No need to read books if you’re out in therealworld,” Vicari said through a mouthful of food.

Isabella looked down at her lap.

I immediately wanted to come to her defense –

But it was kind of hard to do when I hadn’t read a single book since high school.

We mostly ate in silence after that.

33

The awkwardness continued after dinner.

Don Vicari told us he had business to attend to, but he apparently remembered what I’d said to his daughter earlier.

“You two should get to know each other better,” he said.

I already knew Isabella well enough to realize this was going to be the worst arranged marriage of all time. I didn’t need to get to know her any better.

I just wanted to call Niccolo and bitch him out for ruining my life.

But I didn’t have that option, seeing as Don Vicari had my phone.

“Isabella, show him around the property,” he ordered – then added, “Chaperoned, of course.”

“Yes, Papa,” she replied timidly.

By ‘chaperoned,’ I assumed somebody would watch us from a distance.

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