Page 39 of Conall's Reign

I smirked. “You need to be more specific.”

Theo leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Fine. Tell me everything—the drama, the tension, the details that will make Conall’s ears burn if he ever finds out we talked about them.”

I laughed as I reached for one of the candles we had just arranged. “Alright, but you’d better be prepared. This might take a while.” There’s no way I would be stingy with my bestie. She deserved to hear everything. “First of all, he’s …”

The opening of the door interrupted my words just as I was about to tell her how dominant he was in the bedroom.

“Your brother, Mrs. O’Kelly. I’ll be right outside,” he said, giving me a respectful nod before closing the door again.

Angelo appeared to have had a rough day. His hair was disheveled, and his tie was askew. “I’m sorry.” He rubbed his hand over his mouth. “I know you didn’t want this.”

I frowned. Technically, that was true, but he made it seem like Conall was at fault. The blood oath signed by our fathers had been the culprit here, not Conall. I glanced down at my lap. Although, he hadn’t given me much of a choice.

I straightened in my seat, my fingers tightening around the candle in my lap as I met Angelo’s gaze. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Angelo exhaled, rolling his shoulders as if he were trying to shake off something heavy. “I mean, I know this wasn’t your choice. Not entirely.”

Theo made a noise from the couch, shifting to sit cross-legged. “Oh, here we go. Let’s hear all about Angelo’s opinion on this farce. Big, bad mafia men and their arranged marriages. How romantic!” she drawled.

Angelo’s eyes shifted to her, and her eyes narrowed in anger, but I didn’t miss the flush rising to her cheeks.

I sighed and set the candle on the table. I wasn’t sure I was in the mood to field banter between the two of them.

“It’s not that simple, Angelo. I’d prefer if you didn’t make it sound like Conall is some villain in all this.”

Angelo hesitated before taking the chair opposite me, rubbing his hand across his face. “I’m not saying he is. I know my friend. I know he wouldn’t do something he thought you couldn’t truly handle. But I also understand what this life requires of us.”

I crossed my arms. “And you think I don’t?” Angelo had no idea what I could handle, and the thought made a laugh bubble up inside me.

His jaw ticked, but he nodded. To my surprise, he said, “I think you do. I believe you always have. However, I also think you deserve to hear from someone who isn’t Conall that if you ever feel this isn’t right for you, there are people who will support you. Remo and I would be there for you.”

I wasn’t sure what Angelo believed he or Remo could do to free me from my marriage to Conall, but I appreciated the sentiment and clasped my hand over his.

Theo let out a low whistle. “Well, well. Didn’t expect the knight-in-shining-Armani routine from you, Angelo.” Her words were tinged with sarcasm, which he clearly caught as his gaze snapped to her and lingered. Theo didn’t look away, but I didn’t expect her to. She’d bait my brother until he gave up. Lately, it seemed to be her favorite game.

I blinked, glancing between them before shaking my head. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t need an escape plan. Conall and I may not have started this in the most traditional way, but I can take care of myself.

Angelo studied me for a moment before nodding. “Conall mentioned that contract you insisted on to me. I’m proud of you. That was a good idea.” He leaned back, his expression turning into something unreadable.

Theo made a show of stretching, her tutu billowing around her. “Wow, Angelo, so mysterious. Are you always this charming, or is this just for us?

Angelo’s lips quirked — the first true hint of amusement I had seen from him since he walked in. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Theo’s grin widened, and I suddenly sensed I was witnessing something I had overlooked. Maybe now that they knew they were paired off, they felt free to flirt. But before I could press, Angelo stood, smoothing his tie as if realizing for the first time that it was askew.

“Not interested, Don Santelli,” she sniffed.

Angelo flushed angrily but kept his eyes on me, not responding to her barb. Theo had been hell-bent on antagonizing Angelo since we were preteens. Every chance she got, she poked at him. I was surprised that he tolerated it. When she wrecked that Ferrari the night of my eighteenth birthday party, I was sure that he’d murder her right then and there. Somehow, she was still breathing, and she was still pushing.

Clearing my throat, I attempted to steer the conversation away from the tension between the two of them. “You inspired me to do the contract.” His eyes swung to me.

“Really,sorella?”

“That’s right.” My lips tipped up in a smile. “I made sure that I got my own contract that was in my interests, ensuring I have options. I might be locked in due to the blood oath, but I’m not stupid. You taught me better than that.” I offered him a gentle smile. Angelo deserved all the credit for that.

“That was clever. I’m glad you got him to agree to your terms,sorella. I just wanted to check in with you. Conall told me about the attack at the hospital, and I wanted to see how you were holding up.” His eyes lingered on the scarf at my throat for a moment. “Conall mentioned that you think it was just a random patient?”

“That’s right. Just someone random. I’m sure it was nothing, Angelo. People get cranky when they’re hurt. You know how it is.” Playing dumb was tough, especially since I knew my brother wasn’t buying it. He squinted at me but nodded before glancing at Theo.

---