Page 76 of Enzo
“It did almost look like her knee gave out when she lost her balance,” Enzo amended. Penelope shot him a pointed look and he shrugged. “I’m sorry,mia anima. If it was my kid, I’d want honesty.”
Pen pouted. “She said she’d disown me.”
“You didn’t spill the beans, I did. Your papà will tell her so.”
My daughter nodded in relief, and a part of me wanted to shake some sense into her. She was supposed to make this guyworkfor her trust! Hadn’t I taught her anything?
“I’ll go check on her.” Penelope got up, put her untouched glass on the desk, and slipped out the door in search of her sister.
The moment it shut behind her, I pinned the bane of my existence with a death glare which he met with a raised eyebrow.Dammit.
“Any other questions, Luca?”
“You’re awfully cocky. It must be a family trait.”
“And you’re terribly annoying, which isn’t a family trait, considering none of the other DiMauros possess it.”
“Was that sarcasm?”
“I don’t know. Was it?” he asked as he sipped from his glass, his bored expression briefly hidden.
“I don’t like you.” It was a fucking lie. The asshole was slowly growing on me. “I don’t like that my daughter is your wife. I don’t like that she’s living with you in that cottage rather than under my roof.”
He brushed a nonexistent piece of lint off his pants. “I won’t take that personally.”
“You should.”
“No, I really shouldn’t, considering you would dislike any man your daughter brought home.”
“But she didn’t bring you home, did she?”
“With all due respect, Luca, Penelope is mine, and nothing you do or say will ever change that. I’ll never give her up. However, it would be prudent of you to notice that it wasn’t me who set this arrangement up. It was you and my father.”
This fucker must have a death wish—one I’d be happy to grant for him.
Your daughter won’t forgive you,my mind whispered.
Enzo just stared at me for a moment, then smiled, like he knew what I was thinking.
“Penelope and I were innocent bystanders,” he continued. “I honestly don’t give a shit whether my father initiated the business deal you two thought to achieve with this marriage arrangement, or you did. Pen and I have come to terms with it, we’re getting to know each other, and we’ll make this marriage work for us. Neither you nor anyone else will stand in our way.Capisce?”
I had the awful feeling that I was doomed and both my wife and my daughter were going to laugh their asses off as they watched me go down.
I needed another drink.
“By the way, father-in-law,” Enzo said, all serious-like. “I want to offer any help you might need with running your business, legitimate and otherwise.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why would I need help?”
“You want to spend more time with Amara.” Well, shit. No use pretending otherwise. It killed me missing even a second with her. “Damiano and Armani are still teenagers,” he added. “They’d help, but let’s be real—they’d need a babysitter more than they’d ever qualify ashelp. Penelope and I can step in.”
He was reasonableandgenerous.Fantastic. I stood no chance in this arrangement from the get-go; I was just too blind to see it.
I studied my son-in-law with begrudging respect, considering his offer.
Was I really about to take help from my supposed archnemesis? Apparently so. Maybe I was turning soft. Or, more likely, I was tired.
Hell, I might even like my son-in-law.
