Page 28 of The Vatican
I bet they wereallseeing it.
I no longer knew what the right thing to do was, but I did what I was born to do.
Lead.
“You may go back to your building,” I told her. “But after you’re done visiting with Dante, I expect you to pack a bag until we can move you fully and be home by a reasonable hour.”
Ria didn’t flinch or bat an eyelash, and that’s when I knew I’d lost her.
“Of course,” she replied before turning her back on us all and walking out of the penthouse.
No one said anything for a few moments, before my dad finally said, “I’m sorry, Son.”
And I laughed.
What the fuck could his sorry do for me now?
Chapter 15
Saveria~
Where Vincent was the oldest of us all, and the most level-headed of us three, Dante was the most candid. He didn’t see what wasn’t there, and he didn’t bullshit you. I knew there were a few Benetti Family members who thought he was a bit of a psychopath, but that was because he was eerily absolute. He lacked no fear of consequences, and some people equated that to not having a conscience, and that wasn’t true.
Dante just didn’t do bullshit, and it was unheard of from someone so young, since he’s been that way since he was about thirteen.
After hours of Mica begging, I had gotten a new phone after smashing my old one in front of Vincent the other night. However, I had sent out a group text to the entire family telling them that if they had known about my arranged marriage to Francisco, then don’t bother calling or texting me. I had basically told them all to go to hell. I had received a barrage of various responses, but like a brat, I had deleted them all without reading them.
And, now, here I was, knocking on Dante’s door after sending him a text that I was on my way over.
He opened the door, and it was like looking at a younger version of my dad. He had Mom’s eyes, but everything else was Fiore.
“Come in,” he said, and held the door open to let me pass.
I headed straight for the couch as he went to the kitchen to get us something to drink. That was also his thing. The kid always made refreshments part of the deal.
When he came back into the living room, he handed me a water and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch. He regarded me with that clear gaze of his. “What’s up?”
I ended up telling him everything from the night Geno came over and Dad interrupted up to now. I didn’t mince words, and I didn’t leave out the fights or the nastiness. The nastiness on both my part and Francisco’s as well.
When I was done, he asked, “Who are you most mad at? The adults for arranging it? Us kids for not telling you? Francisco for agreeing to it? Or yourself for not catching it?”
His last question took me aback. “Why would I be mad at myself for not catching it? You guys all kept it a secret.”
He scoffed. “Give me a break, Ria,” he replied. “No one ‘kept’ it a secret from you.” He used finger quotes around the word ‘kept’. “Most of us figured you knew since we knew.”
“How could I know if no one told me?” I retorted.
“No one told us either,” he flung back. “We knew because we paid attention.”
“What are you talking about, Dante?”
“Jesus Christ, Ria,” he chuckled. “Why do you think you were Uncle Luca’s favorite? Why do you think The Holy Trinity included you in things that even Vincent, who is first born out of all of us, wasn’t even privy to? Why do you think you’ve always known more than Angelo, Emilio, and CiraBenetti?What did you think all those perks and privileges were for? It’s obvious to anyone willing to take the time to pay attention that, since you weren’t born a Benetti, and therefore couldn’t rule, they were grooming you for the next best thing. They were grooming you to be Francisco’s wife because what else would you be, Ria?”
I didn’t want his words to be true. I didn’t want to acknowledge that I’d been walking around with blinders all this time because that would imply a certain degree of self-centeredness I never would have considered myself to be.
“Even if all that is true, Dante, he doesn’t love me,” I replied, putting the most serious issue out there in the open.
Dante’s amber eyes bugged out. “Are you kidding me, Ria?” My brows drew down in confusion. “That man has been in love with you damn near his entire life.”
