Page 73 of Christmas with the Mafia
“Nico makes a good point, but before we vote on that, is there anyone else who would be willing to marry Desiree and therefore step up as Vito’s successor at Vitoben?”
I find Julius and watch with interest because, for some reason, he is showing more than just a passing interest in Desiree.
His expression is inscrutable, and Simeon is the first to declare his intentions.
“No. I am happy with my current position.”
Joseph quickly adds, “I have more than enough to deal with in London. We are at a crucial stage in our development there, and walking away from that would harm our position.”
I must hand it to my younger brother; he learns quickly, and my father’s small smile tells me he knows it too.
All eyes turn to Julius, who has watched and remained silent, and then he shakes his head slowly.
“My interest in your daughter does not include marriage to her.”
“Your interest?”
Vito puffs hard on his cigar, probably to steady his nerves at a meeting that is not working out well for him.
“I have information from an impeccable source that Desiree is planning her future in a very different way.”
“What are you talking about?”
Vito’s jaw drops, and my father’s attention is now firmly focused on his most devious son.
“The Rossis.”
Just dropping the name into the conversation is enough to blow this meeting apart because Flavio Rossi is the heir to a rival mafia family with designs on our empire. We have long known about that, and yet he is nowhere near powerful enough to challenge us—yet.
My father’s tone is ominous as he growls, “What do you know?”
“She has met with him on several occasions whilepretending to be at the spa. They meet and spend the day together; some say they are lovers.”
Vito’s rage is immediate, and he grinds the cigar into the ashtray and yells, “What the fuck? Who told you this?”
“Calm down, Vito, Julius has it under control.”
My father reassures him, and as we turn to Julius, his eyes gleam with adrenaline. He loves this shit, and I’m not surprised that he discovered this at all.
“My intention was to get close to her to see what she might let slip. With your permission, sir.”
He addresses Vito with respect, which appears to calm him a little, and he nods.
“You have my permission.”
As this new knowledge is digested, I breathe a sigh of relief, my brother’s words coming back to me. ‘You owe me one.’
I definitely do because there is no way now my father would entertain that woman as part of our family and Vito has no other choice but to agree to our terms because if Flavio Rossi gets his hands on his business, Vito would undoubtedly be sent to an early grave and it wouldn’t be long before his daughter joined him.
Thirty-Seven
REGINA
All I wantfor Christmas is Nico, apparently, because the more time I spend with him, the more this doesn’t feel as if we are playing anymore.
I’m shocked how quickly this has moved on, and am in danger of developing serious feelings for the man, and unsure what to do about that.
Is this all pretense? Are we engaged for real or, when the New Year dawns and he is off the hook with his family, will he ditch me as fast as he picked me off the red carpet?
