Page 127 of 7+Us Makes Nine

Ignoring him, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, ready to try calling Arianna again for the umpteenth time. I’d been desperate for her to answer the phone for hours, but never more desperate than I felt at that moment.

Please answer, please answer, please answer, I chanted to my head. Never in my life had I been so disappointed to hear a voice mail message.

I hung my head. “I don’t know…”

“You don’t know what?” Dad said.

“I don’t know why she isn’t accepting my calls.” Feeling an oncoming headache, I rubbed my forehead and ran an exasperated hand through my hair. I then swore under my breath. My father’s gaze was burning a hole through my face. “I swear everything was fine between us the last time we were together. I mean—I saw her briefly last night, but before I could get to her, she left. She looked angry, but she didn’t even know I was there, so she couldn’t have been angry with me.”

“There must have been something you did.”

“No, there isn’t!” I said, losing my temper and slamming my hand on his desk. “She’s…She’s crazy, that’s what she is! She keeps getting pissed at me for no reason! I didn’t do a goddamned thing to her!”

Dad snarled. “You screwed up somewhere along the lines, Giovanni, because that’s just what you do. That’s what you’ve always done. You want to know why I haven’t given you a higher position in the family business? Well, there you have it! It’s because you are and have always been a colossal screw-up! And if you don’t fix things up with Arianna, then you can see your way out of this family for good. I will not tolerate you always messing things up for me!”

“W-What did you just say to me?” I asked, my voice so low that I had practically whispered.

“You heard what I said. This is officially your last chance, Giovanni. You fix whatever is going on with Arianna and get this engagement turned back on, or you can quit calling yourself a Romano.”

I stared back at my father, into those eyes that were so like my own. Never before had I felt such hatred toward the man. Never before had I doubted whether he even loved me. I’d always had a feeling that he sometimes didn’t like me, and I knew that he was far harder on me than he had ever been on any of my brothers. But I had always chalked it up to the fact that I was the oldest. I figured that deep down, he was the toughest on me because he ultimately planned on leaving me with the family business and wanted to ensure that I was responsible enough for it. And I’d always wanted to believe that this was all because he loved me. But now, all of that had changed because I finally knew how he really felt about me.

I stepped back, unable to stand to look into his face for another second. As far as I was concerned, he was no longer a father of mine. A real father cared more about his children than his money, and that couldn’t be said in the slightest for Luca Romano, at least not when it came to me. Luca Romano was the devil from what I could tell. And if he could denounce me so easily from the family without bothering to take my side of the story into consideration—to so easily believe the words of strangers over his own flesh and blood—then so be it. I was done with him.

And if I could help myself, I was done with Arianna Marino and her two-faced ways as well. Never mind that she had been the first girl that I’d ever truly felt something for. Clearly, she was an unstable, conniving little bitch who liked to toy with people’s emotions. The innocent and pure stuff was probably just an act that she had mastered for the sole purpose of wreaking havoc on the lives of unsuspecting men like myself. Sure, I had played the field as far as women were concerned, but never had I done anything as tactless as this.

Arianna had just taken it to a whole new level.

I slammed the door to my father’s office, hoping to break every window in the building with the force of it. I got into my car and sped off, feeling as if I could go the rest of my life without ever seeing that man again.

CHAPTER 19

Arianna

“Honey, I’m going to the store. Do you need anything?” Mama asked.

Sitting at the kitchen table in front of a soggy bowl of cereal, I shook my head.

She stood before me, frowning. “Do you have any plans for the night?”

I shook my head again.

She sighed. “Ari, I know you’re upset, but it’s going to be all right. For the record, your father and I are sorry. We honestly thought Giovanni would be good for you.”

I blinked. “I don’t blame you or Daddy, Mama. The only person to blame is Giovanni.” And myself, for not seeing through his charade…

She came to my side, wrapped her arm around me, and kissed my forehead. “Regardless, of who’s to blame, I don’t want you to keep moping around, honey. You’re just going to make yourself feel worse. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, even things like this. So, don’t be too hard on yourself. What you’re going through now just means something better is in store for you and our family, all right?”

I stared at the soggy cereal in front of me, and the swirls of cinnamon floating through the milk. I then picked up a spoonful and let it splash back down into the bowl.

Mama shook my shoulder. “Are you listening to me?”

“Yes, Mama. I’ll…I’ll try to move on from this.”

“Okay. Good girl.”

* * *

I found myself home alone again when the doorbell rang. I sat up on the couch, where I had been lying all afternoon, idly flipping through the channels in search of television programming that I didn’t have the focus to concentrate on.

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