Page 42 of Broken Princess

Anthony frowns in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," I say, "I know how it sounds, and it's just a feeling, but… things changed when Stefan showed up, and I can't help but wonder if Dad is planning something."

"Planning?" Anthony echoes. "Against the Rossis?"

"Maybe," I say, lowering my voice. "The Carrillos and the Rossis have hated each other for generations. The only reason Dad is willing to form an alliance with them is because they are worse to have as enemies then allies, but he's not happy about it. If he could find an alternative…"

"Then he wouldn't have to get in bed with the enemy," Anthony muses, wincing a moment later. "Sorry, bad metaphor."

I just sigh. "Right. And the Romero family is the only family with the same money, influence, and power as the Rossis."

"So he gets a powerful ally, and the opportunity to fuck over his enemies," Anthony says. "That's quite the proposition for him."

"Exactly. Like I said, it's just a theory, but…"

"It's a pretty fucking good one," says Anthony. "You should learn to trust your gut. Although I hear that comes with motherhood."

"Hopefully," I say with a snort. "But if that's true, it pretty much leaves me in the same boat as before. If I tell Lorenzo the truth, and he calls off the engagement, it could be grounds for a war. And that might play into my father's hands, too."

"I guess," he says doubtfully. "Exactly what does Stefan know about his role in all this?"

"I don't know," I admit. "You've spent more time around him than I have lately."

"You might want to change that, considering he's your fake boyfriend now," Anthony says dryly.

I groan, raking a hand through my hair. "Don't remind me. He's coming over for dinner tonight."

"What do you want to do?"

I pause a moment to consider it. What I want to do is curl up in bed, for a year or so at least, but that isn't an option. "I'm going to figure out what he knows. And if the Romeros are planning anything with my father."

"Sounds like you've got a plan," says Anthony.

"I guess I do," I remark. "Let's hope it doesn't go as disastrously as my plan to run away did."

CHAPTER 20

LORENZO

"Lorenzo?Lorenzo?" Jeff calls in an increasingly impatient tone.

I glance over at my best friend, realizing only now I completely zoned out on... whatever the hell he's been talking about.

"What?"

He scowls. It's hard to blame him, really, and it’s far from the first time I've spaced out lately. I couldn't even keep my thoughts on my classes this past week, so it's a good thing it doesn't matter what I do. All the teachers are too afraid to fail me, and the tests are stupidly easy, anyway.

"Were you listening at all?"

"Not really," I mutter.

He just heaves an exasperated sigh. "Dude. I thought you'd be doing better now that your side chick is back home."

Rage washes through me and I turn on him, ready to snap. My eyes must be blazing because Jeff nearly falls off his chair as he leans back from the table.

"You ever talk about her like that again, you're fucking dead," I seethe, my voice sounding guttural and barely recognizable.

Jeff holds his hands up, looking a few shades paler. "Okay, okay, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

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