Page 63 of Hired By the Consigliere

I gave a nod as I closed the door behind Luna. I quickly got dressed and finished touching up my hair and makeup before heading downstairs to breakfast with my father. It would be nice to have a little more time to talk with my father before heading home. I hurried downstairs, excited and a little anxious to have more time with him.

I walked into the dining room just as my father took his seat at the head of the table.

“There are only place settings for the two of us.” I looked at him with some confusion. “Are the guys not joining us for breakfast?”

“No,” he said as he motioned for me to take a seat beside him. “You actually just miss them. Something came up with the family and they had to hurry off. It had something to do with the car bomb yesterday and the Romanos. They thought that you would be safer here until they get the situation under control, and I agree.”

“Oh. I hate that they didn't say goodbye first. I'm surprised Enzo didn't want to see me before he left.”

“I told him that I would pass the message along. They were in a hurry because whatever information they came across was time sensitive, so they had to act quickly. I'm sure he'll call you later.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he will.” I forced a smile and tried not to seem too disappointed.

“It shows how much he cares that he would want to keep you so far from danger. On the bright side, this gives us a little more time together.”

“That's true and after breakfast maybe I'll give him a call to make sure everything's okay.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Now, I hope you are hungry because my chef makes the best pastries in all of Italy, and we have a fresh squeezed fruit juice blend that is to die for.”

That sounds wonderful. Thank you. The servers came into the dining room with a picture of fresh squeezed juice and a platter of pastries, yogurt, and fruit.

“This all looks amazing.”

“And it tastes even better. Please, dig in.”

I helped myself to the delicious food in front of me, talking with my father and learning all about each other.

"I know you explained the situation with you and Enzo last night, but I can’t help but ask, are you sure you know him well enough to be marrying him?"

"Of course, I do. And I don't mean to sound rude, but I have been looking out for myself for quite some time now. Ever since mama got sick and I had to take care of her. I dropped out of school so I could work to pay the bills and was forced to grow up quickly."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

"No. You don't know. You've probably never had to scrape by to pay the rent or skip meals just to make sure you'd at least have something to eat the next day."

"If I'd known about you, you would have never wanted for anything. Your mother—"

"Did what she felt was best for me."

"And how was scraping by and dropping out of school best for you?" His voice took on a slight edge that made me defensive.

"She did everything she could to give me a good life."

"No, she didn't. Because I could have given you so much more. She deprived you of that because she was nothing but a vindictive, lying bitch."

I stood from the table so fast that my chair tipped over and landed on the hardwood floor with a crash.

"Do not talk about my mother that way. You have no right."

He rose from his seat, towering over me. "And you have no right to speak to me that way in my home. Now, sit your ass down and apologize."

"I will do no such thing." I met his angry gaze and didn't back down. I couldn't. There was no way I would let anyone, no matter how strong or powerful, question if my mother was a good woman.

The back of his hand lashed out, striking my cheek with so much force that I lost my balance, barely catching myself on the edge of the table.

"Signore.” One of the servants rushed in, looking between us with concern. “Is everything all right?” He looked from my father to me, cradling my cheek in my hand and back again.

"Sì. Everything is fine here. Leave us,” my father commanded.

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