Page 43 of Let Vengeance Be Mine

“Oh, yeah, and how can you be so sure?”

“Because the whole plan was her idea. She came up with it on the day of the wedding.” He scratches his neck, nervously.

“That was over a month ago.” I rip open the envelope and read the invitation.

“She called your mom yesterday when she found out you were coming home and Vivian put her plan into action.”

“So, Stevan Fucchini is just expected to come up to my mother’s home, the wife of his rival and grandmother of the child he murdered?” I lower my voice into a harsh whisper for that last part. Aria doesn’t know about what her father did, and I’ve decided that she never will. I may have taken her away from him, but I will give her the privilege of at least believing the man, who created her, isn’t a monster.

“That is yet to be determined. The invitations only went out this morning. I guess if he believes you have his daughter he will attend out of curiosity.”

“I don’t fucking like this at all,” I growl, scrubbing my face as the anxieties build up inside me. “Having him, and her, in the same room is too much of a risk.”

“We will have enough security, Fucchini is coming onto our territory. Aria will be safe. This is what she wants, Matteo. Your plan for vengeance on the man failed when you fell in love with her, now all you can do is find some kind of resolution moving forward.” He shrugs, with that told-you-so look on his face.

“And when is this party?” I glance over the invitation and see for myself that it's next Friday. “Do you think we can keep her here, safe until then, what if he plans to attack here, to get her?”

“Like I said, our security is tight, you saw how many guards there are out there. Fucchini is inourtown, I’ve had him watched, he only has one man with him,” he assures me.

“Reply. Tell Mother we’ll be there.” I fling the invitation back at the table and march out my office, trying to tamp down my anger before seeking out my wife.

I find her resting on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table, an iced tea in her hand and a guilty look on her face when I stand in front of her.

“I’m guessing you've spoken to your mother.” She goes to reach forward so she can place her glass on the table but her huge stomach makes it a struggle. Despite being mad at her, I take it from her hands and do it for her, then resting my ass on the surface beside it I wait for her explanation.

“What were you thinking? Do you know how dangerous it could be?”

“I was thinking that all this hiding has to come to an end. You can offer him something he wants, he’s always used me for power before.”

I scrub my hand over my face and pray to a higher power for strength, this girl has no idea how complicated all this is. “Matteo, make an alliance, it’s the only way for us to have a normal life.”

“You hate my mom.” I shake my head, ignoring what she’s asking of me, and wondering when the two of them conspired their little plan.

“Correction, your mother hatesme. But she also believes we met in the same way we will tell my father we did. She agrees that an alliance is the only way forward.” She smiles, as she slouches back on the couch, and I take a seat beside her, rolling up the tee she’s wearing to reveal her stomach. It seems weird seeing her with so many clothes on here, she’s practically lived in a bikini while we’ve been on the island. I rub my hand in big circles that span over her huge, swollen belly and focus on what's important.

Aria has no idea how deep her father’s hatred for me is, he wanted me dead, and I have no doubt that his failure has made him any less determined to get the job done. Maybe seeing that I make his daughter happy will change his mind, but there's nothing in this world that will have me forgiving him for what I lost as a result of his efforts.

“I don’t want you to worry about any of this. I just want you to focus on resting.”

I’m mad at her, crazy fucking mad in fact, but I can’t let that show. Everything has been going so smoothly with this pregnancy, up till now. I won’t fail at the final hurdle.

“So, we’re going to the party?” Aria bites her lip to try to hold off her smile.

“We’re going to the party, But, you are going to be at my side all night. I won’t let you out of my sight.”

“That's a promise I can make.” She smiles before she kisses me.

ARIA

“Mrs Romano, what a nice surprise.” I somehow manage to scramble up off my back and onto my knees when Matteo’s mom waltzes unexpectedly into the living room.

“What on earth are you doing?” She studies the yoga mat I was laid on, with a snarl on her lips.

“Oh, this? It’s just a little yoga. It will, apparently, help with the birthing side of things, though I’m not sure what aids having to push a six-pound baby out of your…” I stop myself from rambling when the disgust on her face tells me I’m over-sharing.

“Drugs, dear.” She clears her throat before lighting up a cigarette, and despite me knowing that Matteo would be mad at her for it, I keep my mouth shut. We may have agreed that her party tomorrow night is a good idea, but the woman still detests me.

“Matteo has a few meetings he had to attend, is there something I can help you with?” I use the armchair to help me struggle back onto my feet. I’m so big these days that even doing the minimalist tasks feel like a huge effort. I can’t even imagine our baby having three weeks of growing time left. Vivian shows no sympathy in my discomfort, as I blow out a breath and waddle my way over to the couch.

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