Page 18 of Vicious Heir

I nod and thank her as Enzo starts to walk toward the great room. Before we can make it there, Antonio walks out and heads down the hallway in the opposite direction with Giana Amato. Her red dress clings to her skin as they walk quickly, Dante not far behind them. Neither of the three saw us, but I can tell something is going on just from the nature of the way they’ve left the room. Something is definitely up.

Earlier today, Enzo told me that Dante, heir to the DeSantis throne and a capo for our family, and Giana, a woman who should’ve been his sworn enemy, somehow got together. It’s a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story if I’ve ever heard one. The daughter of one family and the son of the other, both bitter rivals, getting together and finding each other in our dark world.

I’m happy to finally see Giana outside of work and let her in on the secret I’ve been keeping—that I know who she is. That I am who I am.

Not many of the DeSantis men have girlfriends or wives yet, and I’m excited to spend more time with Giana. She’s a good woman, despite who she was born to. I have Roxy, and I’m so thankful for her, but it’ll be nice to have someone inside the life to talk to, too.

For however much longer I have to deal with Enzo, that is.

One of the servers stops us to hand deliver our wine and whiskey, and by the time we find the smaller room that Antonio, Giana, and Dante went into, Antonio is already coming out.

He exits the room just as we approach, his tall frame and muscular arms so much like his father, Dante. He’s his spitting image, with dark hair and even darker eyes.

“Hey, guys,” he says, his mouth turned downward. “Fucking hell. Great way to welcome Giana into our home, yeah?”

“What do you mean?” Enzo asks as he grabs ahold of my hand with his free hand, the other clutching his whiskey glass.

Even holding his hand feels dirty to me.

I glance down to where my long-sleeved dress covers my fresh tattoo, and I remember the high of the needle grazing my skin.

Antonio scrubs a hand over his face and shakes his head. “To put it quickly, Lorenzo is drunk off his ass. He came into the great room spewing shit about Dad’s new girlfriend, Giana. Said she’s the cartel’s leftovers and Amato trash.”

He grimaces at the same time I do, but Enzo’s face remains stoic as he shrugs. How can he possibly think nothing of that? Of speaking to women that way? And how did I miss the signs that the man I married is a total idiot?Jesus.

“Might wanna be a bit more sympathetic when you go in and see Dad,” Antonio continues. “He punched the shit outta Lorenzo.”

Holy shit.

Antonio nods at me and steps around us. I don’t miss how he doesn’t clap Enzo on the shoulder or shake his hand. He usually does, but something tells me the way he acted just rubbed Antonio the wrong way, too.

I step into the room first and search the space for Giana. I’m sure she’s devastated. Having your new man’s brother embarrass you in front of a room full of his family members isn’t the most ideal way to meet the family. Instead of seeing a crying Giana, I see a Giana who is wrapped up in Dante’s arms. I glance at Enzo and then back to the couple just in time to see Dante take Giana’s butt into his hands and squeeze.

Enzo immediately clears his throat, and both Dante and Giana turn to look at us. Enzo raises his glass at them, and I smile as Dante apologizes.

“Evelina?” Giana questions, her wide eyes searching mine like she can’t believe I’m standing here.

I smile and nod as I tuck my hair behind my ears and take her in. Her red dress is to freaking die for, and she’s got her dark locks pulled away from her face. She grins at me, and I close the distance between us.

“I couldn’t wait to come to dinner once Enzo told me about you and Dante. I can’t believe it. It’s crazy, isn’t it?” I say as I pull her in for a hug.

“I had no idea…” she slowly says. “Dante, why didn’t you tell me?”

Dante just mumbles something about wanting it to be a surprise once he realized Child Meets Book is run out of the bookstore. I’m fairly certain Enzo didn’t tell the rest of the family about Giana volunteering at the shop, and I wonder if it’s going to get him into trouble.

“Well, yeah. It’s definitely not something that comes up in volunteer interviews or shop talk,” I say with a laugh. “But I’m so glad I’ll be seeing more of you. You’re so good with the kids, and now we have an excuse to get together for coffee and complain about these guys.

“It was all by design, you know. You came in to interview for the volunteer position, and when I ran your background, I immediately told Enzo about you. He agreed to allow it only if I kept you at an arm’s length. I had a good feeling about you, despite who your father is. Plus, my shop is a no-mafia zone. As much as they want to be involved, it’s on neutral territory, and it was mine before I was part of the life, and I like it that way.”

I motion to both Dante and Enzo.

“Giana, speaking of, this is my husband, Enzo.” I smile up at my shitty husband as Giana’s eyes meet his.

I swear I see something cross her features, but I can’t decipher what it is.

Enzo reaches out and shakes Giana’s hand. Giana nods and smiles at him, and he gives her his best flashy smile. The same one he gives me.

Our men go off, and I hear Enzo ask about Lorenzo. I’m grateful for the moment alone with Giana.

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