Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 59304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
“Enough.”
All around us, people grow quiet, sneaking looks at our table. My father rarely raises his voice, but when he does, people listen.
“You’ve already had too much to drink,” he goes on. “It’s time for you to leave.”
Eddy stands, wavering on the spot, then plants his fists on the table and glares at Siena for a moment before looking at me. “Be careful with this civilian.” He turns to my father. “If I were the older brother, the heir, I’d make our Family proud.”
“Leave before I do something I’ll regret,” my father snarls. “Now.”
Eddy swaggers away, swiping another glass from a passing waiter.
Siena stands, her eyes glassy, hands shaking. “I’m… sorry, but I think I’d rather not be here. Do you need me here this evening?”
“Oh, dear,” Mother says. “No, not if you’re sure…”
“I could do with a night off.”
“Go, you’ve earned it.”
Siena walks away, and Mother gestures at me. I don’t need any encouragement.
I hurry after Siena, following her between two tall palm trees. When I catch her hand, she pulls it away.
“I’m fine,” she snaps.
“He had no right to speak to you like that. He’s lucky I don’t—”
“What? Break his jaw? Break every bone in his body? Do something else that’s horribly violent? God, this just feels like a mess… I’m starting to think—” She cuts off.
“What?” I demand.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does.”
“We’re all just pawns to you.”
“Who’s ‘we’?”
“Everyone who wasn’t born into millions or billions or however much you have. Me, the islanders, Veronica, your clients whom you threaten. Edoardo looked at me like I was scum. He called me a civilian, like somehow, because I wasn’t born wealthy, I’m lesser than him. It’s gross.”
I want so badly to tell her she’s wrong.
But isn’t it better she thinks this instead of stumbling upon the truth? I’m not even sure anymore.
“Edoardo is sabotaging me because he can, because, to him, to all of you, we’re just dirt.”
“No,” I say fiercely, taking her by the shoulders, holding her in place so she can’t run. “Never say that; don’t even think it. You’re better than us all, Siena. You’ve fought, hustled, and worked your ass off to get where you are. Because you are driven and ambitious, you’re hard on yourself. And to me, you’re not dirt. You’re… heaven.”
She rolls her eyes. I pull her close, lean down, stare deeply into her honey irises. “I mean it. Call me cheesy. But it’s the truth. You’re better than all of us put together.”
“All I know is, he doesn’t even know me and he hates me, and that you’re hiding secrets. There was a vibe at that table too, like, Why is the help sitting with us? If you needed another reason to steer clear of me, Dario, you’ve got it.”
“That’s literally the opposite of what I want.”
“I just want to be alone for a little while. Please?”
I move in to kiss her, but she turns her face away, my lips colliding with her cheek.
“Please,” she repeats, with a note of desperation in her voice. “If you kiss me, I won’t be able to go. And I want to go.”
I don’t want to let her go when she’s clearly so upset, but I can see the sincerity on her face. This isn’t her usual sarcastic seriousness. This is something else, something real.
“If you need me for anything,” I tell her. “Call me, okay? And I’ll come running like the loyal manservant that I am.”
She doesn’t bite at my joking tone, but offers a small nods then turns away.
I return to find my uncle has returned to the table. I stare coldly at him as I take my seat.
“What?” he grunts.
I say nothing, just keep staring.
“If you keep on with that, we might have a problem,” he snaps.
“You say that like it’s not the only thing I fucking want.”
“Easy,” my father says. “Let’s all just calm down.”
“You’re lucky, Uncle, but your luck won’t last forever if you keep this up. Remove yourself.”
“Wuh-what?” His face has gone red now.
“Remove yourself from this table or I’ll do it for you.”
He hesitates, looking around for support. There are, of course, men loyal to him at the adjacent tables, but they know better than to intervene.
Slowly, he stands. “I prefer drinking alone, anyway.” He takes a few steps, then stares at me. For a second, he turns into the man I knew growing up, with an empathetic expression on his face. “Everything I do, I do for the Family. For you, nephew. For my brother. Remember that.”
I watch him go, fire in my gut.
“He had no right to talk to her like that,” I growl.
My father sighs. “But you have to remember who he is.”
“You’re wrong. He has to remember who I am.”
CHAPTER 23
SIENA
Idon’t get much sleep that night, tossing and turning as I think about the standoff. That word, civilian, makes me feel small and degraded.