Chapter 132

I blush again – already getting sick of myself for doing that – and reach for my wine glass. But then I hesitate because…well, you don’t toast yourself…right? Do you?

God I am…out of my element here.

But before anything official can happen, the action is interrupted by Bianca, who enters the room through a door in the corner, Bella dashing before her and heading right for her seat. Bianca moves quickly, but also half in a daze, her eyes unfocused with a grim set to her lips. Bianca murmurs her apologies for being late and takes her seat next to her husband, who turns to glare at her.

“What,” Romano snaps, looking her up and down as she sits on the edge of her chair, primly putting her napkin in her lap. “Are you all fucked up on those pills again?”

Bianca blinks slowly and then turns to glare at him. “Seriously, Antonio?” she whispers, shaking her head. “In front of your children? Honestly?”

“At least I’m not high in front of them,” he sneers, huffing a sigh and taking a long swig of his wine as the caterers come around the table, beginning to place the first course in front of us. “Those god damn pills, Bi – you’re too fucking high to pay attention, too fucking high to cook anymore. Spend your life half in a coma.”

“It was a stressful day,” Bianca says, her voice tight and clearly trying to pretend its not as she daintily lifts her knife and fork, beginning to cut neatly at the scallop dish in front of her. “And my doctor says I should take my pills as I need them.” She lifts a bite to her lips and takes it, smiling around at the table with her half-lidded eyes, which neatly skip over me as if I’m not here.

I sit still, feeling quite awkward and not knowing what to do.

But Christian lifts his own knife and fork and begins to eat, giving me a nudge with his elbow which indicates that I should do the same. I glance at him and then obey, beginning to eat my dish which is…absolutely delicious. I’m immediately distracted, studying the scallops – the way they look and taste, trying to figure out the seasoning, the method of preparation.

“Can you cook?” Romano bites out, and after a long moment of silence I whip my head up and look around the table to find everyone staring at me.

I blush again, embarrassed to have been caught distracted. And then I frown a little, wondering why everyone in this family is asking me the same questions, as if whether or not I’m pregnant and can cook are the first things everyone needs to know.

“Yes?” I say, more of a question than a response, looking anxiously at Romano. “Yes, I can cook?”

“Iris is an excellent chef,” Nico chimes in from his spot far down the table. I send a surprised glance in his direction. “Christian’s put on ten pounds since she started living with us. Frankie too.” He gestures over his shoulder to where Frankie is standing in the corner, his hands crossed in front of him. I frown to see him there – why on earth wouldn’t they invite him to eat with us?

“Better wife than you then,” Romano murmurs, glancing at Bianca, who takes a sip of her wine and completely ignores him. Romano, much to my chagrin, turns his attention back to me. “Are you even Italian?”

“Leave her alone, dad,” Christian snaps, sending his dad a half-hearted glare as he finishes up the scallops on his plate.

“That’s a no, then,” Romano says with a dark laugh, steepling his hands over his untouched plate, studying me closely. I glance back down at my own plate, unable to hold his gaze but also no longer feeling hungry, even though the seafood looks delicious. “Stripper, bartender, now a cook – what other surprises does your new little wife have in store for us, Cris? Financial secrets gleaned from her ex? We still haven’t gotten to the bottom of those.”

“What are you talking about?” Lorenzo cuts in, his brow furrowing as he looks between his father and Christian.

Romano just waves a hand at Lorenzo like he can’t be bothered to explain.

“Lay off, dad,” Christian bites out, staring hard at his father now, clearly drawing a line now that he’s warning his father not to cross. “Iris has endured enough at your hands, and she’s my wife now. There is going to be a change in the way she’s treated in this family.”

“What?” Lorenzo asks, sitting up straight. “What the fuck did she endure?”

My mouth draws into a thin line as I sit awkwardly at the center of everyone’s attention.

“Fine!” Romano snaps, glaring at Christian and taking another long slug of his wine, clearly ready to get into this. A grin overtakes his face as he turns his head to his youngest son, and the pretty fiancé sitting next to him. “Then let’s talk about another son’s paramour. And her illicit nighttime activities.”

Lucy goes quite still and pale, staring down at her plate, her cutlery going still in her hands. Tony goes rigid next to her.

“What are you talking about?” Tony growls, glaring at his dad now, though the way his skin pales beneath his tan…I think it’s pretty clear that he knows. Tony – he’s a bad liar.

Subtly, I flick my eyes to Romano, wanting to see what he does next. A smirk curves his lips as he leans back in his chair, twirling his wine glass between his fingertips. “You think I don’t know everything that happens in my house, Tony? You think I don’t have cameras everywhere?”

Very slowly Lucy sets her fork and knife down, looking ready to bolt. But she doesn’t say anything and she doesn’t get up.

“That’s right,” Romano growls, “I saw you, little girl. I saw you sneak out of my son’s room and then down to my basement. Saw you let out my prisoner, who I was holding for my own purposes. A prisoner who is now conveniently standing in the corner of my fucking dining room like he wasn’t chained to a table downstairs three nights ago!”

Romano slams his fist hard on the table, making all the cutlery shake as he snaps his gaze over to Frankie in the corner. I jump and clutch hard at my knife and fork, likewise looking at Frankie, who stands perfectly still.

“You shouldn’t have had him down there in the first place!” Christian snaps, dropping his own knife and fork now. “Frank is my employee – has been for years –“

“I wouldn’t have had to, if you hadn’t broken into Bonetti’s house to release your pet –“ Romano points a thick finger at me here.

“Lucy released him on my orders!” Tony shouts, a little frantic, and I spin my head to him because I know that that’s a lie. But the way he presses his mouth together, clenches his teeth – it’s just so obvious how much he wants to be a player in this game and not a pawn.

Romano laughs hard at this statement, turning his eyes to his youngest son with a wicked gleam. “You seriously want me to buy that, Anthony? That you wanted the stronzo released and you sent your future wife to do the job?” He laughs, low and derisive, shaking his head.

Tony pounds the table as Christian and his father did before him. “That’s what happened!”

Romano laughs again, rolling his eyes. “That’s what you get, baby boy, for deciding to marry someone who’s already fucked the help. Sloppy seconds indeed.”

Lucy blushes absolutely scarlet here, hanging her head, her hands gripped hard around her knife and fork. My mouth drops open as I look between her and Frankie, confirming what’s been said before. That the two of them have a history – a serious one – and that everyone knows about it.

And that Lucy, if she’s moved enough to defy Romano to help her ex? Might not be over it.

“You’re both fucking idiots,” Romano snaps, drawing my attention immediately back to the table as he glares between his two sons.