Chapter 133

“Antonio,” Bianca sighs, her shoulders slumping just slightly as she utters her single word of protest.

Romano completely ignores her, glaring at both Christian and Tony. “Both of you. Fucking idiots. Don’t you fucking get it? This family – it requires strong wives to bear strong children, not weak, pretty little whores whose only proper position is to warm your bed –“

“Enough,” Christian growls, standing up so suddenly and hard that his chair falls back behind him. He thrusts out a hand towards me, clearly indicating that I should take it and stand by his side. But I’m sitting still with shock, staring at my new father-in-law, completely ensnared by his rage.

“Lorenzo!” Romano continues, swept away in his anger now as he tosses a hand towards his eldest son, “is the only one of you who has given any real thought to his duty to this family and married a proper bride!”

Giana straightens her shoulders and does her best not to look proud at this. She fails completely.

“A woman who bears him three beautiful children, who is obedient, who understands that her place is not to work in a fucking bar but to make a home! A woman raised in tradition, who knows the importance of raising her children in it as well!?”

Romano slams his hand down again, sitting back in his chair, glaring hard around at all of us. Lorenzo, I see, reaches out and puts a proud hand on his wife’s knee.

Romano’s eyes land last on Bianca, at whom he sneers. “Lorenzo married a woman like his mother, my first wife.” Slowly he shakes his head, hate all over his face. “She never should have died. Then maybe my younger sons wouldn’t have been such weak…disappointments.”

Bianca hangs her head, just an inch, and my heart absolutely breaks for her.

“Iris!” Christian snaps, thrusting his hand out for me again. I move this time, dropping my cutlery and slipping my hand in his, letting him raise me to my feet. He looks into my face briefly before starting towards the door, taking me with him.

“Welcome to the family, Iris!” Romano calls after me, clearly not meaning a damn word of it. “You’d better get used to it! Because, unfortunately for us, divorce is not an option.”

Christian holds my hand tight as he strides through the house, his shoulders tense. I do my best to keep up, sending awkward glances at the maids and other service people who scatter out of our way. I glance over my shoulder to see if Nico or Frankie or any of the others follow but – there’s no one –

I’m almost pulled out the front door after my husband when I put my weight in my heels. “Christian, stop!” I gasp, grabbing his hand with my other one as well.

He spins to stare at me, shocked. “Iris, why? After he said such horrible things, why on earth would you want to stop!?”

“Um,” I say, still awkward, glancing to the closet at my left. “My coat?”

Christian stares at me for a long, long moment with his mouth hanging open before he bursts out laughing, the noise a little frantic as it mixes with his anger. “Yes, Iris,” he sighs, wiping a hand down over his face and shaking his head, loosening his grip on my hand. “I’m sorry, of course. Get your coat.”

I give him a little smile and then skitter away to the closet where I grab my coat and hastily pull it on. “I mean, I’d leave it,” I say, walking fast back to my husband’s side. “But…it’s brand new, Christian, and it’s really nice. And expensive.”

My husband gives me a big smile and slings an arm around my shoulders, tugging me close and starting down the house’s front steps at a much more leisurely pace. “It’s your coat, Iris, who am I to make you leave it behind just because I’m pissed as all hell.”

“What was that?” I murmur, glancing again over my shoulder at the house. “Did…did your meeting with your dad go poorly?”

“No, actually,” Christian says, heading for the car that I arrived in with Nico and Lucy. I frown for a moment, confused about this choice, but I don’t say anything as Christian moves to the driver’s seat and begins to climb in. I follow suit, sure he has a reason for it.

“Then…why was he so mean?” I ask, pulling my door shut after me and starting on my seatbelt.

“Because,” Christian replies, glancing at me as he starts the car and starts to pull out of the driveway and through the gates. “That’s dad. He’d honestly probably have been nicer if our meeting hadn’t gone well. He’s just…always got to have the upper hand. Always has to have everyone on their damn toes around him, thinking he hates them so that they jump through hoops trying to make it better.”

I grimace, biting my lip and studying Christian’s handsome profile, hating that that’s his father – that that’s the world he grew up in for the past decade or so. I hesitate at first, but then reach out and put my hand on his shoulder, wanting him to know that I’m here. Wanting to give him some comfort.

Christian shoots me a small grateful smile before concentrating on the road. “You know nothing that he said was real, or meant anything, right?”

“Oh, I know,” I say, my eyebrows going up, really meaning it. I grew up with a cruel father too, after all, and learned young that words spilled by angry men don’t hold strong ties to reality. Not when they’re meant to cut you. Romano – nothing he said was actually about me. I bite my lip, looking again over my shoulder even though I know there’s no chance to see house anymore. “I hope Lucy knows that too.”

“Lucy’s tough,” Christian says with a sigh. “Don’t worry about her.”

I nod, agreeing to it – but still, she was so embarrassed. Plus, she did break Romano’s rules. I hope that there aren’t consequences for that, and that if there are Tony can shield her from them. Lucy – she hasn’t been part of my world for long, but I’m very fond of her already.

We drive for a little bit in silence, both of us lost a bit in our thoughts, though none of it’s awkward. Christian – we’ve had a lot of experience sitting quietly with each other, finding perfect ease in it.

But I start with surprise when we start to drive through the city and Christian takes a turn towards the high-rise building that houses the penthouse on the top floor.

“Are we not going to the beach?” I ask, turning to him with surprise.

He shakes his head, slowing the car down and pulling into the garage levels beneath the building. “I have…a lot to do, to put this plan in action,” he says quietly, sending me a glance. “There’s no time to get to the beach house and back before tomorrow morning. But I’m sending Nico and Frankie there tonight.”

I start a little bit in surprise as Christian winds down the levels. “What?” I breathe, a little shocked. “Why?”

“They have their own jobs to do,” he replies, not precisely being secretive but…well, clearly communicating to me with an exhausted look that it’s not interesting or useful for me to know. “Tony and Lucy will be staying with dad.”

“What’s the point of all this?” I ask quietly, shaking my head as he pulls into a familiar parking spot on our reserved level. “We have a team of six, Christian – why split everyone up?”

“Part of it is strategic,” he replies, putting the cark in park and turning it off before turning to me. “The other part is…a distraction. I don’t really want dad knowing, just yet, that Tony and Lucy are on our side. It’s important that he believes that he still has control of the family.”

I nod, understanding that, staring into his eyes. And then my mouth quirks into a little smile. “So…it’s just us tonight?”

He grins and reaches out, fondly brushing his knuckles down the length of my cheek. “What, don’t want to be alone with your husband, Daisy?”

And my smile deepens, all thoughts of mafia drama and strategy going immediately out of my head. Because, right now? That is exactly what I want.