"A choice influenced by Stockholm syndrome and fear." Roberto moves back to his chair but doesn't sit. "Do you know what she told her mother yesterday? She said she was scared you'd change your mind about marrying her. Not that she might change hers."
“I would never walk away from her. Whatever you might think about me, I want to do the honorable thing by her.”
"How could she possibly know that? She's known you for a few weeks under the most traumatic circumstances of her life. Her judgment is compromised and she’s very young."
“This is the most honorable solution. Your daughter deserves a husband, not a scandal. But there's more to consider."
"Such as?"
I pull up the notes on my phone from my conversation with Bosco, and hand it to him. "I've extensively researched the old traditions, Mr. Bonacci. Situations like ours have occurred before between feuding families."
Roberto briefly glances at the phone. "And what did you find?"
"In most cases, it ends badly. War, death, complete elimination of one family or both. But there's one exception - one scenario where everyone not only survives but thrives."
"Continue."
"A male heir. If the union produces a son, everything changes. The boy becomes a bridge between families, carrying both bloodlines. Instead of dishonor, it becomes a strong strategic alliance."
Roberto's eyebrows rise slightly. "You're talking about very old customs."
"Customs that worked. 1934 in Sicily - the Rossi and Benedetto families ended a fifty-year feud when their children produced a male heir. 1958 in Naples - the Marino and Costello families did the same."
"Those are merely stories, not legal precedents."
"They're documented cases," my father interjects. "Alliances that lasted generations and made both families more powerful than they ever were separately."
Roberto studies the papers. "And you believe this applies to our situation?"
"I think a grandson who's both Lombardi and Bonacci changes everything," I say. "The families can't war against each other without risking harm to their shared blood. The child becomes protection for all of us."
"And if there's no male heir? If there are only daughters, or no children at all?"
"Then we're back to the traditional options. But if there is..." I lean forward. "A son could inherit from both grandfathers, unite both territories, command respect from both organizations. Command respect from everyone."
Roberto is quiet for a long moment, processing this. "You're asking me to bet my daughter's future on the possibility of producing a male heir."
"I'm asking you to consider that what seems like a disaster could become the foundation for something unprecedented. A true alliance between bloodlines."
"And my daughter? What does she become in this arrangement? A breeding mare to pop out babies in hopes one is a boy?"
"She becomes the mother of unity," my father says carefully. "The woman who ended decades of conflict and becomes the queen of a new dynasty."
Roberto stands and moves to the window. "These old traditions... they assume the woman's willing participation."
“I believe Viviana would be a willing participant to this arrangement,” I say. “The marriage would be real in every way."
Roberto turns back to face me. "And if she produces daughters first?"
"Then we continue trying if she agrees. Both families would be invested in protecting the marriage and ensuring its success."
"This is a serious proposal," Roberto says finally. "It requires deadly serious consideration."
"Of course. How much time do you need?"
"A week. Maybe two. I need to research these precedents myself, discuss this with my advisors, consider all the implications."
"And Viviana?"
