I pulled on a sweater and walked over to Romeo. I closed the door gently behind us and felt his eyes scrutinizing me. I met his gaze, unwilling to back down to him. I refused to have him tell me I couldn’t see Alessandra. He wouldn’t get his way that time. Not when it came to her.
“So, I guess you’re both making it official? Or have already made it official?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Your point is?”
He shrugged. “None of my business.”
I exhaled deeply, the tension between us becoming lighter. “So what are you doing here, then?”
“We’re meeting outside.”
“Who?”
Romeo sighed and leaned in close to me. “Me, you, Natalia, and Marcello. We’re having a meeting outside. I came to get you.”
There was something in his tone that made me worried. We’d never had a meeting without our father. Usually, our father would gather us all to let us know how our imports and exports were doing and whether he needed our help. Most of the time, it ended with him yelling at us.
“Well, I don’t know what to think of it, but lead the way. I’ll come.”
“Just keep your voice low. Our father’s asleep in his room, and we can’t get caught. This is rather important.”
I nodded and raised my hand, gesturing for him to lead the way. Romeo was holding onto his side as he walked, and I could see the bandage through his white shirt, the wound packed with gauze. I was silent, keeping my footsteps light. He led me down the hallway and toward the second set of stairs, which would take us to the east wing entrance.
The house was still and quiet. It was eerie. I rarely wandered through the massive estate at night. It had only been when Alessandra arrived that I’d snuck around in the night. Before her, I was usually showing up late, drunk, sometimes high. At that time, I hadn’t cared how much noise I made, even if it woke and upset my father. I was numbed to his anger when I wandered in on those late nights from the clubs or a girl’s apartment.
Alessandra had unknowingly changed me.
Romeo descended the stairs, using the railing to adjust his weight as he stepped down. I followed after him as we made our way to the side entrance. I could see my siblings outside. Marcello and Natalia were already out there, standing toward the side of the house. Their silhouettes were shadowed against the floor, barely visible through the window.
I opened the door for Romeo. He passed through, looking paler than before. The moonlight only seemed to highlight the milk-white pallor of his skin. He always had a tanned undertone, but the amount of blood he lost had drained him completely. Marcello and Natalia appeared relieved the moment we walked out of the house, as though they were expecting someone else. I had no idea what they had planned, but everyone was on high alert.
“I’m glad we’re all together. Thank you for coming,” Natalia said, peering at each of us. “I think I’ll let Romeo explain.”
Romeo drew a deep breath as I closed the door behind us. “I wanted to get us all together to talk about something serious. It deals with the legacy of our family and the person who’s ruining our name.”
I held my breath. What was he talking about? If he planned on hurting one of the Bonifacios, I’d have to step in. I knew that it would cause Alessandra to break down, and I simply couldn’t allow that. They’d done nothing to us. Even Gianni’s death had been proven to be a falsity.
“I’m surprised you’re here, though, Natalia,” Marcello said, trying to keep his voice low. He was the biggest of us all, and his voice was always resonating, even when he was doing his best to keep it near a whisper. “I’m not sure if you should be here.”
Natalia crossed her arms. I walked over to Natalia, who was obviously upset with what Marcello had said. Marcello had never really believed in Natalia. Of course, they were distant with each other. They’d always been. Our inability to bond was largely due to the fact that my father had shown no interest in Natalia and me. It was Natalia’s birth that had caused my mother’s death—my father never forgave her for it.
“I’m not going anywhere. If we’re going to overthrow our father, I want in.”
I considered her words and was shocked. So, this was what they were planning. I was for it. I also knew that Natalia deserved to stay. I wasn’t sure how to take the news or how we would do it, but it was worth having her help us. That much I did know.
“She deserves to be here. You know that our father wouldn’t suspect Natalia at all,” I told Marcello flatly, all while putting my arm around Natalia’s shoulders. “He always underestimates women. She can do things we can’t.”
Romeo nodded and leaned against the house, still holding his side. He was wincing against the pain, and I was sure he would keel over any second. His ability to keep a straight face while in pain was remarkable. I knew that it was due to all those years spent standing at our father’s side, all while trying not to give away how he was feeling. He didn’t wear as heavy a mask as Marcello did, but it was still impressive. His composure never wavered, even in front of us.
He often surprised me.
“Savio’s right. We’ll need Natalia for this to work,” Romeo said, wincing slightly. “In fact, all of us need to be together for this. I don’t see it working without all of us being on the same page. That means you, too, Savio.”
“So, what exactly are we doing?” I asked, feeling Natalia shiver lightly as a cool breeze passed in the space between us. “Are we seriously going to usurp our father?”
Romeo’s eyes darkened as he glanced at me. “We’re overthrowing him. I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve had enough with his shit.”
We all locked eyes and agreed in silence. It was time. We would dispose of Angelo Cavetti in any way we could.
