“Um, some sickness for me, but not much else. As for Giorgio, he doesn’t know yet.”
“Natalia, youhaveto tell him,” he said.
“I know. I was just thinking about going to his room to tell him,” I said.
“Well, you’ll have to wait until later. I actually came to get you because father called a house meeting,” he said. “He wants everyone at the table by one-thirty.”
I glanced down at my phone, and it was ten minutes until the meeting time. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or frustrated that I had to wait a little longer, but it wasn’t like I could do anything regardless. “Okay. Let’s go.” I stood up, but Savio grabbed my hand and pulled me back down. “What?”
“What are you going to tell Angelo?” he said, his eyes wide with fear. “If he finds out Giorgio got you pregnant…” I pointed at my face still covered in my running makeup and he nodded. “Ah.”
“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” I said. “I need to talk to Marcello and Romeo first before I eventhinkof figuring out how I deal with him.”
“Yeah, good plan,” he said. “Okay. Go wash your face. I’ll wait.”
I did just that, wiping my face free of any remnants of my makeup, and took a couple of minutes to calm myself down, before Savio and I headed down to the dining room. No one was there yet, which Savio and I were used to.
He lifted his head and snapped his fingers. “Oh, shit, I totally forgot to tell you what I originally came to tell you.”
“What?” I said.
“Philippa pushed Lucia down the stairs.”
My jaw dropped. “What? What do you mean?”
Savio didn’t answer the question. He’d developed a thousand-yard stare and was looking over my shoulders. I turned around and saw a couple of the house staff ushering Alessandra and Chiara into the room. They’d been joining us for meals, but a house meeting was no reason for them to be there.
Savio’s stare of shock at Alessandra told me that he had no idea that they’d be there, and not thirty seconds later, Marcello came striding into the room, freezing when he saw them sitting there. He looked over at Savio. “What the hell is going on?”
Savio shook his head. “I don’t know.”
My heart started beating, wondering if Giorgio was going to be brought down as well, but as time passed, he never arrived. Whether that was comforting or not, I hadn’t decided, but I was in no position to determine what was going to happen, so I simply sat back and waited for the world to happen to me.
Just like always.
Romeo was next into the room, carefully cradling Lucia as she walked next to him. He noticed the twins at the table, and Lucia looked at Romeo with a look of horror. “Why are they here?”
Romeo looked at Marcello and Savio, even me, but when we all returned his look of confusion, he turned back to his bride. “I don’t know.” He helped her to sit down at the table, then settled next to her, the tension in the room could be sliced with a knife.
Though it would have to be damn sharp.
No one said anything as one-thirty came and went, without my father’s arrival. No one tried to call him, no one wanted to, but after a long, tense hour, he walked into the room and took his seat at the head of the table. I noticed his men lining the walls on either side of the dining room, and I saw my brothers take stock of it as well.
“Well,” Angelo started in a sick tone, “glad you all could make it.”
“What’s going on?” Romeo asked. “Lucia should be resting.”
“I’m well aware of that, my son. I won’t take up too much of your time.” He folded his hands in front of himself and rested them on the table. “Whileyouwere spending all of your time in the hospital, our family name has been dragged through the mud. The situation with Gianni has caused enough problems, but lines of our business were left unattended for the past three weeks, and the word on the street is that the Cavetti family is falling apart. Even though I eliminated anyone who wouldn’t fall in line from the Bonifacios regime, word is still lingering that I’m too lax. I won’t have it.”
“What are you proposing?” Marcello said. “We can do damage control.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Angelo said. “We aren’t making nice with any of these people anymore. I’m sick of having our names sullied. I want Chicago, and we’re going to take it. By force. I’m done with being walked all over. From this moment forward, my command will be final in this household. We’re going to need to remain unified more than ever during our takeover.”
“Takeover?” Romeo said. “Father, please, see reason. However it happened, the circumstances with Gianni got confused. The Bonifacios didn’t kill him and we slaughtered them for it. Maybe it’s time we try and make peace instead of causing more problems. Leadership comes from--”
“You,” Angelo cut him off, “are in no position to lecture me on leadership. Keep quiet.”
In spite of his typical arrogance, Romeo did stop speaking then. Savio cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, something he rarely did when it came to my father, of whom he was terrified. I wanted to grab his arm and shut him up, but I was too afraid to move.
