A moment passed where our eyes held the connection, but it was not a life-changing moment. My slumbering lion of a heart did not roar, but I was impressed with her nonetheless.
Rosaria Caffi was a gorgeous woman with no lack of confidence. She would need it to survive the perilous nature of my family. And perhaps since I’d already heard her truth, in time, the lion inside of me would roar for her. But myfamigliacame first, and Rosaria Caffi had already been crowned my queen—even before I’d set foot in her private dressing space. I had no doubtthat she would make sure that no matter how hard this life challenged me, we would both ascend the throne together.
Her forward drive. Her insatiable ambition. Her charm, covering her cunning and ruthless nature. All attributes that would pair perfectly with the ruthless side of my life.
She was the queen a king like me needed.
After a short conversation, and I kissed her cheek, I opened the door and invited my brothers inside and made introductions. Rosaria’s face brightened even more when she noticed how Dario was staring at her sister.
The room cleared a few minutes later, and after a long, lingering stare, I went to close the door behind me, but Rosaria called my name.
“SignoreFausti. Do I have the job or not?” she asked in Italian.
“The job?” I quirked an eyebrow up.
“Do we have an arrangement or not?”
“You are bold,SignorinaCaffi.”
“As subtle as Stromboli.” She gave me a wide smile that crinkled the sides of her eyes.
I laughed, and she blinked at me. It was the most innocent reaction she had to me since we had first met.
A warm feeling rushed through my chest—she might have been a confident woman, but she was still a woman who could be affected by my charm.
“Sì.” I stepped toward her and ran the side of my knuckle down her face. I felt her warm breath tremble past her lips and caress my skin. “The job is yours,uccello canoro.”
“This summer?” she asked, her eyes bright.
“Give me a date, and I will be the man wearing the suit.”
“Perhaps I will be the one in white.”
“Tell me, if not white, what color.”
“Perhaps yellow—I will be your songbird, youruccello canoro, your singing canary. Or perhaps I will wear red. I will be your vixen, the fire in your veins. I will be your personalStromboli.” She winked at me. “I will be,SignoreFausti, the woman you wish me to be.”
“I wish you to be the woman at my side,SignorinaCaffi.”
“Perhaps what I meant to say, then, is that I will be the woman youneedme to be.”
I nodded, fixed my suit.
“Sì,” she said. “I accept the arrangement and the terms, myruthlessking.”
That was the beginning of our engagement.
Chapter 3
The Wedding
Our engagement moved quickly. We were engaged in January, ready to wed by June.
It seemed the Caffifamiglia, confident that I would choose Rosaria for amatrimonioarrangement, had already secured the wedding venues. The ink had been dried with our names on them before I’d even stepped foot inside of Teatro di San Carlo, the first time my ears had the great pleasure of hearing myuccello canoroserenade me. It seemed the Caffi family had been keeping Rosaria away from me on purpose—her parents had envisioned the night I would set eyes on her, when she was giving the most spectacular performance of her career.
More impactful to see her in the light she would always be shown in, her father had told me.
Our wedding had become the event of the year.
