“Careful.” Dante straightens up from Kepler’s cage. “Remember who you’re talking to.”
I doubt that anything’s getting through to my father right now. Never mind that we’re outside now, with potential witnesses. Never mind that Dante’s got a handful of men with him, all of whom are probably armed. To my father, nothing matters more than his sense of total control. Dante made him look weak. Of course, he won’t abide this.
Even though deep down, he has to know he did it to himself.
Tristan steps forward, putting his body between me and the showdown unfolding in front of us. It’s enough to make me swoon, but I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who notices. All eyes are on my father and Dante Giovanetti.
“How did you even find out about this?” my father snarls.
“You think you can keep secrets? From me?” Dante scoffs.
My mother steps forward. “I spoke to him.”
My father finally notices that his wife is lurking nearby. His hands ball into fists. “Alessandra? I told you to stay out of this.”
“She’s my daughter, too,” my mother says. My throat constricts. I wonder what that word means to her, because she’s never interfered on my behalf before. Never, in all the years of my father’s torment.
Still, she finally came through when it mattered most.
“She’s no daughter of mine.” My father lifts his hands in the air. “Fine, Dante. You want the little freak, you can keep her. I’m done.”
Dante shakes his head. “No, you’re not. Apologize.”
“To her?” My father sneers at me, like I’m nothing. Like I’m trash. I don’t flinch away this time, because I know better. I’ll never let him make me feel lesser again.
“Tell Minerva you’re sorry for putting her through all of this,” Dante insists.
“Hah. I’m not doing that. You would go to war with me over her? For what? She’s nothing.”
“She’s everything,” Tristan says. “She’s brilliant, and funny, and kind. You just never saw it. Because you don’tdeserveit. And you sure as hell don’t deserve her.”
My father stares at Tristan like he’s something stuck to the heel of his shoe. I grip my man’s hand tighter. I hear him. I believe him.
Dante chimes in. “Your daughter’s a genius. She created a device that’s going to change lives and make millions. Speaking of which, cupcake, there’s a contract for you to read. Later. When you have a minute.” Dante tosses this information over his shoulder like it’s an afterthought and not a life-changing announcement.
My father glares at me, but he still doesn’t speak. Nobody behind him is rushing to his aid, either. He seems to have realized that nobody’s going to back him up here.
Sensing the shift in my father’s tone, Dante mounts the steps once more. “If you ever try to interfere in her life again, you won’t just lose her—you’ll lose me. And that means you lose everything.”
My father blanches. He can’t afford to lose Dante’s business connections, his influence, his backing. For the first time in his life, he’s the lesser man.
He takes a deep breath. “My apologies for today, Minnie,” he grits out, as if it physically pains him to speak. I know they’rejust words, and that the sentiment behind them isn’t real. Still feels pretty good to hear them, though.
Dante steps even closer, voice dropping to a lethal tone. “Go home, Vito. And while you’re at it? Rethink every single decision you’ve ever made.”
Nobody stops us when we leave. I stick close to Tristan, feeling unexpectedly reluctant to leave my mom. I can only imagine how furious my father will be when they get home, and I’m afraid he’ll take that anger out on her, now that he’s lost his favorite punching bag once and for all.
That’s not my problem, though. She’s my mother. She was supposed to keep me safe, and she’s done a shitty job of that for most of my life.
Two limos are idling on the curb. Most of Dante’s bodyguards pile into one of them, while Dante, Tristan, and I take the other, along with one of Dante’s men. It takes a bit of maneuvering to get my poofy dress through the door. I seriously consider ripping the skirt off if it means we can get out of here faster.
Once we’re safely away, Dante hands me Kepler’s cage. I cradle my little guy on my lap, though I’m hesitant to open his cage again in case he gets scared and runs away. To my relief, he doesn’t seem to be hurt, though he seems skinnier. He chirps at me and nuzzles my fingers through the wire mesh.
“Thank you, sir,” Tristan says. “For everything.”
Dante waves him away. “Even if you hadn’t come with me, I’d have come alone. Vito needed to be put in his place. And that Luca kid…” He sucks his teeth. “He’s not as smart as he thinks he is.”
Tristan squeezes my hand. “What happened, Min?”
