"I'm not." All I could think of was Francesca and how neither of them was her. She'sruinedme. "Even if Sofia wants to break off the engagement, her father has made it clear he will never allow that."
“May you cheat in peace going forward,” Luca says, slapping me on the back.
“Fuck off.”
I’ve never felt so unsure of the path at my feet. Once more, I silently curse my inconvenient obsession with Sofia's cousin. My mind is filled with her constantly, wanting her in a way I’ve never wanted anyone. After she sharply reminded me of her honor that night, I was growing desperate to escape the inescapable.
“Someone’s still in the doghouse,” a voice sing-songs from across the hall.
“Shut up, Renato,” I tell our younger brother.
“I should’ve been allowed to go instead of you.” Father left him here, not wanting to leave New York without a single Vicini to rule it if something should happen. Renato is nearly as tall as us now, but he still lives at home with our parents, and he won’t fully join the business until he finishes high school.
“You could’ve tagged along with me and popped your cherry at last,” Luca drawls.
“I did that already, asshole.”
“Coming in your jeans during a lap dance doesn't count.”
Renato glares at Luca’s provocation. “Carlo couldn’t have offended Sofia if he wasn't there.”
“I’m not taking shit from a boy who was grounded for failing Chemistry,” I say, ruffling his hair.
“What does it matter? Father fixed it,” Renato mutters before he tries to punch me.
I side-step his move. “Oh, too slow. You should spend more time training with Faro, and you should work harder to sharpen your mind at school. I won’t have a fool of a brother working for me someday.”
“He’s so fucking bossy,” Renato complains to Luca who nods emphatically.
“Because I’ll be the boss.”
The sound of feet thundering down the stairs cuts short Renato’s second attempt to land a hit as Bianca and Anna hurry to greet us. Our little sisters are soon talking over one another and bickering per usual. “How our parents could want six of us, I’ll never understand,” Luca comments, dryly.
“Where is Giulia?” I ask the girls, noting that the youngest of our lot hasn’t followed them.
Bianca shrugs. “She takes meals with her nurse most of the time. Father says it’s too much for her to try to read everyone’s lips while we eat.”
“Do you eat with her when Father isn’t around?” I ask, scowling at the girls.
Both hang their heads guiltily, whispering they know they should. I’m furious but not with the children. “Where are you going, Carlo?” Anna asks, worriedly.
“Father will be upset if you don’t join us to eat,” Bianca adds.
“I’ll share breakfast with Giulia in her room. He can speak with me there if he dares.”
***
“If you love Sofia, apologize.”Giulia's big brown eyes reproach me as she signs those words. My youngest sibling doesn’t know what I did, thank God, but she understands her big brother has fucked up somehow.
“I should apologize to Sofia, bella, but how can I love a girl I barely know?”I sign back.
A better question might be, if I don’t love a girl I’ve been engaged to for two years, how can I be this beguiled by her cousin after one song and two interactions? I have to master these unwanted desires.She’snot who I’m to marry.
Fed up with my excuses, Giulia passes me a cornetto and pours half of her milk into a teacup meant for her dolls. She nudges my hand until I relent and drink.
“There sits the most powerful Vicini of us all,” Luca says, joining us.
“Without a doubt.”
