The rest of my day goes by in a blur of phone calls, meetings, and numbers that stop meaning anything after the first few hours. Through it all, Elizabeth’s words keep looping in my head.She just wants her dad. Not the Don.
Every time I close my eyes, I see Sienna’s face. The flash of betrayal. The way she looked at me like I’d become someone she didn’t recognize. But she understands the world we live in. One where it does make a difference if an heir is male or female. And if the Conti Mafia is to continue, then my heir needs to be a male.
Around three, I get a report that the girls are back at the penthouse. They spent nearly a hundred thousand dollars in two hours. Well, Sienna did. Elizabeth only got a few items. That’s Sienna’s way of trying to make a point. She’s never reckless just deliberate in her defiance. And this isn’t the first nor last time she’ll pull this stunt.
It’s fine. I’ve always preferred her anger to her silence.
By six, I’m done for the day. I head back to the penthouse to shower and change before dinner, expecting the usual chaos the Sienna brings to the house. Music, laughter, and maybe the faint smell of Rosa’s cooking.
Instead, the penthouse is quiet.
I find Elizabeth standing in the living room, gazing out at the city. The last of the daylight glints off the windows, tracing a soft glow along her profile, making her blonde hair glow. She doesn’t hear me at first which means I get to watch her. She’s still in the same outfit I had Rosa send up this morning—the ivory sweater, black leggings, bare feet against the polished floor. For a moment, it feels almost intimate, like I’ve walked into something I shouldn’t have.
“Why haven’t you changed for dinner?” I ask.
She spins around, startled. “I thought maybe you wanted it to be just the three of you.”
That would make sense. But I shake my head. “I want you there too.”
I mean it, too. I need her calmness there and not just for Sienna’s sake but mine, too.
Her brow furrows slightly. “Oh.” Then, quieter, “What should I wear?”
“Did you get any dresses today?”
“Yes,” she says, hesitating.
I nod once. “Wear a dress. See you at eight.”
I turn to leave, but something about the way she stands there unsure and out of place in a home that isn’t hers makes me pause.
Her voice breaks the silence first. “Mr. Conti?”
I glance back. She’s still watching me, cautious but curious.
“Why?” she asks. “Why bring me here instead of letting me go?”
For a long moment, I don’t answer. Because the truth is, I’m not sure I can. It would have been easier to just leave her behind. I’ve never cared about Sienna’s friends before. But seeing her in that hospital bed did something to me. It made me care, and that is dangerous.
Finally, I say, “Because you were there when Sienna needed someone. And because…” I stop, choosing my words carefully. “You don’t scare easily. That’s rare.”
Her expression softens, but her eyes search mine like she’s trying to find something I didn’t mean to reveal.
I clear my throat and straighten my cufflinks, breaking the moment. “Eight o’clock,” I remind her, before walking away.
But even as I head upstairs, her question follows me.
WhydidI bring her here?
And why do I keep finding reasons to keep her close?
Dinner is supposed to be simple. A chance to smooth the edges after the morning’s chaos. I tell myself that as I adjusted my cufflinks and step into the dining room, where Rosa has outdone herself. Candlelight reflecting off crystal, the faint scent of lemon and rosemary lingering in the air, and the city glittering beyond the glass walls.
Fran stands near the head of the table, draped in a black satin dress that probably costs more than most people’s cars. Her hair is sleek, her jewelry understated and deliberate. She turns as I enter, smiling that soft, polished smile that photographs well.
“You’re late,” she says lightly to cover her irritation.
“I apologize,” I reply, though my eyes are already searching the room, waiting for my daughter to arrive. And Elizabeth…
