“I wish we could’ve done more for your family,” he says.“But there’s some things that just cannot stand.Things a man is entitled to get revenge for.And a dishonest marriage arrangement is one of those things.Moretti had every right to come after your family after you broke off his engagement to your sister.”
It’s what I’ve been hearing a lot since all that happened.Fucking ancient dinosaurs, so set in their ways that they need a comet to come and kill them all.Angelo is that comet.And I’m glad now that the old man called me in here this morning.This kind of talk is exactly what I needed to hear, so I can quit feeling sorry for him and just do what needs doing.Put him out of his misery with no remorse.
“So you will understand me when I say that you must stay away from my daughter,” he says and his eyes are flashing now.He no longer looks old or frail.He looks like a king on his throne in that leather chair of his.I can’t wait to knock him out of it.
“I have no designs on your daughter,” I say, hopefully with enough indignation in my voice.“I am here to serve.Which I have done since before you even hired me to do it.”
He nods again.“That you have.But I wanted this to be clear.She is not yours to take and she never will be.”
Shows how much you know, old man.Nothing at all.
“Understood,” I say.“Anything else or may I go now?”
He looks at me with very searching eyes.I just focus on being offended by his threats and hope that’s all he sees.
After a few moments he flicks his hand in the direction of the door.“Go.Get some sleep, you look like you need it.”
I manage not to tell him, “You too.”
I just say a curt goodbye and leave his office.
He has no idea what’s about to hit him.And now I’m glad I’ll be the one bringing it.I just hope he lives long enough to see me make his daughter mine.Because that’s exactly what will happen.
Chapter37
GIANNA
I barely sleptand when I woke up my whole body was still burning with the harsh rejection from last night.But I refused to stay in my room with the curtains closed, watching movie after movie and drinking, which is what I would’ve done in the past, guaranteed.
Instead, I gathered up my mom and my sisters and insisted it’s high time we refresh our fall wardrobes.
Chiara finally had the stitches from her hand taken out yesterday, so she was in a great mood and agreed immediately, while Mom and Lidia didn’t take much convincing either.
Matteo wasn’t on duty when we left the apartment and I’m very glad for that.Not that I expected him to be.He usually isn’t in the mornings.And even if he was, I’d just ignore him.Who is he to reject me?I was ready to give him everything.Myself and my future.And he just walked out.
But I’ll have to unpack that some other time.
We’re at Bergdorf Goodman, in the private rooms at the top which they close off for us whenever we come shopping here.Rich women have been shopping here, probably in this very room, for over a century and my dad sometimes jokes that me, my mom, and my sisters are single-handedly keeping it in business these days.
The plush armchairs and sofas are just as velvety soft as always, the room smells of roses and all the clothes they’ve brought for us to try have been divine.Outside the window the day’s sunlight is diffused and soft, whiter than gold, just perfect.I’ve rejected everything that even hinted at being gold until they brought up the shimmery dress I’m staring at now.It looks like it’s actually made from gold, the spaghetti straps nicer than a lot of actual jewelry I’ve seen.And that’s it’s only adornment.The rest of it falls to the floor like a sheet of melted gold, the slit in the side coming up almost to the hip and the folds of the scooped neckline revealing just the perfect amount of skin.I couldn’t wear any underwear with this.And I wouldn’t want to.
“Get it,” Mom says, seeing me looking at the dress again.I tried it on a while back and hung it on themayberack, but I keep going back to it.“Gold looks so good on you.”
“I know.”
She runs her hand across the fabric of the dress.“I wish I could still pull off a dress like this.”
I look at her in total disbelief.She may be in her fifties, but nothing in her face or in her figure suggests it.“You could totally wear this dress, Mom.”
I take it off the rack and hand it to her.“Go on, try it on, you’ll see I’m right.”
She takes the dress, but then just stands there, looking at it with very sad eyes.Then she hands it back.
“Where would I wear it to?”she says quietly.“You should try it on again.I want to see you in it.”
There’s such longing in her voice for some reason that I find it impossible to refuse.
She’s sitting on one of the plush sofas, my sisters one to either side of her as I exit the dressing room.I took everything off to try the dress on and am standing on my tiptoes because it’s so long.And so beautiful.The moment I glimpsed myself in the mirror, I knew I’d be taking it home.And the collective gasp from my mom and my sisters as they see me in it seals that deal even more.
