“Yeah… oops.”
“Surely Remington is small fry compared to the Di Rossi family?” I get why he’d be mad, but it’s not like he can do much about it. The Di Rossis are powerful with equally powerful connections, as evidenced by Angelo’s ability to pull help from the Irish and Russian mafias.
“Yeah, to an extent, but he has fingers in a lot of pies, and there are unsubstantiated rumors he has friends in high places. So not a man to piss off.”
I shrug. “Paris seemed like a bitch when I met her.”
“She is a bitch.” The way Fina’s lip curls up tells me all I need to know.
“And also, the fact Tim Remington married my stepmother says a lot about the kind of man he is.”
“He’s not a good man, no.” We fall into silence while Felix and Coco enjoy all the love. My eyes drift down as Fina cradles her belly protectively. I notice that for once she’s wearing a loose pair of slacks rather than one of her usual figure-hugging dresses.
“Something you want to share with me?” I ask eventually. She looks up curiously and then turns deathly pale when I nod at her belly.
“You can tell?” she whispers before glancing up at the small camera winking in the corner. Dammit. I hate this fucking house sometimes. It’s like a prison.
I jump off the bed and gesture toward the bathroom. She follows me in. I close the door and turn the shower on to mask our conversation. I assume there are no cameras in here, but I’m not taking any chances.
“Your reaction confirms what I suspected. How far along are you?”
To my horror, she bursts into tears and slumps down onto the toilet seat, her head in her hands.
Now I feel rotten. I didn’t mean to put her on the spot. This isn’t any of my business. Not really.
“Shit, ignore me. Forget I said anything. I won’t tell a soul. I promise.”
She wipes her eyes and sniffs. “It’s okay. I can’t hide it much longer, and… I really need to talk to someone.” My heart clenches in my chest at her terrified expression. It’s clear she thinks her pregnancy is not a joyful occasion. And having met her father, I’m not surprised.
“Does Matteo know?” She nods.
“Yeah. I’m about twelve weeks now. So it won’t be long before I show.”
“I know that you and Matteo…” I pause, trying to choose my words carefully. “I know your father probably doesn’t approve of your relationship, but how angry will he be about Matteo getting you pregnant?”
She swallows hard. “Furious. He’s busy negotiating a marriage contract for me.”
“Oh fuck.”
“Yeah. Oh fuck indeed.”
14
Chiara
We all sit at the kitchen table in silence. Fina pushes her food around the plate like it’s radioactive, while Angelo glowers while staring at his phone. The only time he warms up is when Felix hops onto his lap.
Kane disappeared an hour ago. I have no clue where he’s gone, but I assume it’s related to the family business.
“You may as well stay here while Papa’s on vacation,” Angelo tells Fina once it’s clear we’re all done eating.
She sits back in surprise. “Oh?”
“You can spend some quality time with Matteo.” He smirks for a moment before scowling again. “Papa’s been talking to Domenico Santini. I’m not sure how far along negotiations have got, but I’ll find out when he returns in a few days.”
Fina clenches her napkin and swallows hard. In the doorway, Matteo has turned white as a ghost.What a mess.
If Fina is twelve weeks along, we have very little time to act. In another few weeks, it will be obvious she’s pregnant, and once her father realizes, I’d put money on him forcing her to have a termination.
