I laugh, then let out a sigh. “Well, unless I can figure out the last thing Dad wants from me before taking over, you two might have a chance at leading this family.”
Gui raises a thick dark brow. “What exactly does he want from you? You’re making it sound like it’s nearly impossible.”
I shrug. “Not impossible, but I don’t have a plan yet, so it might take me a little longer than Dad probably wants it to.”
“Alright, out with it already,” Gio says with an exasperated sigh. “You have me on the edge of my seat.”
“You’re not even sitting,” Gui says.
“Fine.” Gio narrows his gaze on his twin. “You have me on my tippy toes.”
“Is that even a saying?” Gui asks, and I have to fight back the laugh that wants to spring from my lips at my younger brothers.
“I don’t fucking care,” Gio snaps, pulling his gaze back to me. “Out with it, Massi. What does Dad want you to do before taking over?”
I chug the rest of my water and toss the bottle in the trash. Letting out a sigh, I say, “He wants me to get married.”
“Ahhh, the inevitable arranged marriage,” Gio says. “Well, we all knew that was coming eventually. I’m surprised Dad didn’t make you get married sooner, to be honest.”
“Yeah, and it could be worse,” I say with a shrug, “he could be the one picking out my bride.”
Gui chokes on his water, spitting it back into his bottle before lowering it to the kitchen counter. “He’snot?”
“Nope. He had a list for me, but I told him I had it handled and that the woman I have in mind will make an excellent alliance for our family.”
“Well… are you going to spit it out already?” Gio asks.
“Yes,please. You have me on my tippy toes,” Gui says slyly, and Gio shoots him a glare.
“Liana DiMaggio,” I say, and my brothers are silent, staring at me like I’ve lost my damn mind.
Gio clears his throat. “While, yes, the DiMaggioswouldmake a strong alliance, how exactly do you think you’re going to gettheLiana DiMaggio—New York City’s most sought-after fashion designer. Hell, soon to be the entirecountry’smost sought-after fashion designer.”
“She’d make a perfect wife,” I say with a shrug.
“Yeah, except she’s known as being a diehard businesswoman. I don’t think she’s going to want to get tied down to someone like you,” Gio says.
“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” I snap.
“It means she’s kind of fucking known as being an ice queen, and you’re known as… What’s a nice way of saying this… NYC’s most-eligible bachelor.”
Gui laughs. “Yeah, something like that,” he mumbles.
I shoot a glare at both of them.
“There’s no way she’s going to go for it. She doesn’t even date, from what I heard,” Gio says.
“I know she used to date at CU, but then she just stopped one day. I heard one of the last dates she went on was with some dude that shit himself on the car ride home,” Gui says. “With herinthe car.”
“Damn, can you imagine you’re about to get laid, and then you just fucking shit yourself?In front of your date.I’d fucking die of mortification,” Gio laughs out.
I do my best not to have a reaction that would give myself away to my brothers. They have no idea Liana and I met in college at a masquerade party, which means they have no idea I’ve spent the past six years obsessed with the idea of having her to myself one day. That also means, they have no idea every time Liana went on a date, I sabotaged it, including paying off the waiter to drug that last date of hers.
I remember that night like it was yesterday. She was a senior at CU, and one of the sons of our family’s lawyer took her out on a date. Things were going well with this one.
Too well.
Liana was acting differently compared to the other dates she’d been on. She was getting comfortable with him, and I didn’t fucking like it. It’s almost as if I knew how the night was going to end, so before I could lose her to a fucking lawyer, I paid off their waiter to give the kid laxatives. I would’ve gotten rid of him myself, but since his family works for mine, that probably would’ve been a bad look. Fortunately for me though, he barely made it out of the parking lot before the laxatives took effect and he let it all out while Liana was in the passenger seat.
