“Grazie,” I said and went in, finding my papà and Mr. Remotti chatting together. They looked quite happy, which was strange considering they’d been enemies my whole life.
“There she is,” Mr. Remotti said. “Come in. You just missed Alessio.”
Bummer. Not really.
“Oh. I wasn’t aware we were supposed to do this together.” I probably should have asked about it, but this wasn’t something I’d been looking forward to. Honestly, I’d hoped to wake up this morning in my bed in Sicily and marrying Alessio had only been an awful dream.
“No worry.” Mr. Remotti gave me a pen and pointed to the document on his desk. “I understand you have a busy day planned with Alessio, so we won’t keep you.”
I glanced at my papà. He gave me the look all fathers master that said,You are doing this. Don’t disappoint me.
“Yes.” I smiled, doing my best to appear happy. “I don’t want to keep him waiting.”
“Good.” Mr. Remotti put his hand on my lower back and nudged me forward.
I signed my name on the line:Giovanna Gloria Amano.
“Brava!” My new father-in-law cheered. He kissed my cheek, then the other. “Welcome to the Remotti famiglia, figlia.”
“Grazie.” I was a little surprised to hear him call me daughter. “I must go now.”
My father hugged me and in Italian he said,you make me proud.
I nodded, holding back my emotions as best as I can. Giving them both a small wave, I quickly left the office.
Once I was alone, I gasped for air and held onto my stomach. It was done. My life was no longer my own.
From this moment forward, I will be at Alessio Remotti’s mercy.
Pull yourself together, Gia. He has a lover. He won’t care about you.
True. If I stayed out of his way and didn’t cause trouble, I would be invisible. I could do whatever I wanted. Within reason, of course. Feeling a little better, I went to the solarium.
Like yesterday, he was already inside waiting for me. The sun poured in from the wall of windows. It was a welcoming room; one I would probably enjoy if he weren’t in it.
“Good morning, Bellissma.” He stood from his chair when he saw me enter. “Did you sleep well?” He came to greet me, cupped my elbow and kissed my cheek.
“Yes, I slept just fine. Grazie.” I sat in the chair he pulled out for me. “What about you? Have you been up for hours? I imagine after cutting our evening short, you went to bed early too.” I eyed him, trying to read his mannerisms.
“I don’t need a lot of sleep.” He retrieved a cappuccino from the cart and placed it in front of me. “I’m a night owl and an early bird.”
“Well, that’s convenient.”
“How so?” he asked with a look of confusion.
“Convenient for you. How would anyone know you were out late if you didn’t sleep in late? Your body must be trained to get by on little sleep.”
“Yes, I suppose it is.”
A servant entered, carrying two plates with silver lids. One was placed in front of me and the other was for Alessio. Once the lids were removed, I nearly moaned upon seeing the cornetto and bread. I’d gone to be hungry since we didn’t have dinner. It was safe to say I was starving but I’d never show it.
“Does it meet your standards?” he asked. “I ordered the yogurt and fruit especially for you.”
“Grazie. It looks wonderful.”
“I’m sure you’re hungry after not eating your dinner.”
I sipped my coffee. “What about you? You didn’t eat either, or did you get a bite out when you left.”
