"Own her?" She gives a small laugh. "That sounds ratherdangereux,Enzo. She's a human being, not a pet."
"And now she's mine. Forever," I say confidently, the only thing that seems to bring me any satisfaction these days.
"Hmm, from what you're saying, she doesn't seem too willing," she notes thoughtfully.
"She'll come around." And even if she won't, there's no turning back.
"We women, we're delicate beings,mon fils.She won't come around just because you will it. And seeing that the stem of the glass might snap at any moment, I'd wager she must have done quite a number on you."
"We had a minor disagreement," I give her a quick outline of our argument, andMaman'seyes widen as she shakes her head at me.
"I never thought you'd be a great romantic, Enzo, but I didn't think you'd be such a brute either. You must woo her if you want her to submit. You can't simply expect her to agree to your caveman demands. From what you've told me so far, she's only seen your hard side. Show her that you can be soft too. Women love soft."
"So what, chocolate and flowers?" I ask dryly, almost regretting I'd brought the topic up.
"Bien sûr que non, Enzo! Sometimes I forget that for all your high IQ, your emotional intelligence is the size of a pea."
"Why,merci pour le compliment, maman," I reply ironically, rolling my eyes at her.
"C'est vrai, n'est-ce pas?You need to do more than the bare minimum." She raises a finger to stroke her chin thoughtfully. "Good thing you have me on your side. I will help you romance your wife."
"I'm not sure I want herromanced.I don't want her to misconstrue the nature of our relationship. I just want her more… pliant."
"Oh, my child, you have a long road ahead of you. The beauty of romance is that it isn't rooted in reality, but illusion. Feed her the illusion, and you'll get yourself a pliant wife."
I narrow my eyes at her, the idea moderately appealing but not without its pitfalls.
"But what if she actually falls in love with me?"
"And would that be so bad?"
I don't reply, because I don't know the answer. Part of me would like nothing more than to have Allegra in love with me, because then she'd be completely mine, but another part is afraid that once I see adoration on her face, she willdisgustme, like all the others before her.
So no, I don't want her love, but I don't want her hate either.
Is there a middle ground, I wonder?
18
ENZO
A little buzzedfrom the alcohol, I make my way downstairs and I'm greeted by Nero, one of my father's soldiers.
Even though he theoretically answers to Father, we've developed a mutual respect over the years. He might be the only person in the organization I'd trust with my more secretive endeavors.
He'd come to serve thefamigliaaround the same time I'd been initiated, so our closeness in age had helped us develop a tighter bond. Though his pastbeforethefamigliais a mystery, his work has been nothing short of excellent.
If there's ever been someone simply unfazed by human cruelty, it's got to be Nero. Andthatmakes him the perfect soldier.
"Your Father requires your presence," he says stiffly, nodding toward the waiting car.
I take a deep breath, already dreading the interaction. He hadn't shown it outwardly too much, but he hadn't been pleased with my decision to marry Allegra, a fact he'd made painfully clear at the banquet, even as he was praising the union toBenedicto Guerra. He'd intentionally kept me away from Allegra's side, essentially leaving her to the wolves.
I also don't doubt for a moment that either he or my mother had had something to do with the dress she'd worn. Even though she'd openly defied the dress code, she'd looked magnificent in that red. The way her décolletage had dipped low, her breasts even more emphasized by the tight fit of the dress, had had me staring at little else the entire night.
And I hadn't been the only one.
Anger simmers inside me anew. The way those men had leered at her, looking at something thatdoes notbelong to them…
