“We didn’t know you were coming.” I unwrap myselfveryreluctantly from my blanket and give her a hug.
Alba doesn’t do that. She just makes kissing sounds and drinks her grappa.
“I had to,” she squeals. “I just found out. On the day of the funeral at the Palazzo, Nico basically told Papà that he’s hiring you to succeed Matteo, and when Papà said he’d fire him, he said, 'faccia pure.' Heactuallysaid that word-for-word.”
“Go ahead is onlytwowords,” Alba counters lazily and then straightens. “He’s okay being fired from the CEO job, which he married Alessia for?”
“Yes!” Toni throws her arms around me and plants loud kisses on both my cheeks. “And this is so romance movie. When Papà asked him if he’d risk his position for you, do you know what he said?”
Alba and I stare at her, stone-faced, refusing to give her the satisfaction of wanting very much to hear what he said. On purpose. Because this is what sisters do.
“You two don’t deserve romance.” She flaps a hand dramatically. “He said—quote—'For her, Cesare, I’d risk my life.’”
Alba’s hand freezes halfway to her glass.
I catch my breath, my heart stuttering between hope and dread. “What?” My voice comes out in a whisper.
Toni’s grin lights up like sunrise—but she reels it in when she sees the tension around my eyes.
“Ah…well, I don’t haveallthe details,” she stalls.
We both roll our eyes.
“I heard it secondhand—from someone who heard it from…well that doesn’t matter, right? It’s rock-solid. Papà pressed him, Nico didn’t back down.”
My pulse pounds in my ears.
Alba refills her drink and mine. “If you want a glass, go get one from inside.”
Toni ignores her and picks up Alba’s glass and takes a long swallow. She sets the glass down and giggles. “Isn’t this awesome?”
“You heard this from Renzo,” Alba observes. It’s not a question, even I, whose brain circuits are fried right now, know that.
Toni shrugs and sits down on a chair next to Alba. “No,” she says in an exaggerated manner.
We both narrow our eyes.
She sticks her tongue out. “If you must know Renzo didn’t say a word. I tried to pry it out of him but he was a tomb. Also, nothing is happening betweenus. I don’t know why everyone keeps thinking there is. He’s mentoring me to take his job one day.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Alba mutters.
“Hey, and even if something is happening, which it’s not, how is that any of your business?” Toni demands belligerently.
I smack her lightly on the back of her head.
“Ouch.” She rubs the spot where I barely struck her. “That’s child abuse.”
“If you’re doing what ‘something is happening’entails with Renzo, you’re not a child,” I retort and sit back down. “If Renzo is playing tight-lipped COO and friend, how did you find out?”
Toni wiggles her eyebrows. “Because in this family, walls have ears. AndmaybePapà’s executive assistantunwinds with Campari andmaybefinds me…ah…entertaining?”
“You flirted with him, you little slut!” Alba raises her hand for a high-five, which Toni slaps with enthusiasm.
Toni’s always had this skill. She’s charming—with an open laugh and disarmingly warm, the kind of woman strangers confess to without realizing they’re spilling secrets. People tell her things they’re later aghast to have revealed to her.
I close my eyes for a heartbeat, picturing Nico sitting tall across from Papà, meeting his gaze. Standing up for me.
“Argh!” I cry out.
