Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 148962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
As I watch him retreat, the emotional overload catches up with me. Beppe comes skittering over, pawing at my leg until I pick him up and let him comfort me.
“You got through to him,” Angelo murmurs, his voice rough with disbelief.
I offer him a watery smile. “He used to do the same for me.”
Angelo scrapes a hand over his jaw and shakes his head. “Here we were trying to brace for a storm, and you knew how to harness it all along.”
“I only know because he taught me. I get what it’s like to feel too much all at once. Everyone treats it like it’s a bomb that needs to be defused. But sometimes all you need is someone to stand with you in the storm until it passes.”
A moment of silence stretches between us as regret lingers in Angelo’s eyes. “I guess you’re right.”
Someone knocks on the door before it creaks open, and Abella pokes her head inside. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” Angelo gestures her inside, kissing her on the top of her head when she reaches him. “Thanks to Gabi.”
Abella offers me a knowing smile, like she never doubted it would be alright. “Everyone’s at the table. Why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll talk to Gabs for a minute.”
Angelo nods, giving her one last squeeze before he leaves the room and closes the door behind him.
“Are you really okay?” she asks.
“I am,” I assure her. “All of that was just…unexpected.”
Sadness shadows her features. “You two have a lot of history.”
I consider shrugging it off, but I saw things through a different lens for the first time in nine years. And even though I shouldn’t, I feel like I need to acknowledge it.
“Was he trying to protect me?” My voice softens. “Is that why he told me to stay away?”
“I can’t tell you for sure.” Abella releases a long breath. “But if you want my opinion, I think so.”
I nod through my tears, slowly coming to terms with that reality. In some ways, it changes everything, but it fixes nothing.
All the pain and anger feel softer when it’s wrapped in understanding. But it doesn’t alter our circumstances. It’s been too long, and too much has happened. In less than a year, I’ll be married to Riccardo, and I can’t live with my head in the clouds dreaming of any other reality—with either Eros or Romeo.
“You want to talk about something else?” Abella suggests.
I remember I’ve been meaning to ask her for an update, and now would be a good time since we’re alone.
“Have you heard anything else about Romeo’s research on Imperium?”
“Not yet.” She sighs. “He said he’d let me know when he finds something.”
“Okay. Hopefully we’ll hear something soon.”
“We’ll get it figured out.” Abella smiles. “But right now I’m starving, and Nonna made enough food for an entire village. So we better get out there and eat it.”
“Alright.” I steel myself, mentally preparing to face Riccardo. “Let’s go then.”
20
GABRIELA
“It’s all about disrupting the status quo.” Riccardo’s voice carries over all the others as we approach the dining area. “I’m telling you, cuz, banking is obsolete. In a few more years, using a debit card will be as primitive as cave drawings. The time for evolution is now.”
As we round the corner, I can see that Rafe is his chosen soundboard for the evening, and even though they’re related, poor Rafe looks like he’d rather cut off his own ears than have this conversation.
Riccardo is well known as a crypto-bro and, in some circles, a scammer. He’s also a big proponent of high-end cocaine and genetic optimization—a future where empathy and weakness have been bred out of the genome.
I’ve heard him described as a megalomaniac, and that seems more accurate by the minute. Truthfully, I can’t think of a single redeeming quality he possesses, and the idea of being married to him and listening to this for the rest of my life makes me feel physically ill.
It’s apparent he’s had a few drinks already in the time it took me to get here from the ballroom. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m already emotionally overloaded, but his voice is more grating than usual.
When he notices that I’ve arrived, a flicker of irritation moves through his gaze as it falls on me. I challenged him earlier, and he didn’t like it.
“Gabriela.” He snaps his fingers like I’m a dog. “Come here. I was just telling Rafe about my latest business venture.”
I join them with all the enthusiasm of a bait fish on a hook, and it must be obvious because Riccardo shoots me a contemptuous look.
“We’ll need to work on how you present yourself to my investors,” he says. “I’ll expect you to network with me and bring something to the table. Aren’t you supposed to have some kind of special talent? I thought that was part of the autism thing.”