whores, brother. What’s the matter, can’t you interest a real woman long enough to stick around?”
He just laughs and raises his glass. “Touché. No, my problem is getting them to leave. What can I say, I’m a good catch?”
“That’s a matter of opinion.”
Lucian heads into the room and looks at me warily. “Have you made your decision yet?”
“No.”
He sighs and reaches for the same bottle my brother has just replaced. “Well, don’t take long about it. If I am to marry Miss. Moretti, I don’t want to waste any more time. If you decide against it, I want your written confirmation that you won’t come back and challenge me for my position. This ends now, Lorenzo because it’s too unsettling for the guards, our associates and this family. We need clear lines to operate within and if I’m to step up and take charge on a permanent basis, I want to do so with no blurred lines.”
He stares at me with the intense look that I know so well. My father looked at us in the same way and the steel behind his eyes reminds me of that man and how cruel he could be. Maybe Lucian is the perfect successor because he has a thirst for this life where I had my fill years ago. I already know I want no part in it but to throw Sophia to a monster is not my style and leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, so I say in a dark voice. “Then I am prepared to negotiate.”
Immediately, I have their attention and Lucian says in a low voice, “We’re listening.”
“I have no interest in picking up where I left off and am happy for Lucian to take charge, on one condition.”
I see the spark of interest in Lucian’s eyes as he leans forward. “Name it.”
“You walk away from the Moretti’s and set Sophia free.”
I think I hold my breath because I expect I’ve played right into their hands. They will now know I have feelings for her because I shouldn’t care what happens to her but it’s now obvious, I do.
Lucian says slowly, “Interesting. So, you would give all this up for a woman.”
“That’s not what I said.”
Romeo laughs. “It sounded like that to me.”
“Then you haven’t understood, I see some things never change.”
Romeo makes to rise and Lucian snaps, “Sit down.”
He turns to me and says in an emotionless voice. “Why would we do that, it doesn’t make good business sense? The whole purpose of marrying the Moretti girl is to expand our empire in a place we don’t control. Her brother is weak because he is looking for a way out and if Miss. Moretti becomes a Romano, then we have access to their network. We could easily take that over in exchange for a cut, keeping her brother in the style he is accustomed to. If we let her walk away, we would lose access to all that and nothing would change. This isn’t an emotional one, brother, it’s business and that, as you know, comes above everything.”
I turn away because I thought as much. It was never about Sophia and they are not interested in bringing me back into the fold because it compromises their own positions.
Romeo laughs softly. “If we agree and let the girl leave with you, what would that achieve? Lucian’s right. Nothing would change, so how is that good for business?”
“What about her brother?”
Dante raises the subject nobody has mentioned until now, and Lucian shrugs. “I’m guessing if his sister is ok with it, he would be too. Once we’ve agreed a course of action, then she will contact her brother and tell him the happy news. We would set up a meeting and assure him of our best intentions and offer our management services, enabling him to concentrate on his businesses that he appears to value higher than the family one. Everyone is happy and Lorenzo gets his freedom.”
“Do you really think that brother—that everyone will be happy?”
“If you’re talking about the girl, I can assure you I will make her very happy.”
My brothers laugh and it’s like pouring acid on my heart picturing Sophia married to this unfeeling bastard. It would destroy her and yet if I stepped up, I would never leave a place that destroys my soul.
Dante stands and sets his glass down. “We’ve run out of time. Nonna will be expecting us. My advice would be to settle this tonight and then we can move on. There