Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“You mean if my father called the wedding off?” Dom asked, “Or if she somehow disappeared?”
“Is there a difference?” Isabel asked.
Gio snorted. “Huge difference.”
“If my dad calls the wedding off, he’d bear the repercussions. I don’t know what that would mean, but no one messes with Giuseppe, so I doubt there will be any,” Gabe said. “If Lenora ‘disappears,’ Dad will lose his shit, and Adriano will wreak havoc.”
“Why? It’s not like he’s in love with her. He doesn’t even know her,” Emma said.
“Not everything is about love, Emmaline,” I said, smirking when she flashed me her middle finger.
“Adriano is a lot like my father,” Dom said. “He gets off on possessing things. Right now, he thinks he owns the almighty Giuseppe De Luca’s daughter. It may not mean much here but in Italy? That’s huge.”
“Not to mention, he’s been bragging about how pure she is to everyone and how he might deflower her in front of them,” Gabe said, clearly disgusted. A spark of anger shot through me.
“Where’d you hear that?” Dom asked, his voice low and controlled. “Where the hell did you hear that, Gabriel, and why are you just telling me now?”
“Because I know how you get, and as much as I would love to stop this wedding, you know it’s impossible without going to war,” Gabe said. “She’s going to be his wife.”
“So that means he should be able to do whatever the fuck he wants to her?” Dominic asked, still composed, but the veins in his neck were throbbing. “Because she’s his wife, he should be able to deflower our little sister in front of people? What the fuck, Gabe?”
“Who’s everyone?” I asked, my high officially gone, the relaxed feeling replaced by quiet rage.
“Adriano throws these huge parties,” Gabe started.
“Orgies,” Gio said.
“Orgies that you and Dom used to attend,” Gabe said, raising an eyebrow.
“Fun times.” That was Isabel. She sounded more amused than upset.
“Gross.” That was Rosie.
“Watch it.” Dom glared at his brother. He looked down at his wife and said, “I was eighteen and only went once.”
“Oh, fuck off. You two weren’t even together and Rosie knows you weren’t a saint,” Gabe said. I could feel Dominic was a second away from pulling his gun on his brother, so I stepped in.
“Gabe,” I snapped. “Just tell us what the fuck you heard.”
“I went to one of those parties last time I was there and spent most of my time in the cigar room. I was talking to a friend when I heard a group of men talking about how Adriano bragged about Nora’s. . .virginity.”
“Did they know who you were?” I asked.
“I doubt it. It was a masquerade type of thing.” He waved a hand around his face.
“What does Adriano gain from this marriage besides being able to say he married Giuseppe’s daughter?” I set my drink down carefully. If I didn’t, I’d break the glass.
“He gets a cut of whatever Dad uses his land for. Getting access to the ports will be huge for Dad and Adriano with his forty percent cut,” Gabe explained.
“Forty percent?” Dom nearly shouted, then lowered his voice. “The fuck? Dad agreed to that?”
“Why would Adriano need that money?” Isabel asked. “He’s a duke. I mean, we drove by his castle when we were there.”
“It’s a bullshit title,” Gio said. “Those guys don’t have money.”
Isabel still looked confused, as did Rosie and Emma.
“They only own whatever land was passed on, and every generation keeps getting rid of more and more of it to maintain those castles and that lifestyle,” I explained. “Adriano needs this.”
“Desperately, from what I heard,” Gabe said, pursing his lips. “So Nora’s stuck with the creepy, sick bastard.”
“The creepy bastard who thinks taking a younger woman’s virginity gives him bragging rights,” Rosie said, scowling.
“There you are,” Yari said loudly as she came up and hugged Rosie, Isabel, and Emma. She said hi to the rest of them before coming up to me. I looked at her expectantly to see what would come out of her mouth today. “You ready for me tonight, handsome?”
“Yari.” Rosie’s tone was a warning, but she couldn’t help her laugh. I had to laugh as well because this woman was relentless.
Yaritza was Rosie’s best friend. She also worked at Oui, the escort company Dominic owned. It had been a complete coincidence. Before Rosie and Dom found each other, Yari always flirted with him. Now that he was taken, she’d moved on to Russo and me. It was all in good fun, though. Not that I didn’t think she’d fuck either of us if we suggested it, but her flirting was all in good fun. The first few times, I considered hooking up with her, but I didn’t want things to get weird since she was Rosie’s friend. I nearly laughed at myself. I didn’t want to hook up with Rosie’s friend, but I was salivating over my friend’s sister, like that made any sense.