Mafia Kings: Valentino: Dark Mafia Romance Series #6 by Olivia Thorn

Mafia Kings: Valentino: Chapter 41

The dining room was in another white-walled room, but this time, wooden cabinets lined the walls and showed off old porcelain figurines and gold-rimmed plates.

Isabella and I arrived at the same time. After my run-in with Don Vicari earlier, I wasn’t about to be late.

Nobody else was there yet, so I decided to make conversation with my bride-to-be.

“Hey,” I said with a smile.

“Hello,” she said bashfully.

“I read Milk and Honey,” I said, then tried to remember one of the lines. “‘Sex takes two’ – wait, hold on… there was something about consent…”

Isabella’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

“You can’t tell my father!” she said in a panicked whisper. She glanced behind me, probably to make sure he wasn’t coming down the hall.

“I won’t,” I said, surprised by how afraid she was. “But you were the one who said the book title in front of him, you know.”

“My father hasn’t ever read a book of poetry,” she whispered. “I knew he’d never open it. But if you tell him what it’s about – ”

“I won’t!” I said, like Jesus, calm down!

“Thank you,” she said, relieved. Then she frowned, puzzled. “How did you get a copy?”

“I borrowed yours.”

Back to full-blown panic.

“What?! Did you come into my room?!”

“No, Ludavica got it for me!”

God damn.

If this was what she was going to be like all the time, it was gonna be a long fucking marriage.

Isabella looked angry. “Ludavica gave it to you?! She didn’t ask me!”

“I asked her for it so I could read it as a surprise,” I said hastily, not wanting to get the servant girl in trouble. “So you and me could have something to talk about.”

“…oh,” Isabella said, stunned. “That’s… that’s really nice of you.”

I suddenly felt bad for her.

It seemed nobody in her life had ever taken an interest in the things she loved.

I tried to lighten things up with a jokey tone of voice. “I was kind of surprised you liked it.”

“Why?” she asked with a frown. She was acting like I’d offended her.

“Well, it’s kind of spicy.” I nearly added, For a virgin, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate me bringing that up, so I kept it to something she’d told me herself. “Especially for somebody who can’t watch TV or go on the internet.”

“Oh,” she said, her anger gone. “I guess that’s true.”

“Maybe we could talk about the book later,” I suggested.

“Not here,” she whispered frantically.

“Okay, okay – where, then?”

“…I don’t know…”

That sadness in her voice… like she would never be able to discuss something she loved, at least not openly.

Suddenly, she looked past me and forced a smile. “Hello, Daddy.”

I turned to see Don Vicari walking towards us down the hall.

“What are you two talking about?” he asked suspiciously.

“Just the books she’s reading,” I replied.

“Oh,” he replied like he couldn’t care less. “Go sit down. I’m hungry.”

He brushed past us and went into the room.

I felt even worse for Isabella than before.

A father who treated her like she was barely there…

But who terrified her, too.

Especially if he should find out what she was secretly like.

As much as I didn’t want to marry the girl…

thousand

and the great-grandmother, who was helped into the room by a

I guess she wasn’t allowed to be present

table made for 12 people. Don Vicari sat at the far end with the old

of the table. Even though we

never seen before. It looked like tiny fish skins

asked, poking at the silver, scaly thing on my

sardines stuffed

was not a

big part of

yes. My father loves

“…great.”

tried a bite

got flooded with fishy

Fuckin’ sardines…

swallow of red wine, which was just okay – not like the fantastic wines my family produced

“Not to

said as I drank more wine and tried to swish it around

about boring-ass things like how there hadn’t been enough rain

noticed the old bastard loved to

seemed to be his greatest joy in life: being dissatisfied

all. She just ate in silence. Whenever I looked over and caught her eye, she gave me a big smile before going

times better than the sardines: not fishy at all, and the sauteed garlic and tomatoes they

main course that things

Isabella asked, “how was your

at Don Vicari,

“Um… uneventful,” I answered.

heard anyone describe being around my

then trailed off, not wanting to get in trouble

be pretty uneventful, too, without TV or

our secret conversation in

agreed with a smile of my

one for history or philosophy,

a long time ago.” When she looked at me blankly, I said,

at me like I’d said some weird

Jesus Christ.

mind. But yeah, I liked

might like the book,

shrugged. “Sure.

the complete lack of entertainment around here continued, I was

the end of the table, “If you want to waste your time with your nose in a book, Isabella, fine – but

looked at him,

he was actually angry, way

down at

to him,” Don

sorry, Valentino,” she whispered, unable to look me in the

there in shock

I lost

Vicari and snapped, “What

old bastard looked at

to be nice to me,”

quickly drained from Don Vicari’s face

him that way for

who had spoken that way to him had wound up

deathly silence filled

was at that point I realized I

corner of my eye, I saw Isabella staring at me. Her face was white as

just say to me?”

I had a choice.

under his thumb as far as the work situation went.

an entirely

back down and let this asshole grind me under his heel, now and for

stand up for

And Isabella.

if I did stand up for the

in Sicily

So –

FUCK this guy.

“She was trying to share something with me that means a lot to her – something that she loves. And since she’s going

Vicari looked like he was about to kill me

say anything, I hit him

all, don’t you want me protecting your daughter after we

to Niccolo for the verbal judo. He’d taught me the general principle a couple of years ago when he was explaining how a consigliere could negotiate

the one thing they CAN’T say ‘no’ to without making

they’re FORCED to say ‘no’… or they

sat there stewing in his hatred – but what

I don’t want

a shitheel would