"Of course not," Bruno mutters. "I respected your grandmother. I would never let that happen. But that's why I need your help."
"What do you mean?" I can't help but be suspicious. I shouldn't trust Bruno, not after everything he's done to my family and the people I love. He may claim to have known nonna, but he sure as hell didn't show her son any mercy when he shot and killed him.
"I need your help to make your grappa business great again," he says. "You have the passion to make it happen, and I'm giving you the opportunity to do it, so don't disappoint me."
"Am I interrupting?"
We both look to the door and my heartbeat picks up when I see Adrian standing there.
"What is it?" Bruno demands.
"What's she doing here?" Adrian narrows his eyes, motioning to me.
"She's working for me," Bruno explains carelessly. "Working off some captivity time."
"I didn't agree to that," Adrian hisses.
"You don't need to. As far as I know, I run this house, not you," Bruno replies.
Adrian looks pissed off as he glances between the two of us. "This won't work. She shouldn't be working for us, Father."
"I believe I can be the judge of that," Bruno replies.
"She's not to be trusted," Adrian mutters, glaring at me.
This makes me even angrier. How dare he talk about me that way?
"I thought you knew better, Father. Has she already got you wrapped around her little finger so soon?"
"She's perfectly suitable for the job I gave her," Bruno replies. "And she's been a great help."
"It helps me too," I mutter. "It helps to know my family's estate won't be shattered. I don't want my heritage ruined, I want it to flourish."
"You shouldn't be here, anyway," Bruno tells his son. "You should be helping Nicoletta prepare for your wedding, not wasting time on some captive."
His words hurt, but I'm eager to see Adrian's reaction, so I keep sneaking glances at him.
Adrian doesn't say another word. He just approaches his father's desk, finally. "Father, we need to speak in private."
"No, we don't," Bruno says clearly. "I've already told you everything you need to know. Now, go help Nicoletta. She was asking about you earlier."
Adrian grits his teeth.
I watch innocently from my seat, dabbing my lips with a napkin.
"Then I want to see Marzia later in the evening to discuss something," Adrian hisses.
"Oh, you do, don’t you!" Bruno laughs. "What makes you think I'm going to allow that, with your fiancée only a door down?"
"Then let Marzia spend the night with me," Adrian says.
My heart leaps with expectation. I glance at Bruno.
He is watching me, as if trying to see how I'll react. "It's a terrible idea," Bruno mutters.
"Father, you can't just—"
"I didn't say no," Bruno cuts him off. "Don't make me change my mind. I'll just pretend I don't know about this."
"Thank you, Father," Adrian replies stiffly, shooting me one last look before leaving Bruno's office.
I sit there, my cheeks reddened as I push the empty plate away.
"Don't pretend you aren't as smug as the cat that got the cream," Bruno reminds me.
"I'm not."
"I can see you gloating from here. This doesn't mean anything."
"Of course." I nod innocently. "Adrian will still marry Nicoletta. You're still very healthy. And there's certainly no ulterior motive or plan at play here."
He stares at me before erupting in laughter.
Even I can't help the smile tugging on the corners of my lips.
"You're sharper than you let on," Bruno compliments me. "Did your father know what a little gem he had on his hands?"
"It didn't matter to him either way," I find myself confessing. "As long as I looked pretty and kept my mouth shut, I was a good girl in his eyes."
"Peculiar," Bruno mutters.
"How so?"
"Well, you'd think your father would be proud to have such a smart daughter," Bruno goes on.
"All he cared about was my brother," I explain. "He is the heir, after all. I don't stand to inherit anything. My only role in this scenario is getting married to the highest bidder to make our family name stronger." I can't help the hint of bitterness that sneaks into my voice. It's hard not to harbor ill feelings toward my parents since they've been gone, but I can't help it. They wanted me to be a pretty little fool and I always strived for so much more than just being the perfect obedient doll they raised me to be.
But something tells me Bruno likes that. He seems to appreciate my character, even encourages me to work on my skills which Father would've deemed unseemly for a young woman like me.
"Your father didn't know you very well at all, did he?" he asks thoughtfully.
I shrug. "He never really made an effort to change that."
"I'm sorry I took that from you."
I raise my eyes to his. "What do you mean?"