Wife (Betrothed 1)

That sounded like mindless slavery to me.

I had much bigger ambitions in life. “I’m going to work with Gustavo tomorrow. He’s gonna show me a few things about the hotel, give me a job so I can learn as much as possible.” It never made sense to me that my mother remarried and handed her position in her business to her new husband. That just seemed stupid to me.

She slowly turned to me, not even bothering to cover the disdain in her eyes. “Honey, men are supposed to work. Women make other people work for them.”

“It’s not just a random job. I want to take over the hotel business when Gustavo retires.”

“Your husband can handle that.”

I loved my mother, but her old-fashioned outlook on marriage was so archaic that she seemed senile. “Maybe that was true a hundred years ago, but things have changed. I’m perfectly capable of handling our company on my own.”

“I know you’re a bright girl with a lot of brilliant ideas. But it doesn’t matter how smart you are. It doesn’t mean you can get things done.”

My fingers rested on the top of my coffee cup, the heat reaching my skin. Even simple conversations with my mother turned into wars on a battlefield. She was so stubborn and opinionated that even mundane discussions were unbearable. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means…” She took a sip of her coffee then set it down beside her. “That no matter how hard you try, people will never respect you the way they would respect a man. They won’t listen to you or value your ideas. Anytime you delegate, they’ll assume you’re being an overbearing bitch. People will push you around and take advantage of you. That’s just the world we live in…which is why you need a powerful husband who can protect your wealth and interests.”

It was such a load of horseshit. “If you really believe that, why did you encourage me to attend university?”

“To get your M-R-S. Degree.”

“Excuse me?” I asked, an eyebrow raised.

“I wanted you to meet a good man and settle down. But you came back without a ring on your finger.”

“I wasn’t shopping for a husband. I was only interested in learning.”

She shrugged then kept looking out at the breathtaking view. Most people would never know the wealth we got to enjoy—and we didn’t even work for it. “You’re still young, so enjoy yourself, Sofia. Date men you’ll never marry. Screw guys who will only hold your interest for a night. Because eventually…all that fun stuff ends. That’s one of my regrets…not enjoying my youth. I immediately married your father… I wish I’d let loose first.”

I’d definitely been letting loose, and the casual detachment was simple. Maybe if I met a man I really liked, things would be different. But the idea of settling down into boring mediocrity sounded terrible. I wanted to be an executive, I wanted to have flings, and I wanted to have a family someday…even if I did it on my own. But being tied down to one man forever…sounded terrible. “I’m only twenty-two. I have a lot of youth left inside me.”

“Then enjoy it. But don’t get your hopes up about running that hotel.”

The sexism surprised me, especially coming from my own mother. “It’s nice to be home.”

She chuckled, picking up on my sarcasm. “I can’t wait for you to move out either.”

Gustavo had married my mother just three months after my father was gone.

He was a widower, having lost his wife in a terrible car accident just a few years before my father died. He had one son, who lived out of the house and had already started his own family. I didn’t know the specifics of my mother’s second nuptials, but I knew it had been negotiated like a contract.

But in any case, I liked him.

He was kind, affectionate, and treated my mom well. When I saw them together, they seemed more like friends than man and wife. Maybe that was why their relationship worked so well. My mother wanted a man to take care of her, and Gustavo didn’t want to be lonely.

It could be worse, so I let it be.

We went to the Tuscan Rose together and entered the lobby. Several chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the crystals on fire as the light shone through the prisms. White vases with fresh flowers lined the tables and counters, and mirrors on the wall showed how expansive the room really was. I loved the energy the second I stepped inside, loved the excitement of the guests as they checked in at the front desk. It was impeccably clean, a visual representation of the Romano family name.

“I suggest you start with a concierge position.” Instead of leading me to the back where the offices were located, he stopped in the lobby. “You know so much about this city, and you’re so good with people. It’s a great start.”