Chapter 0191

“The pleasure is all mine,” I say, pitching my voice lower and holding Alessi’s gaze. “But who, may I ask, are you?”

“Fay,” Daniel says, coming to my side and wrapping a happy arm around my waist. “This is my Uncle Alessi, my mother’s

brother,” he tells me, and I raise my eyebrows, surprised by the news and pretending to be excited about it. But in reality, I find it

unnerving — neither Daniel nor Kent has said very much about Daniel's mother, Lenai, and I certainly didn’t know she had a

brother. Especially one who makes Kent go pale like that.

“And this,” Daniel says, turning towards the beautiful woman, who looks at me like a hungry cat peering at a little canary, “is

Natalia, an old family friend. My mother’s maid of honor, actually, at her wedding.”

“It is a pleasure,” Natalia says, moving slowly towards me and taking both of my hands before placing careful kisses on both of

my cheeks. “You are very beautiful,” she says, looking me up and down after she straightens, “a good fit for our Daniel, yes?”

she says, turning to beam at him in that adoring way Italian mothers look at their sons. She quickly looks back to me, though.

“American?”

“Fay was born in America, yes,” Kent answers quickly before I can open my mouth. “But her father’s family is Sicilian, like us. Her

mother...” he hesitates, and I realize that he doesn’t know.

“Scottish,” I supply sweetly, holding Natalia’s gaze and gesturing towards my red hair.

“Ahh,” Natalia says, nodding and still studying me. “And you can cook?”

I blink, surprised at the question. What the hell does that matter?

Daniel, at my side, laughs a little. “That’s something Fay’s working on,” he lies smoothly, smiling down at me and giving me a

squeeze.

Natalia nods sharply, still holding my gaze. “We will teach you to cook,” she says, folding her arms over her chest deliberately,

“like a real Italian woman, before you marry my godson. He needs a good wife.”

I smile a little, intimidated, and then nod, agreeing to her terms. But honestly, the last thing I want is to be trapped alone ina

kitchen with this woman. She scares me.

Alot.

“So, not that I’m not thrilled to see you,” Daniel says, smoothly changing the subject as he pulls me closer to his side, supportive,

“put what are you doing here? Was I —“ he glances at his father, “was I supposed to know you were coming?”

“No,” Natalia says, definitive, turning her cool gaze on Kent now. “We are a surprise.”

“Yes,” Alessi says, likewise shifting his attention back to Kent. “My father has been...interested. In your progress these past few

months. He sent us here to,” he shrugs here, apparently finding the words, “do a little tiny check. See how you’re doing. See if

we can be of any help.”

Kent’s eyebrows lower over his eyes as mine shoot up, realizing the depth of what Alessi is saying. Whoever his father is —

someone important, I suppose — he’s sending these two to monitor whatever Kent is doing with his underworld business.