Chapter 0193

The next afternoon, Daniel gets ready for the party with me in my room, and we're alone for the first time since Alessi and Natalia

arrived. He stayed up late with Alessi, drinking and laughing, while I begged off to bed by myself to be alone for a minute.

Today, Daniel and I had taken our guests out to see the sights, as Daniel promised. Natalia was, predictably, unimpressed and

kept calling our beautiful city a “horrible cage of rats.” I’m finally relaxing from the experience now as I do my hair, curling it gently

in the way that Fiona showed me so that I can let it sweep down over my shoulders like a femme fatale. My makeup is already

done to match, and I’m starting to feel powerful — exactly how I’m going to need to feel if I’m going to stand next to Natalia all

night.

“So, what's this all about, Daniel,” I ask him, looking at his reflection in the mirror so I don’t have to turn around. “Why are they

here, really?”

Daniel sighs and looks at me seriously. “Something’s up, Fay,” he says, shaking his head. “They wouldn't be here if it wasn’t.

Don Bianci — my grandfather — he hasn’t sent anyone to check on dad since mom died. We must seriously be in hot water if he’s

sending Natalia and Alessi here together.”

“Oh,” I say, my eyes going wide. Don Bianci — finally I have a name to put to Alessi’s father and Natalia’s boss. I had gleaned,

through our conversations the past day, that he’s an incredibly wealthy and powerful boss in Italy — and Kent's father-in-law. If

he’s getting upset with Kent...

“This could go really well,” Daniel continues, buttoning up his white shirt, “or, it could go terribly. A lot rides on what happens

tonight. Alessi and Natalia want the whole family together so they can get a real picture of what dad is doing. And then, whatever

they learn,” he shrugs, shaking his head. “They’ll decide to either support him in whatever way they can, or...”

“Or what,” I say, my hands going still as I stare at Daniel.

“Or they'll replace him,” Daniel says, looking at me seriously in the mirror. “My grandfather has a great deal of capital invested

with my father. Dad is the boss and grandpa generally lets him do what he wants,” he continues, “but if they decide that dad is

seriously messing up...”

I nod, understanding him. “Grandpa,” I murmur, grimacing a little. “Crazy that you call the most powerful mob boss in Italy

grandpa...”

“Not to his face,” Daniel says, grinning at me. “Then, it's nonno.”

“Nonno,” I say, laughing a little and wrinkling my nose. “That’s even weirder.”

Daniel laughs with me, shrugging, and then starts to put on his tie.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” I ask, finishing my hair and lifting a can of hairspray to set it just the way it is now.

“Just...make dad look good,” Daniel says, turning his eyes back to me. “Which, I think, means presenting a united front to Uncle

Alessi and Natalia.”

“United front,” I say, turning to him after I finish spraying. “By which you mean...”

“It would be better, Fay,” Daniel says seriously, pausing with his tie and turning to me. “If we were...engaged. And nobody knew,

at all, about...whatever’s going on with you and dad.”

I sigh, understanding and nodding. Then, seeing him struggle further with his tie, I stand up and cross the room to him, batting

his hands away and taking the tie in my own hands, beginning to knot it for him. “But you know,” I say quietly, looking up into his

face after a second. “That us pretending to be engaged for appearances doesn’t...actually change anything.”

“Fay,” Daniel whispers to me softly,

looking down into my eyes. ‘aot!

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“Daniel,” I interrupt, pausing my

hands and then wrapping them

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niel’s neck. “Even if I wasn't...” I

hesitate, not wanting to say it to him

aloud, “with your dad... you and me?

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“Fay,” Daniel sighs frustratedly,

shaking his head a \aveSsialit I

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“What about Jerome?” I ask, looking up at him, my expression serious. “It’s not fair to Jerome either.”

Daniel freezes for a second, staring at me — honestly, as if he’s never thought about it before.

“Are you in love with him?” I ask, genuinely wanting to know.