Chapter 0230

“I'm sorry, Fay,” Alessi says again, leaning across to me and reaching out his hand to take mine, true sorrow on his face. “You

are a lovely girl, I like you very much. I know this cannot be easy to hear, but it is...business.”

“I'm sorry,” Daniel says, putting his hand out to stop Alessi’s from reaching me. “What, precisely, are you trying to imply here by

bringing Fay into it?”

Alessi blinks at Damoe; and then sits back in his chair, glaring at his nephew for being difficult when we all know precisely what

he means. Alessi just doesn’t want to say it aloud — that if my father is dead the marriage to me will, of course, no longer be

worth anything at all, strategically.

“This is ridiculous,” Kent snaps next to me, ripping his hand out from beneath Natalia’s, but Alessi and Daniel ignore him.

“Daniel,” Alessi says, lifting a hand in a plea for Daniel to understand, “we love Fay — she is a wonderful girl. But we will find you

a new bride — one who will be a true wife to you —*

“Truly, Daniel,” Natalia says, looking at him with that simpering, motherly look I've come to hate. “It is clear that you and Fay are

friends, but that you have no true intimacy between you,” she says, not able to stop the little smirk that lifts the corner of her

mouth. “We will find you a bride who really lights a fire in you and benefits the family —*

Kent suddenly stands up next to me in a rage, knocking over his chair as he throws his napkin viciously at the table before

leaning close to Natalia, starting to hiss something cold and furious at her in fluent, fast Italian. I know, instinctually, that ordering

Kent to break ties with Alden is bold move on their part, but doing it this way? Making a demand of him, in front of Daniel and me,

without any discussion?

It's a checkmate.

And Kent, I know, will not respond well to that.

Before I make any move myself, though, Daniel gets to his feet as well, grabbing my left hand and pulling me with him.

“Fay,” he says, obliging me to look up at him, though I can feel Alessi’s eyes on us. He raises my left hand high so that it is

poised between our faces, so that I can see my engagement ring — a Lippert ring — glittering there. “Do you want to end our

engagement?”

“N-no,” I whisper, looking up at him, hoping it’s the right answer.

“Good,” he snaps, clenching his jaw and turning to stare hatefully at his uncle as Kent and Natalia begin to fight in earnest next

to us, their Italian so blazingly fast that I don’t know how they even understand each other.

Alessi stands as well now, calmly reaching out to Daniel as if in a plea for him to understand. But Daniel just shakes his head at

him and starts from the room, pulling with me as he goes.

“Come on, Fay,” he snarls. “We’re out of here.”

And I set my own jaw as I follow Daniel down the short set of stairs, never letting go of his hand and not looking behind me for a

moment as we storm towards the front door.

Out front a light rain starts to fall as

Daniel speaks briskly with hain valet,

asking him to hail a se anienoie

hares tL dges, with alo SF fficiency. I

don't say a word as the cab pulls up

to the curb, my jaw clenched and my

body starting to shake a little — I don’t

know with what, anger? Betrayal?

Cold? Please read the original

content at .

Daniel — ever solicitous — slips off his jacket and sets it lightly around my shoulders.

I look up at Daniel with gratitude and

see him looking down at me alre

shaking his headSKmestrry, Fay” ie

says asithetab pulls up, moving

forward to open the door for me. “I

can't believe that just happened —

you know I'd never —“ Please read the

original content at .

“It’s okay,” I say, cutting him off as I

climb into the car and move over so

that Daniel can get in too, though

know the priate thing to do

adhe tn let him close my door

“oh move around to the other side to

climb in himself. I don’t care about

what's appropriate, though — I just

want to get out of here. Fast. Please

read the original content at

.