Chapter 0254

And then I scowl again, realizing that he’s right. That I have no reason, on the surface, to mind that Kent is looking down at

Natalia like the long-lost-love she might very well be.

So I turn my attention back to Daniel, taking another big swig out of my glass of wine as he leads me over to the table and seats

me down with him.

“Gonna be a long dinner, isn’t it,” I murmur to my fiancé as we watch Natalia put a fond hand on Kent’s cheek before heading

again into the kitchen to get more food.

“At least there's gonna be a show,” Daniel mutters back, drinking his own wine now.

Kent comes over to the table then, taking his place at the head, not bothering to acknowledge either of us as he takes out his

phone and flicks through his messages, clearly preoccupied.

“Seriously?” I say to Daniel and Kent, and both look up at me at the same time with matching Lippert stares. “We’re doing this?” I

ask, looking between father and son. “We're just...having dinner again? Ignoring the fact that last night she ordered my father’s

assassination and ended my engagement?”

“What would you suggest, Fay?” Kent murmurs, putting his phone down on the table and turning his heavy attention to me

completely.

My mouth falls open, ready to respond, before I realize that...! don’t have any answers. I don’t have a suggestion for what we

should be doing instead. I sputter for a couple of seconds before Daniel comes to my aid.

“She's right, dad,” he says, sighing and leaning back in his chair as he takes another deep sip of his wine. “It’s kind of ridiculous

to expect us to sit here and play nice, considering what went down last night.”

“Well,” Kent says, leaning back and studying us. “You're free to go, if you want,” he says, giving a little shrug and a smirk. “If

you're feeling...cowardly.”

I glare at him a little, falling for his taunt even though I know precisely what it is.

Daniel opens his mouth to protest, but Kent cuts smoothly in. “Listen, I hear you both, okay? But the Bianci family is an incredibly

important ally that I absolutely cannot afford to alienate completely, no matter how much they've pissed you off. And Daniel,” he

says, looking at him closely now, “they are your family. Whether or not they’ve made you mad, you are tied to them for life. I

would suggest you find a way to create a middle ground, especially with Alessi if not Natalia.”

“And what about me?” I ask, curious and a little miffed that Daniel is getting personalized mafia advice when I am not.

“You, Fay,” he says, smirking at me. “I’m getting the impression that you'll make your own decisions regardless of my advice.”

“Doesn't mean I don’t want it just so I can do the opposite,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him and making him laugh. But even as

Kent laughs a little, and Natalia comes back through the door, Alessi at his heels, I don’t miss the fact that Daniel frowns at me,

just a little.

And I realize that Kent, in that moment...

Well, that intentionally or not, he

communicated to both of uscthatiie

eipdtnece ei me to make

wn choices than he does his

own son. Please read the original

content at .

But there’s no time to discuss this —

not really — as Natalia places a large

bowl of salad on the table and then

promptly sits down opsKent'sl69) I

wrgpRing hier afP around hie neck

and pretending that this is a normal

thing in the Lippert house. Kent, to

my displeasure, wraps a steady arm

around her waist — as casual as a

friend but, with the way he lets his

thumb rub slowly up and down

against her ... Please read the original

content at .

I turn away from the sight and finish my second glass of wine, doing my best to keep my face impassive.

But I place my empty glass on the

table and nod at it, silently ingiegting

to saat Kencaing Y3 need a

Heok 6 lot more wine if I’m

supposed to get through this. Please

read the original content at

.