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Mancini’s expression softens immediately.
“Elena is my wife, and Giuliana is my daughter. Your half sister.”
Luxtyn’s expression remains neutral, which is impressive given everything she’s learned today. Add in a half sister she knew nothing about and I’d say it’s a miracle she hasn’t passed out from system overload like Enzo said she might. She’s stronger than any of us give her credit for.
“Maybe you can come to dinner and meet them soon,” Mancini suggests.
“Over my dead body,” I interject. “She’s not going near any Silvestri, and you’re dumber than I thought if you think I’ll throw her to that feral daughter of yours.” The possessiveness in my tone shocks me as much as everyone else in the room. Well, except for Enzo. Enzo remains seated next to me, annoyingly quiet and with that stupid ass grin he’s held on his face ever since we picked her up at the airport.
“DiMaggio. . .” Mancini says my last name in a threatening tone and steps toward me, causing me to leap to my feet.
Enzo quickly does the same, intercepting our potentially explosive blow as he places a hand on my chest and pushes me back. “Let’s all calm down, okay? We can talk about meetups after the DNA test comes back.”
“We’re not talking about any fucking meetups. She’s not meeting Mancini’s family. End of story.”
“Shecan speak for herself,” Luxtyn says, causing me to dart my eyes in her direction. My anger starts taking over and my breaths become shallow as my heart rate increases. “And if I decide to meet Elena and Giuliana, then that’s exactly what it’ll be.Mydecision.Youare not the boss of me.”
“You’re going to be my wife. Therefore, youwilllisten to me,” I grind out.
Luxtyn huffs a laugh as she stands from her chair. “You’re in for a rude awakening if you think I’ll let you walk all over melike that,Teo.” My nickname on her lips sounds so good that I surprisingly relax the slightest bit, even with Luxtyn disregarding her safety. “You might be able to use my mom against me right now, but make no mistake, I am my own woman. If you can’t seem to wrap your mind around that, then thismarriageisn’t going to work.”
Walking over to Luxtyn, I say, “Oh, this marriagewillwork. You just wait and see.” Her eyes shift from left to right as she gazes into my eyes.
“Luxtyn, I hate to do this to you, but I have to leave,” Mancini says, causing me to turn back to him. “As soon as the DNA results are in, please let me know, Matteo.” He glances around me, back to Luxtyn. “I already know the answer in my heart, but I know you need the physical proof.”
Scoffing, I roll my eyes at how endearing he’s being and cross my arms over my chest. “Rocco will see you out,” I say loud enough for Rocco to hurry into the office and lead him out.
Once they’ve left the room, I turn my attention back to Luxtyn who’s fidgeting with the cuff of her sweatshirt and biting the inside of her cheek like there’s something she’s keeping herself from saying. “What?” I snap.
She swallows hard before speaking. “I need to ask you a question. As much as I don’t like you, you seem to be the only one that’s honest and doesn’t beat around the bush with me.”
I cock my head and raise a brow, intrigued to hear what her question is. She straightens her back, almost as if she’s preparing herself for my answer while still fidgeting with the cuff of her sweatshirt.
“What are the chances my mom is still alive?”
Her voice is soft, and I see the vulnerability in her eyes. It nearly makes me falter. She’s scared, and while I’m not here to be the girl’s hero, it unravels something in me. Some protectiveinstinct like I experienced when Mancini made the dumb suggestion of having her meet Elena and Giuliana. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced with a woman. It makes me feel vulnerable, and I don’t like it. I don’t like it one fucking bit.
“The probability of your mother being alive is high.”
A glimmer of hope lights up her eyes. “How do you know?”
“If she were dead, Silvestri would’ve already sent her body to your dad.”
Luxtyn swallows hard, I’m sure imagining what it would be like to see the dead body of her mother. It’s a terrible feeling. One I know all too much about.
“What makes you say that?” she asks.
I turn away from her, brushing a hand through my hair. The flashback of seeing my parents’ dead bodies running through my mind. “Because Silvestri likes to do things a certain way. If he had your mother and killed her, he would’ve had her body dropped off at Mancini’s doorstep as proof that he holds all of the power.”
Her eyes widen and her jaw drops. “That’s sick.”
“That’s the life we come from, Luxtyn,” I bark out. “Bodies send a message, and Giuseppe Silvestri loves sending very direct messages. If he felt Mancini was going behind his back with a woman who could sabotage their alliance, you bet your ass he’s going to shove it down his throat that he took her away from him.”
She winces at the rigidness of my voice, but she needs to understand this is the world she lives in now.
“Do you think they’ve hurt her?” Her quavering voice tells me she doesn’t want to know the answer to that question.
I let out a deep breath, thinking about how I want torespond to that. “Do you really want me to answer that question?”
