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Cher shrugs, her face a mask of indifference. “I don’t see how that’s my problem.”
I ignore Fee’s warning look, my anger boiling over. “It’syourproblem because it’syourfamily. Why won’t you give Sofia the money to buy Perfezione? You clearly have more than enough.”
Cher’s face hardens. “That place?” she spits. “I hate Perfezione. I refuse to have anything to do with it.”
“Even if it means your daughter and granddaughter end up on the street?” I ask incredulously.
Cher’s eyes narrow. “Sofia made her choices. She chose that shop over a real career, over a real life when she spread her legs and got herself pregnant. I won’t enable her foolishness."
Is she fuckingserious?
I feel Fee’s hand on my arm, trying to calm me, but I’m too far gone. “Foolishness? Spreading her legs? She was fifteen fucking years old. She wassexually assaulted. She’s raisingyour granddaughter. She’s fucking keeping your father’s legacy alive. That’s foolishness to you?”
Cher waves a dismissive hand. “You wouldn’t understand. Now, if there’s nothing else, I really must prepare for my meetings.”
As she turns to leave, I call out, “We need to know about the arrangement between Antoni Timpone and Perfezione. It’snot just a gentlemen’s agreement between Antoni and Zip. What aren’t you telling us?”
Cher freezes, her back to us. For a moment, the room is silent, the only sound that of Fee’s unsteady breathing. Then, slowly, she turns back, her face unreadable. “You really want to open that can of worms, Angelo Pirelli? Trust me, some secrets are better left buried.”
No. Fuck this. She’snotgoing to get away with giving me that bullshit excuse. I stand to my full height, my presence filling the room. My voice drops low, a dangerous edge to it that I usually reserve for rival families and traitors.
“Sit down, Cher,” I command, my eyes never leaving hers. “This secret is coming out, one way or another. The easy way is you tell us now. The hard way… well, let’s just say you don’t want to find out what that entails.”
Cher’s eyes widen, a flicker of fear crossing her face. She sinks into a nearby chair, her bravado crumbling.
“Fine,” she spits out, glaring at me. “You want the truth? Here it is.”
She takes a deep breath, her eyes darting between Fee and me. “Antoni Timpone and I had a wild, passionate affair for years. He loved me and I loved him. But Antoni became too dark, too powerful. I fell in love with someone else. David Bingham.”
Fee looks puzzled. “Who is that?”
Cher closes her eyes, looking pained. “Your father.”
I hear Fee’s sharp intake of breath beside me. “My father?” she whispers.
Cher nods, her face a mask of pain and regret. “Antoni’s jealousy and temper… they were legendary. When I walked away from him for good, he lashed out. One night, he… he killed David in a jealous rage.”
The room falls silent, the weight of her words hanging heavily in the air.
“He’s been paying me ever since to keep quiet about the murder,” Cher continues, her voice hollow. “That included paying for Perfezione. We let everyone believe it was out of the kindness of his heart, but really… it was blood money.”
I feel Fee trembling beside me, and I instinctively wrap an arm around her shoulders.
“And now?” I prompt, my voice hard.
Cher shrugs helplessly. “Now, Antoni’s dead. I can’t hold that over Gino. He doesn’t care about his father’s sins.”
I process this information, my mind racing. “So Gino’s not just after Perfezione because of what it represents. He’s trying to erase all evidence of his father’s guilt.”
Cher nods, her lower lip trembling as she folds her shaking hands into her lap. “Exactly. And he won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
17
SOFIA
The ringing in my ears drowns out everything else as I try to process my mother’s words. My father… David Bingham. A name I’ve never known, a face I’ll never see. Murdered by Antoni Timpone in a jealous rage. It’s too much to take in.
Beside me, Angelo’s voice cuts through the fog, sharp with anger. “You kept this from her all these years? Let her struggle, let Lou grow up in near poverty, when you could have helped? You’re fucking wealthy enough.”
