Page 34 of Useless Love

After a few message exchanges, she confirms everything: she’s in love with Robert and doesn’t want an arranged marriage.

I find Father in his office working on his computer. I knock on the open door and he smiles at me.

“Come in, princess.” After I kiss his cheek, he asks, “Are you not hiding out at church or the library today?"

"Not today,” I answer, then I force myself to look sad.

“What's the matter?” he asks.

“I’m worried about Victoria. She heard you’re starting to look at arranged marriages for her..”

He frowns. “Is she pregnant? I swear to god—”

“No,” I say quickly. “Nothing like that. You know better than that.”

Father relaxes. “At least I can trust two of my daughters to stay pure. I know Arianna has…” He grimaces in disgust.

“She’s still a virgin.”

He only frowns at me. Does he know something I don’t? Arianna would tell me if she wasn’t a virgin, right?

I swallow and try to hold his gaze. Here I am standing in front of my Father knowing that Carmine had his hands all over me when he wasn’t supposed to.

“What did you want to tell me?” he asks. “Tell me what they plucked you from school to say.”

“Victoria is in love with Robert and they want to marry as soon as she’s old enough.”

Father scoffs. “They aren't in love. They are only fifteen. Young couples don’t fucking live happily ever after.”

“I understand, but she just wants a chance. She wants assurance that you won’t arrange a marriage for her far away with a stranger.”

“Robert’s father and I are old buddies. But I have other alliances to think of, princess. It’s not so simple.”

I give him a sad look. ”Can we make a deal? Arianna and I will marry whoever you choose. Victoria will get an option.”

Father crosses his arms. “How is that a deal when that is already going to happen?”

“I promise to accept anyone you pick for me, even if I don’t like him. But just tell Victoria that she can choose for now. That’s all I’m asking. More than likely, when she and Robert are twenty-one, they will have both moved on. Then you can arrange her marriage. But don’t do it now.”

He thinks it over for a moment, then says, “I would bet money those lovebirds don’t remember each other by the time they turn eighteen.”

I give him a meek smile. “You’re right, so you have nothing to lose. Nico will take over the organization, and his marriage is the most important. Everybody knows that. Just let Victoria think she has a choice."

Father raised his eyebrows. "Now you sound like your sister. All of your marriages are important to me..”

I extended my hand, waiting for him to shake it. “Deal?”

He gives me a skeptical look. “First, tell me how Ari told you to convince me. Because I know she’s part of this.”

“Crying. Lots of crying. Enough to fill a bucket.”

He roars with laughter. “Expected better from Arianna. She thinks I will let anyone's waterworks rule my judgment.”

I bite back my words because my tears have definitely persuaded him in the past. He just doesn’t realize it.

He doesn’t shake my hand, but I already know Father agreed. I leave his office to text Arianna and Victoria with the news: Victoria can marry Robert Rossi if she wants. Then, I decided to burn some calories on the elliptical machine. The rest of the day, I wonder if I can handle my conversation tomorrow with Carla as well as I did with my father.

But maybe I’me worrying too much. Maybe she just wants to hang out and not talk about anything serious. I hope.

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