Page 18 of Unspoken Ties

“We shall proceed with your plans. But remember this,” he added, his gaze hardening as he looked at us both, “Rome wasn’t built in a day. Solid partnerships take time to form and if there’s one thing I’ve grown to appreciate in my years... it’s patience.”

“Of course,” I replied. “We understand completely.”

His words hung heavy in the room as we concluded our business. The implication was clear; this was only the beginning of a long and challenging road. Raffaele had given us his approval, but also a warning. Our alliance would be built on trust and respect, both earned over time and not freely given.

After the meeting, we navigated our way through the labyrinth of hallways until we reached the entrance where our car was waiting. Liria stayed silent, seemingly lost in thought as our chauffeur opened the door for her. As I slid onto the seat next to her, I could see her eyes welling up with tears. She bit her lip, doing her best to hold them back.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, placing my hand on her knee.

“I suck,” she said, her voice cracking. She turned to look towards the window, presumably so I couldn’t see her tears fall.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, scooting over the middle seat so I was directly next to her. I placed my hand on her chin and delicately turned her face to mine.

“You don’t suck.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. I wanted to say that she shouldn’t cry because she was too gorgeous for it, but even with tears falling, she still looked stunning. The tears looked like small diamonds falling from sapphires.

“We did it, didn’t we?” I said, wiping the tears off her cheeks with the sleeve of my shirt.

“You did it.”

“Hm, not true. I could have never done it without your pretty face by my side.”

She gently swatted my chest. “Don’t tease me.”

“I would never.” I chuckled, giving her a mischievous wink. “You did great, Liria. You showed courage and strength, just like Leone would have wanted.”

“But I didn’t even say anything!” she protested, her eyes filled with frustration. “I was just... sitting there!”

“And sometimes that’s all that’s needed,” I reassured her gently. “Your presence alone gives weight to negotiations.”

“I guess.” She pulled away from me, and I had the immediate urge to pull her back into my arms.

“Do you want to get ice cream?” I asked, knowing her love for desserts would take her mind off the subject.

“Rocky road?”

Chapter nine

Liria

As it turned out, sleeping on an air mattress was barely better than sleeping on that rock hard love seat. The “cushion top” it advertised was a lie. As I struggled to find a comfortable position on the lumpy surface, I couldn’t fathom enduring this for who knows how long.

“How’s it going?”

I hadn’t heard Ettore walk out of his room. He was like a cat; extremely stealthy and suddenly appearing out of nowhere. He was standing at the entrance of the living room, the dim glow of a solitary lamp revealing his messily tousled hair and half-amused, half-concerned expression.

“Could be better,” I mumbled, trying to adjust the deflated side of the air mattress with little success. The synthetic material creaked under me like an old door hinge.

“You know you can sleep in the bed, right?”

I shot him a disapproving look and rolled over, my back turned to show my answer of “no.”

“Alright. Well, we should probably start getting ready.”

He said the second sentence apprehensively; like he didn’t want to upset me. And it did. But I managed to bottle up the feelings and keep them inside.

Today was my father’s funeral. A day that I had planned yet had hoped would not come.

---