Page 94 of Say It Isn't So

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Angelo

There was hardheaded and then there was my daughter, Bianca Morelli.

I would have done anything for her, she was my little girl, and nothing would ever change that, but this, this was inexcusable.

I said no. Two years ago I said no. Before this started up again in London I said no. In Milan I said no. What didn’t she understand about the two-letter word? It was one syllable. No. N-O.

I could be understanding about a lot of things. Heck, I was. Regina had always seen to it. Not that it took much convincing where Bianca was concerned, because I’d always had a soft spot for her. And even though you weren’t supposed to pick favorites as a parent, I supposed Bianca was mine.

So I knew that I’d always let her get away with just about anything, but I always trusted her judgment, so it wasn’t hard. Except when it came to boys. On that front, she’d always been a little. . . how do I put it? Trusting. Foolish. Boy crazy.

Sure, I trusted in the fact that Regina and I had raised our girls right, equipping them with everything they’d need to go out into the world and make good decisions. But again, this was Bianca. Bianca and a boy.

I couldn’t stand by and let her make a mistake that could easily change the course of her life forever. So no. No to her being with Knox. No to me sitting back and watching her make a mess of her life. No to it all.

If Regina were still here, I knew she’d have choice words for me, but she wasn’t and I had to do everything in my power to protect my little girl from the trouble that I was sure Knox Rhodes would bring her.

He was going to break her heart, and shatter it into a million pieces all the while mooching off us for his own benefit, continuing to get ahead. People like him saw us as steppingstones, a way to further themselves. I wouldn’t have that type of person in my daughter’s life. I couldn’t.

So when Bianca returned, “I’m sorry, but it doesn’t matter what you say. I’m going to do what I want and you’re just going to have to accept that,” I had no other choice.

She left me no other choice.

Refusing to concede on this, I spat back, “Then you’re fired.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew the weight of them and what they meant, what they would mean for us. But I had to show her the seriousness of this. There had to be a consequence. Maybe then she would see reason.

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Bianca

Fired?

That one word felt like a knife to my chest, like I was being stabbed, and all I could do was stare back at the person driving the knife through me with bewilderment in my eyes.

How could he?

What makes him think this is a good idea?

A flood of emotions overwhelmed me and I wanted to simultaneously cry my eyes out and punch a wall.

He was being so unreasonable.

This must’ve been some sort of mistake, I decided. Yeah, I’d heard him wrong.

The blood must have rushed to my head or something from standing my ground. Yeah, that was it. There was no way to explain it if that wasn’t the case.

I had to be strong, though, because if I showed any sign of weakness, he’d think I was having doubts about being with Knox. And I wasn’t.

I mean, if that were the case, then I wouldn’t have said anything to begin with. But I did say something, because I was sure about him. The more time we spent together, the more I wanted to be with him, listen to his comforting words, feel his little touches and relish in his glances.

Remaining calm yet firm in my resolve, I swallowed the lump that was quickly forming in my throat and kept my eyes trained on his steely gaze, trying my best to keep my emotions in check. “You’re firing me?” I asked point-blank.

He shut his eyes for a brief moment, then answered with just as much control, “Yes, you heard me correctly.” Then as though I would ever want to hear those words come from his mouth again (it was bad enough the first time), he repeated, “You’re fired.”

“Daddy,” I pleaded, deciding to appeal to his pathos. “I’m your daughter, you can’t just kick me out of the family business like this.”

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