Page 234 of Kissing the Villain

I leaned forward, dying to know more about Marcello’s past. “How did you meet Marcello?”

He’d told me about his mother, Luca, and his childhood. Even the name of the girl who’d taken his virginity. He never mentioned anyone named Rhiannon. Was she his dirty little secret? Maybe she was right about Arlo not allowing his son to date her.

Rhiannon bit her lip. “He would kill me for telling you this… But who knows if I’ll ever leave this boat alive?”

“Is it that bad?”

She shook her head. “Marcello refused to tell Sonny about us. He said it was a conflict of interest since he’s best friends with my cousins.”

And members of the same secret society.

“Sonny and Marcello are like brothers. Like I mentioned, Sonny is protective of me.”

“I don’t understand why Sonny would care. Marcello is one of the best men I know. He’s loyal and trustworthy.”

“We’ve had our issues,” she said with a forced smile. “Your version of Marcello sounds great, but the one I know is… complicated.”

“So, how did you meet him?”

“At his father’s Midsummer Night’s Dream party.”

I laughed at the irony. “That’s how I met Luca.”

“My dad had begged my uncle for years to get him a meeting with Arlo.”

“Sonny’s dad?”

She nodded. “Of course, Arlo considered my dad beneath him and wasn’t interested in doing business with him. He made it clear his sons were not to associate with me.”

“I understand why Arlo wouldn’t want you with Luca. Our families arranged our marriage. But I thought he only cared about the bloodline of his heir.”

“Arlo expects all of his sons to marry into elite families.”

“I’m the only female from a Founding family of marrying age. Marcello, Damian, and Bastian can marry whoever they want.”

She shook her head. “Not according to Marcello. He’s told no one about us.”

“I’m surprised he would hide this from Sonny. He tells him everything.”

“Usually, yeah. But not about me.” Eyes downcast, she played with the frayed seam of her shirt. “I think Marcello was holding out for you. Just in case you ended it with Luca.”

“How do you know about that?”

“Marcello told me about what happened with you and Luca last year. I’m sorry about your brother, by the way. I heard he was missing.”

“I found him right before I got kidnapped. Talk about the worst timing ever, huh?”

She frowned. “I hope you find your way back to him.”

“You must hate me,” I muttered.

“Not at all. I care about Marcello, but it’s not meant to be. We have too many obstacles to overcome.”

“If we ever get out of here, I could talk to him for you. We’re pretty close.”

“Yeah, I know. Marcello ditched me when he thought he had a shot with you.”

My mouth dropped. “I think it had more to do with his father pushing him. I wouldn’t take it personally.”

---