Page 83 of Unholy Union
Her lips part slightly in invitation, eyelashes fluttering closed.
I cup her cheek and move in to close the last few inches between us. But just as my lips brush hers, a loud throat-clearing shatters the moment like a bullet through glass.
We break apart, both turning toward the noise.
Of fucking course.
It’s our fathers, standing a few feet away, their presence immediately oppressive. Don Rinaldo Corsini is in a dove-gray summer suit looking amicable if not a little somber, while my father stands beside him wearing a scowl and his usual darker colors.
Sabrina tenses beside me. She brushes a curl behind her ear, color flushing her cheeks.
I roll my shoulders back and shove my hands into my pockets, biting down on the irritation swelling in my chest.
“Cato,” Don Corsini says in a calm tone. “Would you mind if we had a quick word? Just among us men.”
Translation: the woman can leave now.
Sabrina swallows, aware she’s been dismissed by her own father. Her gaze flicks to me and then away again.
“I’ll go see if Celeste and your mother are done chatting,” she mumbles.
I nod, watching her disappear among the others mingling. Then I turn back to the two most powerful men in my life.
It’s admittedly strange to see them acting out this truce in real time after so long warring. They’re two men who have known each other since they were young, both from humble beginnings in Brooklyn, growing up as rivals, turning to the mob lifestyle.
“What is it you wanted to talk about?”
Corsini steps forward, hands resting at his round waist, still playing the role of benevolent diplomat. “Augusto and I were just discussing how fortunate it seems that the union between you and Sabrina is progressing. Despite... initial complications.”
“Fortunate,” I repeat, my jaw ticking. “That’s one way to put it.”
“It gives us hope, Cato. Hope that maybe this alliance will actually hold.” Corsini gestures vaguely at the setting, the mingling guests, the forced smiles. “Now that our two familieshave merged, we can both prosper. Corsini Construction and Valente Luxura will see profits like never before and everyone will benefit. It seems this could be the beginning of something better for us all.”
My father snorts. “We’ve called for truce before, Rinaldo. It didn’t stop the knives from coming out.”
They exchange a brief look that’s barbed. One that’s loaded with decades of bad blood and ill will.
Corsini recovers, releasing a soft laugh. “Even enemies can’t fight forever, Augusto. Eventually something has to give.”
He turns and walks off before either of us can answer, heading toward the long white table where servers are beginning to pour wine.
The brunch has officially begun.
My father leans in slightly and mutters under his breath, “He’s right, you know.”
I glance sideways at him as he watches Corsini walk away.
“You can’t fight forever,” he admits. “Sooner or later, somebody wins. And it’s going to be us.”
Chapter 18
Sabrina
Lips on You - Maroon 5
Inoticed as soon as the family brunch started that Papi wasn’t himself today.
He’s always been the kind of man who holds court at these things—smiling, shaking hands, making people feel like they were personally invited by him.
