Page 63 of Claimed By the Possessive Mafia Prince
“Leave before I do something I’ll regret,” my father snarls. “Now.”
Eddy swaggers away, swiping another glass from a passing waiter.
Siena stands, her eyes glassy, hands shaking. “I’m… sorry, but I think I’d rather not be here. Do you need me here this evening?”
“Oh, dear,” Mother says. “No, not if you’re sure…”
“I could do with a night off.”
“Go, you’ve earned it.”
Siena walks away, and Mother gestures at me. I don’t need any encouragement.
I hurry after Siena, following her between two tall palm trees. When I catch her hand, she pulls it away.
“I’m fine,” she snaps.
“He had no right to speak to you like that. He’s lucky I don’t?—”
“What? Break his jaw? Break every bone in his body? Do something else that’s horribly violent? God, this just feels like a mess… I’m starting to think—” She cuts off.
“What?” I demand.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does.”
“We’re all just pawns to you.”
“Who’s ‘we’?”
“Everyone who wasn’t born into millions or billions or however much you have. Me, the islanders, Veronica, your clients whom you threaten. Edoardo looked at me like I was scum. He called me acivilian, like somehow, because I wasn’t born wealthy, I’m lesser than him. It’s gross.”
I want so badly to tell her she’s wrong.
But isn’t it better she thinks this instead of stumbling upon the truth? I’m not even sure anymore.
“Edoardo is sabotaging me because he can, because, to him, to all of you, we’re just dirt.”
“No,” I say fiercely, taking her by the shoulders, holding her in place so she can’t run. “Never say that; don’t even think it. You’re better than us all, Siena. You’ve fought, hustled, and worked your ass off to get where you are. Because you are driven and ambitious, you’re hard on yourself. And to me, you’re not dirt. You’re… heaven.”
She rolls her eyes. I pull her close, lean down, stare deeply into her honey irises. “I mean it. Call me cheesy. But it’s the truth. You’re better than all of us put together.”
“All I know is, he doesn’t even know me and he hates me, and that you’re hiding secrets. There was a vibe at that table too, like,Why is the help sitting with us?If you needed another reason to steer clear of me, Dario, you’ve got it.”
“That’s literally the opposite of what I want.”
“I just want to be alone for a little while. Please?”
I move in to kiss her, but she turns her face away, my lips colliding with her cheek.
“Please,” she repeats, with a note of desperation in her voice. “If you kiss me, I won’t be able to go. And I want to go.”
I don’t want to let her go when she’s clearly so upset, but I can see the sincerity on her face. This isn’t her usual sarcastic seriousness. This is something else, something real.
“If you need me for anything,” I tell her. “Call me, okay? And I’ll come running like the loyal manservant that I am.”
She doesn’t bite at my joking tone, but offers a small nods then turns away.
