Page 148 of Broken Mafia Prince
She mumbles something incoherent back to me, and I chuckle.
I stare at her—hair tangled, body limp, eyes half-closed—and feel an overwhelming urge to marry her right then and there. Seal the deal, escape this city, and put a baby in her, keeping her tied to me for eternity.
She’s mine.
Mine.
All fucking mine.
48
GIULIA
“Has Raffaele mentioned how he plans to stop his father?”
My fork freezes halfway to my mouth, and I turn to stare at my cousin. “What do you mean?”
She shrugs. “You know. He told you about Edoardo’s plan to ruin your family by fucking with the shipment and gave you some assurances that he’s going to keep you safe.”
My eyebrows furrow. “Well, y-yeah. I don’t get what you’re driving at, Isa.”
She glances over at the door to make sure nobody is coming and leans forward. “Did he actually say he’s going to stop his father, or did he only say he’s not going to let anything happen to you? Because there’s a difference. I hope you know that.”
I stare at her, puzzled.
With an eye roll, she says, “Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and I believe he loves you. Which, don’t get me wrong, I’m super happy for you about that.”
“But?” I prompt impatiently.
“But loving you and wanting to keep you safe has nothing to do with your father and your family,” Isa points out. “I’m sorry tosay this, but getting rid of your father might even be the perfect opportunity he’s been waiting for to claim you publicly.”
I shake my head, chuckling. “How do you even always manage to think up the most horrible of all the worst-case scenarios?”
“You’re too excited and in love to think logically. Someone has to.” She points a thumb at herself. “I’m that someone.”
I raise another forkful of cheesy macaroni to my mouth. “What does he care about claiming me publicly? We are leaving, remember?”
“What if you’re not?”
“Jesus Christ, Isabella.” Annoyance bleeds from my voice, but she remains unperturbed.
“Look at it this way. Raffaele grew up under his father’s thumb, became successful running the business and being part of the crime world. Obviously, some of that Montanari hate would have gotten to him, too. You show up, beautiful, perfect, everything he has ever wanted. He knows that openly warring against your family won’t get him any brownie points?—”
“Brownie points, really?”
My cousin waves her hand to dismiss my question. “So, what does he do? He tells you that his father is planning a whole bunch of things to destroy yours.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “And why would he do that?”
“To look like the good guy. Duh.” Isa pins me with a look. “Which is obviously working. Meanwhile, he works with his father to destroy the shipment, ruin your family, and get rid of your father, all while pinning it on the horrible Edoardo Gagliardi. It’s a win-win: He gets the girl and finally destroys his enemies.”
My stomach sours, appetite completely gone. “He’s not like that. He’s not playing two sides, Isa. He’d never do that; he’s loyal and honest.”
At that, one of her eyebrows hikes up. “If you believe him, doesn’t that mean that he’s betraying and lying to his family? A family he’s known all his life, by the way.”
I go still, bile rushing up my stomach, all the lovely mac and cheese I’ve just eaten threatening to make a second appearance. Oh god. “It’s different!”
“Because his family is evil and you’re good?” She snorts. When she sees the stricken expression on my face, her tone gentles. “I’m sorry, I’m just trying to look out for you. You know that, right? I just want you to see all of this from every possible point of view. You’re about to take the biggest risk of your life, and if you miscalculate this, you could end up losing everything.”
