Page 31 of The Don's Prisoner

The other woman was probably about my age. She had short, perfect curls in her brown hair, and she had a very beautiful face. I instantly liked her, both for her smile and the kindness in her eyes. She sat across from Gio, and his mother sat across from her husband.

“Dad, Mom, Isabella, this is my fiancée, Victoria Aldi. Victoria, this is my father Dario De Carlo, my mother Drusilla De Carlo, and my little sister Isabella,” Gio said as he gestured to everyone around the table. I nodded politely to each one as Gio said their names, and they in turn smiled at me and nodded.

“Wait a minute,” Isabella said, looking at me as if she were trying to figure something out. “I recognize you from somewhere.”

“You do?” I asked, curious as to where she would have seen me.

“Yeah… oh! I know! My best friend Ally got married last year. We went to Happily Ever After to get her dress, and you helped her pick the right one because the stylist was missing that day. You were amazing! You took one look at her and fitted her with the most amazing gown, but you also insisted she try on anything else she liked just in case you were wrong. But she ended up going with the one you suggested.” She was grinning ear to ear, which made me blush a little. A year ago… and she remembered what I looked like. Wow, I really must have left an impression.

“Well, it’s most important that the bride chooses the dress that works for her, not what others think works for her,” I told her. “I’m glad she found the right one.”

“So you work at Happily Ever After?” Drusilla asked in a very light voice that was very much like her daughter’s.

“She actually owns it, Mom,” Giovanni corrected, smiling at me like he was proud. Butterflies took flight in my stomach and threatened to come out of my mouth. I swallowed hard to keep them under control. “She also designs all the dresses.”

“You do?” Drusilla and Isabella said at the same time, both sounding equally as shocked. I cleared my throat and nodded.

“Yes, I decided when I started designing dresses that I didn’t want anyone else to decide how much they would cost or where they were going to be sold. So I opened up my own store and sewed the clothes myself until I made enough money to hire a seamstress to bring my designs to life for me. I used social media to spread the word, and when I had enough people buying my dresses, I expanded. Business has been very good,” I told them, hoping that I wasn’t bragging too much. It really wasn’t my intent.

“That’s very impressive,” an old woman’s voice said from the doorway. We all turned toward the voice and, as one, the De Carlo family stood. I did a moment later, following suit.

There was no mistaking the small woman who was entering the room, holding onto a red, wooden cane with a rose-carved top. She had a long white braid that trailed behind her as she made her way to the last empty spot at the head of the table. She wore a two-piece yellow skirt suit with white flats that she shuffled as she walked. When she took her seat, we all sat down too, and I noticed the golden butterfly brooch on her chest with a large green stone on it. Surprisingly, it was the only piece of jewelry she had on.

“Nonna, this is…” Gio began, but she put up her wrinkled hand to silence him. Her gaze was straight at me, holding my eye contact as if she were trying to see into my very soul.

“I know who she is,” the woman said. “You are Victoria Aldi, daughter of Cecilia and Marcello Aldi, sister of Vito Aldi. You are a wedding dress designer and the owner of the Happily Ever After franchise. You are worth a couple million dollars, but that’s only because every penny you make, you put back into your business and only keep enough to make sure you live modestly comfortably. The biggest purchase you have ever made was the condo you live in. The second was the car you drive, which you bought outright, probably so you wouldn't have to pay interest. How am I doing so far?”

My throat was dry, and my nerves were shot. I couldn’t tell if she approved or not, and just by the way she was talking, I had a feeling that hers was the opinion that mattered most. If she didn’t like me, the rest of them wouldn’t like me, and I was as good as dead. So was Vito.

“S-spot on,” I stuttered. She gave me a small smile.

“I know everything about you, young lady. I know what you spend your money on, who your employees are, where you shop for your groceries, and what you watch on TV. If you think I am lying, ask anyone at this table. But I am not, because I have spent decades building the correct connections and paying the best people to find these things out for me,” she paused and watched me closely. “What I don’t know… is why. Why are you marrying my grandson when you’ve known him for a little under a month?”

Silence fell on the table, and I looked at Giovanni to help me figure out what the right answer was. It was his livelihood that was on the line, not mine, and I felt underqualified to answer the question.

“Do not look at him for answers,” she snapped and slapped her hand on the table. I jumped and looked back at her. Her gaze was intense, and I had to fight to keep meeting it. “I asked you, and I want the truth. Why are you marrying my grandson?”

I knew we had to make this relationship seem real, so we couldn’t tell them he had blackmailed me into it or he would be kicked out for sure. But I couldn’t lie to her either. Somehow, I felt in my bones she would know if I lied to her.

I decided I better spin the truth in a better light.

“My brother got into some trouble with Gio and, in order to pay him back, I agreed that Gio and I would get engaged. It started as a business deal, but… our chemistry is so strong and… I actually find myself falling for him now,” I admitted, looking nowhere, but at Nonna. I could feel my cheeks growing red, but I didn’t flinch, didn’t look away. I had to make her believe it and, surprisingly, it was easy to say because unfortunately, it was the truth.

I was falling for Gio, despite how much of an asshat he was.

She studied me for a long, few moments, and the room was so quiet that I could hear Gio holding his breath beside me. I was pretty sure I could hear his lungs screaming for oxygen.

“Alright then,” she nodded. “Thank you for your honesty. I like that in a woman, just as much as I applaud your determination. I feel like, for once in his life, my grandson has found the perfect woman. You need to marry her before she changes her mind.”

She smiled at Gio, who finally let out the breath he was holding. His father and mother chuckled, but somehow I had a feeling that she wasn’t joking

She clapped her hands and a flood of people emerged from a space in the wall that opened suddenly. I recognized it as a pocket door painted to blend in with the wall, which was really clever. Plates of food were set down in front of all of us and, after Nonna took a bite and okayed the meal, the rest of us dug in.

It was like a mini Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and rolls that were placed in a large bowl in the middle of the table as well as small half-moon-shaped ravioli filled with squash and ricotta cheese. Everything tasted so good that I devoured all but the mashed potatoes, which I just couldn’t finish.

Chatter happened between us all as we ate. Isabella asked many questions about the places I had traveled and the expos my dresses had been shown in while Gio’s father asked about the business side of things. Apparently, he knew my accountant, and he approved, which was good to hear, not that I had ever had any issues or doubts.

I learned that Drucilla loved to read, and we swapped suggestions on our favorite authors. At one point, Gio took my hand in his, and I let him, though I wasn’t sure if it was because I was getting along with his family or because he just wanted to. I had certainly felt the urge to touch him but had refrained, figuring it wasn’t my place.

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