1
ISA
Present Day
Elio, 32
Isa, 24
I quietly walked downstairsto the dining room table, where Maura had already set out most of the food for breakfast.
We didn’t normally have breakfast this way. Usually, I was happy with a bowl of cereal or whatever Maura was able to quickly cook up for me that day.
It was only like this when Dad was home in the morning. Thankfully, it didn’t happen that often.
I smiled when I noticed Valentino sitting at the breakfast table with Dad. It was even rarer for my older brother to be here in the morning, especially after moving out of our family home when he was twenty-three.
Sometimes—mostof the time—I was envious of my brother’s freedom.
He was able to move around as he wished, choose who he hung out with, and even when he was still living at home, he was able to come and go as he pleased. It was one of the reasons whyhe had been able to move out, and I was still living here, even at twenty-four. The only way to move out of this house was to get married, but not just to anyone. It would have to be someone my family approved of… and my father seemed to have a bigger opinion on that subject than my brother, who seemed content for me to just stay like this.
I took a seat next to Valentino as Maura set down a plate of breakfast in front of me, smiling sweetly at me. She was the closest thing I had to a mother, since mine died giving birth to me.
She touched my shoulder once before leaving.
I kept my eyes down on my plate when I finally caught on to what my dad and brother were talking about.
My marriage.
Or lack thereof.
Dad was embarrassed that I was twenty-four and still unwed, especially since most women my age in similar families were married off before their twenty-first birthday.
But Dad was essentially powerless right now. In this house, Valentino’s words held more weight. And for that, I was grateful. My brother was always on my side.
“She’s not ready,” Valentino said. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t look up.
“You would say that when she’s thirty. Do you expect your sister to stay single forever?”
I saw Valentino shake his head from the corner of my eye. “No. Not single forever. She’ll get married when I find someone suitable for her.”
Meaning, when I fall in love.
Not that Valentino would ever say that out loud, especially not to our dad. But it was something I was always sure of—that, unlike the other women who came from similar backgrounds asme, I would get a choice in who I wanted to marry. I knew I was lucky—or, at least, luckyenough.
Most marriages were arranged for families who were part of this life.
The life of a made man.
My dad was a made man. He worked as Nevada’s underboss for the De Luca family. Had been up until about ten years ago when he sustained a near-fatal injury that left him with a permanent limp. My brother now filled the underboss position. Even if Dad was still considered the head of this household, we all knew it was for show.
Valentino would always have the final say.
And my brother was nothing if not protective of me. Something I knew my father hated.
“People will start to wonder if there is something wrong with her. She’ll be the laughingstock in our circle. Hell, she already is,” Dad gritted out.
I didn’t look up from my plate, feeling his angry eyes on me. My appetite was already gone, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to get out of this breakfast anytime soon.
