Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Gerard bursts into laughter. “I guess we all just have a death wish now. We know Henry will kill you, Troy, and probably you, too,” he turns to me. “And still marry you off.”
I shake my head. “No, my dad loves me.”
Both of them are dead quiet, and the silence makes me sick.
“He loves me,” I repeat, tears springing from the well inside my heart. “Why would he do this? Is it to save you?” I ask, looking up at Troy. “Tell me the truth.”
He swallows, shifting his weight. “Somewhat, yes. With the arranged marriage between the Greco and Romano heirs happening in two months, it puts the Rossi and Vitali families in jeopardy. They’re going to expand and push us out or kill us off. Probably the latter,” he adds, his lips turning downward into a frown.
“What’s the purpose of marrying me off?” My stomach swirls with nausea, trying to put all the pieces together—pieces that I didn’t grow up knowing were even a part of my world.
“Well, I don’t have an heir,” Troy says through gritted teeth, “and everyone knows Henry Massino and I are very close. If his daughter marries Vitali, then that is public proof of our allegiance to each other. Striking up a business deal isn’t enough. We have to have something that interconnects the family.”
“And if you were to marry off Gerard to someone in the Greco family, that would just put Vitali out, correct?”
Troy looks defeated at my synopsis but nods. “Yes. That’s true.”
“Then, in return, Vitali would probably come after you.”
“Probably,” Gerard answers that one. “Actually, that’s a definite yes.”
“He’s right,” Troy says, running his hands over his face and sitting on the edge of the coffee table.
“So, there’s no other solution to make this work, right?” The words feel foreign to me, and I grapple with the truth in them. “If I don’t do this, you lose your family’s power.”
“Power isn’t everything,” Troy says.
I swallow the urge to cry. “It’s your entire legacy.”
“It is,” Gerard’s voice echoes in the room when Troy doesn’t answer me. “It’s the entire Rossi family on the line.”
I nod, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. I try to mull over everything, including marrying someone I don’t even know. But… Troy…
I love him.
That’s why when I finally open my eyes again, I bat the tears away before anyone knows they’re there.
“I’ll do it.”
Troy shakes his head. “You will not. I won’t allow you to marry Vitali. Like I told you, you are mine, Liz. You belong to no one other than me.”
Gerard makes a face. “Gross.”
“My heart will always be yours,” I say quietly, ignoring Gerard, “but I’ll do what it takes to save you and your family.”
CHAPTER 20
Troy
I can’t fucking sleep. I can’t eat. I can’t even think straight. The only sound in the study is my footsteps as I pace back and forth, racking my brain for some solution. Liz thinks she’s saving me, but the truth is, the moment she takes Vitali’s hand, I’ll be fucking destroyed.
I have to tell Henry the truth. That’s the only way out of this.
The sound of a knock on the door catches my attention, and part of me hopes it’s Liz coming back to tell me that she’s changed her mind. As I swing the door open, my shoulders drop.
“What do you want?” I snap at Gerard, who’s stoic as he stands before me.
“I’ll do it,” he breathes out. “You know I look at you like a father, and I was… disrespectful. I don’t really wanna see Liz married off to Vitali, either. If you really care about her, I’ll marry the Greco woman. It’s fine.”
I study his expression. Part of me wants to punch him for not agreeing in the first place, and the other part wants to fall to my knees and thank him, but I do neither. “I guess I have a phone call to make then.”
“Yeah. I don’t have anything to lose with an arranged marriage,” Gerard says, stepping into the room and closing the door. “I guess that you do, and so does Liz. I don’t wanna see her end up like some of those Mafia wives. She belongs to you. You’re right. An arranged marriage might be my only shot, anyway.”
I nod. “I know what happened with Rachel, and I’m sorry it did.”
He shakes his head. “Not my problem anymore. It’s just a sign to move on. You know how this world works. It’s no different for me.”
“I don’t like that aspect of this world,” I say through gritted teeth as I pull my phone out of my pocket. “But this might not be such a bad thing for you.”
“I know,” he nods to the phone in my hand. “So make the call, boss. Marry me up in the world.”
I chuckle, glad that someone can find humor in this clusterfuck. I dial Carlos Greco’s number, knowing he may or may not appreciate hearing from me. Our relationship has always been amicable but distant, and that was for a good reason.