Chapter 121

“I’m sorry, Fay,” Alessi says again, leaning across to me and reaching out his hand to take mine, true sorrow on his face. “You are a lovely girl, I like you very much. I know this cannot be easy to hear, but it is…business.” “I’m sorry,” Daniel says, putting his hand out to stop Alessi’s from reaching me. “What, precisely, are you trying to imply here by bringing Fay into it?”

Alessi blinks at Damoe; and then sits back in his chair, glaring at his nephew for being difficult when we all know precisely what he means. Alessi just doesn’t want to say it aloud – that if my father is dead the marriage to me will, of course, no longer be worth anything at all, strategically. “This is ridiculous,” Kent snaps next to me, ripping his hand out from beneath Natalia’s, but Alessi and Daniel ignore him.

“Daniel,” Alessi says, lifting a hand in a plea for Daniel to understand, “we love Fay – she is a wonderful girl. But we will find you a new bride – one who will be a true wife to you -”

“Truly, Daniel,” Natalia says, looking at him with that simpering, motherly look I’ve come to hate. “It is clear that you and Fay are friends, but that you have no true intimacy between you,” she says, not able to stop the little smirk that lifts the corner of her mouth. “We will find you a bride who really lights a fire in you and benefits the family -”

Kent suddenly stands up next to me in a rage, knocking over his chair as he throws his napkin viciously at the table before leaning close to Natalia, starting to hiss something cold and furious at her in fluent, fast Italian. I know, instinctually, that ordering Kent to break ties with Alden is bold move on their part, but doing it this way? Making a demand of him, in front of Daniel and me, without any discussion?

It’s a checkmate.