Chapter 5
Enzo
I buttoned my suit coat as I walked into my father’s house. The two of us were set to arrive for dinner at the Conti’s at five in the evening. But there were some things my father wanted to address first, so I sat in the kitchen waiting for him to come down the stairs.
“Son? Is that you?”
“Good morning, father. Is there some reason why you wanted me here so early?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said as he came into the room. “I want to have a discussion with you.”
My father walked into the kitchen in a light gray suit. The material shone against his hazel eyes as he sat down beside me. Contrary to how most people we interacted with, my father didn’t always dress for the occasion. While I wore suits just about all the time, he only wore suits when it was necessary.
So, when I saw how crisp his suit was, I knew how seriously he was taking this.
“I want to talk to you about what this union means for our family,” my father said.
“You’ve already explained it to me, and I agree to your terms,” I said.
“It’s more than that. It’s more than the family fortune and keeping specific ties linked to specific families, Enzo. When you take this woman as your wife, you will be expected to treat her a certain way.”
“I’m aware of this,” I said.
“The Conti family is powerful in this world. And if you screw with their daughter for any reason, it comes down on all of us.”
“I. Know. Don’t worry. One thing I’ve always prided myself on is my ability to treat women with respect.”
“This meeting has to go well. If could be disastrous for us if it doesn’t,” he said. “And there are certain topics of conversation you need to stay aware from unless they are initiated by someone else.”
“Work, jobs, and politics,” I said.
“And personal feelings towards any matter. When you walk into that house as the man they’re going to give their daughter to, your emotions do not matter. Only theirs, and only hers.”
“Dad, you don’t have to worry. I promise you, I’ve got this,” I said.
The two of us sat and talked for a long time at that kitchen table. He talked about Mom and how their marriage had been arranged. He told me about the time he first told her he loved her-- four years into their marriage. She had been pregnant with me and was experiencing complications, and he made a deal with God that day. He said that if Mom survived and his baby boy was healthy, he’d love both of us in all the ways he knew how.
Then one month later, I was born and my father proclaimed his love for her.
“Don’t wait four years like I did. Our marriage was nothing but a required union up until that point. I caused your mother a lot of heartache, and the only reason we didn’t divorce was because your mother literally believed she would be cursed for the rest of her life if we did,” my father said.
I nodded my head, allowing my father to get out whatever emotional dump he needed before we headed out to the car.
I knew what was expected of me and I knew how to treat a woman. Whoever she was, and no matter what she looked like, she would always have my respect. I had no idea if I was ever going to love her, but I knew I was going to respect her. She’d be the woman that stood by my side as I rose the ranks through my father’s business. She’d be the woman to bear me children. She’d be the woman that would keep my house while I was away.
Any woman like that deserved respect from men, even if they were never loved.
We pulled into the Conti estate and the land they lived on was grand. Beautiful landscaping of flowers and trees decorated their front and back lawns. There were rolling hills with the house encased on three sides by thickly-wooded areas. The mansion that rose from the horizon boasted of the wealth this family had, and I grinned as we pulled up to the decadent house.
One day this would all be mine.
“Now remember, Enzo-”
“Yes, Dad. I know. I promise, you have nothing to worry about,” I said.
We got out of the car and I saw the front door already being opened. A man in a tuxedo stepped out onto the porch, holding the door for us as we walked up. I buttoned my suit jacket and smoothed it down, grinning at my all-black choice. It was a signature of mine. I wore it whenever I meant business.
And today, I meant a great deal of business.
“The family is in the sitting room,” the man at the door said. “Down the hall to the right, first entrance on the left.”
“Thank you, sir,” I said. “And I enjoy that colorful bowtie.”
The man grinned at me as my father and I walked into the house.
Our shoes clicked along the marble floors as we strode down the right hallway. The ceilings were vaulted and the colors that plastered the walls were deep and dark. I looked at my father as we came to the entrance on the left, and I paused just before the door to take a deep breath.
I felt my father pat me on the back before we rounded into the room.
“Luca!” Mr. Conti exclaimed. “So glad you could make it tonight.”
“Gino. It is good to see you,” my father said.
The two of them were talking as a movement in the corner of the room caught my eye. I looked up to see what was going on as I waited to shake Mr. Conti’s hand, but the pair of eyes staring back at me were wide. Wide and brown and incredibly familiar.
“Enzo, it is good to see you again,” Gino said.
“Mr. Conti,” I said. “Thank you for having us this evening.”
I turned my eyes back to the woman in the corner as the patriarch began talking to me. I knew I needed to be paying attention. I knew I was probably worrying my father. But as those familiar brown eyes raked up and down my body, I could see the anger growing in them.
“Something in here smells wonderful,” I said. “Is Mrs. Conti hard at work in the kitchen?”
“She always is. I can never pull that woman out of there to save my life,” Gino said. “Tonight’s menu is her homemade lasagna with fresh garlic bread, freshly-brewed tea, and a pointless salad.”
“The salad isn’t pointless, Gino. You need to eat something other than meat.”
I turned my head and watched as Mrs. Conti came around the corner. She was wearing a red-splattered apron and a large smile, and I saw her in her eyes. The woman in the corner who I knew was growing angrier by the second at me. The two of them looked exactly alike, and I took in Mrs. Conti as she shook my hand.
“You are a very handsome young man, Mr. Gambani. You will treat my daughter with respect, I’m sure,” she said.
“I owe her nothing less,” I said with a smile.
“Speaking of our daughter, come come! Serena! Come meet Enzo,” Gino said.
My eyes whipped back over to the corner as she stepped from the shadows. Her long brown hair was piled high on top of her head and those lewd and lustrous curves were covered in a teasing little dress. It fluttered just below her knees and covered her in light lace all the way up to her neck. Conservative, just like her family. But still clinging to all the places I’d had my lips on last night.
Her eyes were filled with shock and disgust as she stepped up beside her father.
“Enzo, meet Serena. Our daughter,” Gino said.
I held out my hand, palm up and waiting for her to slip hers within mine.
“Serena,” her mother said. “Take the man’s hand.”
She slumped her hand into mine before I brought it to my lips for a kiss. I kept my eyes locked with hers, trying to paint the picture that we had never met before. But as my lips connected with her hand, her eyes left mine and attached to the wall at her side.
“Please excuse our daughter,” Gino said. “She seems to have forgotten her manners.”
“She is meeting her husband for the first time. Allow her some time to adjust,” I said.
“Already sticking up for her,” Mrs. Conti said. “I like him.”
I grinned at her mother before my eyes turned back to her, but all she did was nod.
This was going to be a very long dinner.