The Coldwell

Suspicions

Dina was smiling, her family looked at the newcomer with curiosity, while Vane couldn't believe it. That time she found photos of Dina under her bed, she must have realized that a plan was underway.

"He's my boyfriend. We've known each other for a short time, but he's been so attentive and gallant that I've decided to give him a chance," Dina said.

"Good afternoon, my name is Armand Davons," Darius introduced himself to everyone with a big smile.

"Well, so you're the one who has won my little sister's heart," Dante said, staring at Darius in the eyes. Fortunately, when he saw him in the apartment building, he hadn't managed to see his face as Darius was wearing the hood of his sweatshirt.

"Take it easy, brother, you're going to make Armand run away. He's my boyfriend, and none of you siblings are going to interfere," Dina added.

"Pleasure, young man, but please have a seat. I apologize; my kids tend to be very rude when it comes to our little Dina. They usually become very protective."

—Don't worry, sir, I understand. I tend to be the same way when it comes to my sister. There are a lot of opportunists out there, and we must protect them," Darius said. When he said this, Darius turned to look at Vanessa, who looked away.

"I'm starting to like this guy, daughter," Dina's father remarked.

"That's great, Dad. My guy is a dream," Dina said, hugging Darius and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I just want to say that we are 5 brothers. I'm Diego, he's my twin Daniel, over there is David, the grumpy one who spoke to you when he arrived is Dante. The oldest grumpy one, Donatello, isn't present. I think it's worth warning you that if you hurt our little sister, we will look for you if necessary, even under rocks," Diego explained.

"Enough, children. It's a day to have a good time. We don't want to ruin your cousin's celebration with these things," the mother of the boys intervened.

Vanessa was discreetly glaring at Darius, who was dressed like a Greek god. His mother and grandmother must not have been aware that he was intervening; if they found out, they wouldn't have allowed it.

Vane excused herself to go to the bathroom. The family members got up to approach the exquisite buffet. Darius took the opportunity to look for his sister. Just as she came out of the bathroom, he found her in the hallway before the exit.

"I can't believe you're doing this, Darius. You're going to ruin what I've achieved so far," Vanessa whispered.

"Are you Dante Damasco's fiancée?" Darius asked.

"I'll tell you what's going on at home. This is not the right place," Vanessa replied.

"Is something wrong?" Dante's strong voice was heard behind them.

"No, I rushed out of the bathroom, and we bumped into each other—a rather unfortunate event," Vanessa explained.

"Are you hurt?" Dante asked.

"No, not at all. I owe you an apology, Mr. Davons. I should have been more careful," Vanessa said.

"Don't worry, miss, but call me Armand. Mr. Davons makes me feel very old," Darius added.

"Okay, Armand. Then call me Vanessa."

"Perfect. I'll call you Vanessa from now on."

Dante cleared his throat; there was already too much interaction between those two.

"Shall we go, lovely? I think it's better to return to the table. They must be wondering where we are."

"Yes, my love, let's go back," Darius watched them walk away, then turned around to head to the bathroom. "Lovely? My love?" The way they spoke to each other sounded incredibly fake.

The party continued with laughter and drinks. Dina explained to Vane that the bride's parents were of Greek origin, which is why the wedding had been celebrated in that manner.

"Their customs are certainly different from ours. The only thing our cousin achieved was convincing her to marry under the rituals of our religion; they are Orthodox," Dina explained.

"For a moment, I thought they would cancel the wedding. There were too many disagreements," Dante's mother sighed as she remembered it.

"Yes, Mom, fortunately they listened to you. And that strange Greek custom where close friends decorate the future marital bed with sugared almonds, and they still give a dowry. The bride's mother has to hand it over to the groom. Besides, my cousin had to send a bottle of wine with the invitations, and the bride sent sweets to their side," Dina added.

"Sugared almonds? Who wants that in their bed on their wedding night? Ha, ha, ha, I can't imagine it," Diego and Daniel laughed at the thought.

"Those are their customs, children, and we must respect them. Maybe they think the same about ours," their mother replied.

"I respect them, but they still seem strange to me, Mom. I hope Dante and my sister-in-law get married under our traditions, have a truly Italian wedding," Dina said.

"I imagine they will get married in Procida, won't they, son? Nothing would make me happier than celebrating their wedding on the island," Dionisio hoped.

"I don't know, Father, I need to talk to my fiancée about it first. I can't just impose what is decided here. She also has a family," Dante replied.

"That's true, son. By the way, daughter, when will we meet your family? I hope it's before the wedding. I want to talk to your mother and agree with her on the details," Dionisio said.

Darius turned to look at Vanessa; he didn't want to miss any details of what his sister would say. Meet her family? Talk to her mother? That family had no idea that they would never meet her.

The boy turned to observe the atmosphere; some of the guests were tough-looking men, typical Sicilian mobsters who didn't bother to hide it.

He had to convince Vanessa to stay away. He didn't care if his grandmother and mother were upset; it would be dangerous for her if his true intentions were discovered.

"Well, lovebirds, don't you think about shining on the dance floor? Because your mother and I are about to do so right now." Dionisio took Claire's hand to head towards the dance floor, where the bride and groom, along with others, moved to the slow rhythm of a romantic ballad.

Darius took Dina's hand and did the same. The looks of Dante's brothers were fixed on the couple. Dante stood up, following what his father and Darius had done, and the couple headed towards the dance floor.

Dante pulled Vane towards him, pressing her to his body. He placed his hand on her waist and held her hand with the other. Vane placed her free hand on his shoulder.

Next to him, she felt small and fragile. She closed her eyes and let herself be carried away by the gentle rhythm, inhaling the woody scent emanating from the Italian.

Dante could feel the warmth of the girl's body, the tightness of her waist. He tightened his grip, pulling her even closer.

Darius, who was dancing with them, watched with disgust the silent interaction between them. Vanessa with her eyes closed, and Dante inhaling the scent of her hair.

They began to spin slowly. Suddenly, Darius pretended to bump into them. Dante turned to look at him angrily, thinking he had done it intentionally. He remembered what happened in the bathroom. Bump into Vanessa twice?

"What's wrong?" Dante asked with displeasure.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident."

"Relax, brother, we were dancing, distracted. We didn't notice that we were getting too close," Dina thought Dante was exaggerating.

Dante took Vanessa by the waist and led her to the other side of the dance floor to continue dancing.

"You know, I don't like this guy. I don't like how he's looking at you," Vane had to warn her brother that Dante was becoming suspicious.

"I see that he's very interested in Dina."

"I have the impression that he knows you from before."

"Ha, ha, ha, if I didn't know that our engagement is just an act, I would think he's jealous."

Later, the family socialized as they continued drinking. More guests than expected had arrived.

"We might be short on rooms. Dina, you'll sleep in our room, Armand will sleep in David's room, Diego and Daniel will stay together. That way, we can offer the other two rooms to our guests. We'll be short by only one. Dante, Vanessa, and you will share a room. I think you're mature enough not to allow anything to happen that you'd be ashamed of. I want to see her looking beautiful on her wedding day in a lovely white dress."

"Don't worry, Mom, nothing will happen that will make us ashamed."

Darius didn't like hearing that, but there was nothing he could do about it. Trying to prevent it would reveal his true identity, and that would be dangerous.

Shortly after, everyone went up to their rooms. Vane felt nervous; she wouldn't be able to sleep with her boss in the same room.

The girl took her pajamas to change in the bathroom, while Dante went to get his luggage from the other room. When he entered, she had already changed. He also went into the bathroom.

When he came out, he was only wearing the pajama pants. Vane couldn't help but admire his perfect abs.

"I hope it doesn't bother you."

"Huh? Oh no, it doesn't bother me. I looked for some extra blankets, but I haven't found any, and sleeping alone on the wooden floor must be very uncomfortable. The sofas are too small to sleep on."

"Well, I think the bed is big enough for both of us, so I don't see the problem."

Vanessa's face turned into a poem. It was going to be a very long night.