Dinner With The Romanos
1282 Words
I spent the next twenty minutes trying to convince myself that I wasn’t nervous.
It didn’t work.
I stood in front of the mirror, fixing my hair for the third time. There was nothing wrong with it. I just needed something to do with my hands.
Tonight was my first dinner with Damiano’s family.
His actual family.
And considering what I’d learned about the Romanos in the last twenty-four hours, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.
A soft knock came from the door.
“Come in.”
Damiano opened the door.
He had changed into a black shirt and dark trousers. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and for some reason, that made him look even more intimidating.
His eyes moved over me.
“You ready?”
“No.”
He nodded as if he’d expected that answer.
“Good.”
I frowned. “Good?”
“At least you’re honest.”
I grabbed my phone from the table.
“You know, most people would say something reassuring.”
“I’m not most people.”
“I’ve noticed.”
A small smile appeared on his face before disappearing.
“Come.”
We walked downstairs together.
The dining room was already occupied.
A man who looked to be in his late fifties sat at the head of the table. He had silver hair and the same sharp eyes as Damiano.
Beside him sat an elegant woman wearing a dark green dress. Two other men were seated across from her.
Everyone looked up when we entered.
I immediately felt uncomfortable.
Damiano placed his hand lightly against my back.
“Father.”
The older man looked at him, then at me.
“So this is Elena.”
I forced a smile.
“Hello.”
He studied me for a moment.
“Vittorio Romano.”
“Nice to meet you.”
His mouth curved into a small smile.
“I’m sure we’ll get to know each other.”
I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing.
Damiano pulled out the chair beside his.
I sat down.
He took the seat next to me.
The woman beside Vittorio smiled at me.
“I’m Isabella.”
“Elena.”
“I know.”
I blinked.
Of course she knew.
This family probably knew everything about me.
Dinner began.
At first, things were surprisingly quiet.
I tried to concentrate on my food, but I could feel people looking at me.
Eventually, Isabella spoke.
“So, Elena, how did you and Damiano meet?”
I looked at him.
He answered before I could.
“Through someone I know.”
Isabella smiled.
“And you decided to get married that quickly?”
I nearly choked on my water.
“It’s complicated,” I said.
Vittorio gave a quiet laugh.
“That’s usually what people say when they don’t want to explain something.”
I looked down at my plate.
Damiano didn’t seem bothered.
“We’ve made our decision.”
His father’s expression changed slightly.
“I can see that.”
There was something in his voice that made me think this wasn’t the first disagreement they’d had.
I continued eating.
Then one of the men across from me spoke.
“What do you do?”
“I’m a journalist.”
Damiano looked at me.
I ignored him.
“A journalist?” Isabella asked.
“Yes.”
“What kind of stories?”
“Mostly local news. Business, events, sometimes investigations.”
Vittorio raised an eyebrow.
“Investigations?”
“Sometimes.”
He smiled.
“You’ll have to be careful with that.”
I looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because some stories are better left alone.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
Damiano put his fork down.
“Father.”
Vittorio looked at him.
“What?”
“Leave her alone.”
“I only asked a question.”
“Enough.”
I glanced at Damiano.
I hadn’t expected him to defend me.
Isabella changed the subject.
“Where are your parents?”
My smile faded.
“My mother died when I was young.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“And your father?”
I took a slow breath.
“He left.”
There was a brief silence.
Nobody asked anything else.
I was grateful.
After dinner, I went outside to the terrace.
The night air felt good against my face.
A few seconds later, I heard the door open.
Damiano.
“You okay?”
I looked over my shoulder.
“Your family is intimidating.”
He leaned against the railing.
“They’re not that bad.”
I laughed.
“Your father practically threatened my career over dinner.”
“He wasn’t threatening you.”
“That’s your definition of normal?”
He smiled.
“Maybe.”
I looked out at the garden.
“Do they know about the contract?”
“Yes.”
“And they’re okay with it?”
“My father doesn’t get to decide who I marry.”
“Apparently neither do I.”
He looked at me.
I immediately regretted saying it.
“Elena—”
“My brother is still the reason I agreed.”
“I know.”
His voice was quieter.
“I meant what I said. Nothing will happen to him.”
I nodded.
“I hope you’re right.”
His phone rang.
He answered.
“Yes?”
His expression changed.
I immediately knew something was wrong.
“Where?”
He listened for a few seconds.
“Don’t touch anything. I’m coming.”
He ended the call.
“What happened?”
He looked at me.
“Your brother didn’t make it home.”
My heart dropped.
“What?”
“He left work two hours ago.”
I pulled out my phone.
There were three missed calls from my brother.
My hands began shaking.
“Why didn’t he tell me he was leaving?”
Damiano took my phone.
He stared at the screen.
Then his jaw tightened.
“What?”
He turned the phone toward me.
A message had appeared.
Stop looking for him.
I stared at it.
“No.”
Damiano immediately called someone.
“Find him.”
I grabbed his arm.
“I’m coming with you.”
“No.”
“He’s my brother.”
“And that’s exactly why you’re staying here.”
“I’m not staying here while you look for him.”
His eyes met mine.
“Elena, you don’t understand what you’re dealing with.”
“Then explain it to me.”
He went silent.
I stepped closer.
“You keep telling me to trust you. How am I supposed to do that when you won’t tell me anything?”
His expression softened for a moment.
Then he said,
“Because the less you know, the safer you are.”
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t work anymore.”
He stared at me for a long moment.
Then he reached for my hand.
“Stay beside me.”
I looked at our hands.
Then at him.
“You’re taking me?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you change your mind?”
“Because I know you won’t stay behind.”
I almost smiled.
“You’re finally learning.”
He gave me a look.
“Don’t push your luck.”
For the first time since my brother disappeared, I felt a tiny bit of relief.
But as we walked toward the front door, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was exactly what whoever took my brother wanted.
They hadn’t just taken him.
They had found a way to bring Damiano out of his house.
And somehow, I knew we were walking straight into their trap.
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