Luca

10 - I'll keep her safe

Luca

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Mrs Vidal. Sofia must come home with me. I’m happy that you’ve agreed to the union of our children, but Sofia cannot stay here.”

I must say, I’m as confused as Romano is right now.

What the hell is my mother thinking?

She took Sofia out of here. Dad and Romano talked as if Dray and I weren’t even in the room. Talking business as if nothing else was going on around them. Typical for my father. No doubt the hell he has planned for Romano will hit him sooner than any of us realized. One thing Dad can’t and won’t tolerate is the battery of women, especially a man’s daughter, by his own hands.

Mom and Sofia were gone for a good forty-five minutes before they came back into the room hand in hand. It made me smile. Mom’s really taken to Sofia, so much so that she’s demanding that Sofia stay here for a few days so they can get to know each other better.

Mom has something planned; anticipation and a hint of mischief light up her face. However, Romano’s jaw is clenched, his arms folded tightly across his chest—he is not budging on this, not one little bit.

“I think you misunderstand me.” Mom smirks. “This is not a request, Roberto,” she tells him, and I’m trying not to laugh.

You don’t mess with the Don’s wife. What she says goes, and Dad will stand by her, no matter what. Romano can say that Sofia can’t stay, but we all know that he’s not leaving here with her today. God, I love my mother.

“Sofia and I have been talking a lot about the wedding.” Mom continues. “I was wrong to judge her before I’d spoken to her. She is a credit to you, I must say.”

Romano blinks and looks at Sofia. He wasn’t expecting that.

“She’s polite and respectful, and the perfect match for my son. She’ll make Luca a good wife, but Sofia has much to learn before she becomes a Vidal. You wouldn’t thrust your daughter into marriage with a Vidal without her learning our ways, now, would you?”

Dray nudges me, sniggering, and I raise my eyebrows with a knowing grin. Pride wells up in me for my mother—her cleverness comforts and inspires me.

She’s trying to get Sofia away from her father so that he can’t hurt her again. Believe me, the anger inside of me right now is seconds from blowing—I’m shaking, fists clenched, heart slamming. Romano beat the s**t out of Sofia because he’s a cunt who preys on his daughter’s misery.

Sofia tried to hide the bruises on her face with makeup, but any i***t could see them. God knows where else she’s bruised up, but I want to find out for my own morbid curiosity. I want to hold her and tell her just how safe she’ll be with me for the rest of her life.

What’s wrong with me?

Why do I want to protect Sofia so badly?

Yes, she’ll be my wife, and it’s my duty to ensure her safety. But this is an arranged marriage of convenience. I’m not supposed to feel this connection to Sofia. But the fact is that I do. There is something so special about that girl. I don’t care that she’s a Romano. Yes, she shares that bastard’s blood, but she’s nothing like him.

Maybe I’m being foolish. I know how easy it is for daughters to act innocent. In our world, girls like that are everywhere. They put on an act to get what they want, their fathers guiding them to get close to a man so they can bring down the entire empire. It’s not as hard as one might think, especially when a man falls for said girl.

That’s why most men in my position keep the women they marry at arm’s length. We need to protect ourselves and our families. That’s not to say we need to hurt the women we marry, though most who go through arranged marriages do just that.

What the hell am I saying?

Even those who love their wives treat them like they own them. But that’s just the way it is in our world. I’m not saying it’s right, but it happens.

However, I feel something when I look at Sofia. I don’t feel the need to control her, nor hurt her. Yes, I’m a possessive man. What’s mine stays mine! Also, I won’t drop my guard because I can’t trust Sofia one-hundred percent. I must keep my wits about me, especially with my wife. That’s why I need to make her fall in love with me. I’ll make her love me so deeply that she’ll even go against her father for me.

An overwhelming urge for vengeance surges in me—I want to make Romano pay for every bruise he left on Sofia.

My father has never once laid a hand on my sisters; he’d cut his hands off first. Sure, he’s been angry with Lydia many times in the past, but no matter how angry he’s ever been with her, never once has he hit her. My mother would have cut his balls off if he so much as thought about it, and she knew.

“How long are you thinking she needs to be here?” Romano asks my mother.

“Long enough for Sofia to learn what she needs to know. Depending on the wedding date, I’m thinking two days before.” Romano’s eyes widen. He’s curious and shocked. “Of course, Draven and I have spoken about the wedding, and we were going to bring it up with you, that we see no need to wait any longer than two weeks.”

My eyes catch my father’s, my brow furrowed.

When was this planned?

No one mentioned to me that the wedding was two weeks away. Dad subtly shakes his head once, letting me know not to say anything in front of Romano. In other words, Mom came up with the two-week thing on the spot.

But s**t, two weeks?

Talk about throwing me in at the deep end without a chance of survival!

“Sofia will be able to go home with you before the wedding. We have traditions that need upholding. The groom cannot see the bride before the wedding.” Mom laughs. “But truthfully, I’d like Sofia to know what she’s doing before marrying my son. Life as a Vidal is not easy, and it wouldn’t be fair for Sofia to go in blind. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Romano narrows his eyes at his daughter. He knows he’s not walking out of here with her. Not if he wants this wedding to go ahead, and he does. He wants my father’s alliance, and he won’t get it unless he agrees to this. He has more to lose than my father does.

He suddenly smirks. “I imagine she’ll need to be put through loyalty testing.”

My stomach sinks to my feet. That was one thing I hadn’t thought about, which was stupid of me, but it never crossed my mind. The wedding won’t go ahead without Sofia being put through loyalty tests. Everyone goes through them. No one becomes a Vidal without them. Lydia’s husband suffered the same thing. Toby handled them better than most would. But Sofia is a young woman. I’m not being sexist, but most women crumble moments in. However, Sofia has been through hell with Romano, so maybe she could handle it. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

“How do you feel about this, Sofia?” Romano smirks. “Are you willing to stay here and learn? To be put through tests you may not be able to handle?”

Son of a bitc.h!

I can see my mother holding onto my father’s arm, stopping him from exploding. Romano is disrespecting not only my father, but the whole family in our own house!

Sofia looks up at Romano. This isn’t the first time I’ve noticed she avoids eye contact with him at all costs unless he’s talking directly to her. She avoids everyone’s eye if she can help it. I’ll soon put a stop to that because I won’t have Sofia hiding from anyone. I’ll have her commanding a room each time she walks into it before long. You mark my words.

“I’m okay with it, Papa. As long as you think it’s the right thing to do, of course. Mrs Vidal and I talked about the wedding, and I think she’s right. There’s a lot for me to learn about the family, about the marriage, and what’s expected of me. Mrs Vidal offered to help me with everything, and I can’t think of anyone better. I don’t wish to fail you, Papa.”

“Very well.” Romano looks at my father. “She can stay, but I’d like Sofia’s Nanny to stay with her. It’s nothing personal, but I’d like to make sure Sofia is behaving accordingly. Lorna will make sure of it. She’ll also bring some things over for Sofia while she’s staying here.”

“Fine.” My father replies. “Well, if that’s all? Marnie, can you show Sofia to her room, please?”

“Of course,” Mom smiles up at Dad.

“Sofia?” She looks at my father. “Say Goodbye to your father for now.”

“Yes, Sir. Bye, Papa.” Romano walks forward and plants a chastised kiss on Sofia’s forehead. He leans into her and whispers something in her ear that makes her cringe and tell him, “I promise.”

“Don Vidal,” Romano holds out his hand, and my father shakes it. “I’ll be in touch.” With that, without so much as looking at his daughter, he leaves.

I spot Sofia’s tremulous sigh of relief before I cross the room. My need to comfort and protect her is overwhelming as she clings to me tightly, her vulnerability making my resolve stronger.

“Thank you,” I tell my mother. She didn’t have to do this, but I’m grateful that she did.

“We’ll leave you two to talk,” my father says. I nod.

My mom kisses Sofia’s head, then she kisses my cheek and whispers in my ear, “Take care of her, Luca. She hasn’t had it easy.”

“I will.”

Now we’re finally alone.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?”

Sofia looks up at me and nods. “I am now. Your mom was so nice to me, Luca. She asked me to call her by her name.” Sofia giggles, making me smile. Typical Mom wouldn’t want to be known as Mrs Vidal when it comes to her future daughter-in-law. “I thought she hated me, but Marnie told me that wasn’t the case. It’s not me she doesn’t like; it’s the situation. She believed that forcing us into this marriage was wrong.”

I smile as I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “My mother went through something similar when she was younger. That’s why she would never wish a forced marriage on anyone. But I’m glad the two of you are getting along and that she agreed to this.”

“I wasn’t expecting your mother to let me stay.” Sofia smiles slightly.

“She didn’t pressure you into this. Right? Because I won’t have anyone, including my mother, force you into anything you don’t want, Sofia.”

She smiles widely. “No, Marnie didn’t pressure me into this, Luca. I want to stay. Will you be around?”

“Do you want me to be around?”

Sofia nods. “Yes. I think it would be a great way for us to get to know one another.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea.” I pull Sofia into my arms again.

There’s something off about all of this. I can feel it in my bones. Whatever it is, I pray it doesn’t involve the death of this young woman. But somewhere inside me, I know my father doesn’t plan on letting Sofia live once Romano is out of the picture.

Determination hardens within me. If my father tries anything against Sofia, I will fight for her, no matter the cost.