There was no furniture in the place, and the barn was empty, apart from a few old, rusted machinery scattered throughout. Everyone was on their feet with Giovanni commanding the room at the head of the human half circle.
I looked to my right and Sal, Leo, Phoenix, Ciro, and Remy were standing off to the side. None of them men took their place in the formation and that was enough to cause the tension in the room. However, it wasn’t until Gio boomed my name that I realized the reason for the tension in the room.
“Luca!” he greeted, loud and unnecessarily jovial. “Glad you’re finally here.” Taking a step to the left, he reached behind him and, with his arm casually draped over her shoulders, Beverly stepped forward. “I called this meeting because we just needed a few things cleared up, Son,” he continued. He made a big show of glancing around the room. “There’s been talk about the next steps in running the organization, and well…you can understand our confusion when you’ve had this beautiful, elegant, intelligent woman warming your bed for the past few years, but then there’s a rumor that you have a fiancé, but it’s not her. It’s understood we need a family man at the helm of all we’ve built, but who do you plan on making a family with?”
I was vibrating with rage.
I was vibrating with rage for both Remy and Beverly. Neither woman deserved this staged humiliation. I also knew that if Beverly was here, she was here under false pretenses. Gio lured her here somehow, but it wasn’t for this. Beverly wasn’t a cruel person. She also knew she’d never be my wife. Even if I had developed a fondness for her over our years together, she couldn’t have children. Beverly knew I needed them to continue my legacy, but more importantly, I wanted them. Our arrangement had been mutually beneficial and, no matter her feelings on the matter, she would never come here and pull a stunt like this. She would never risk being on my bad side. Gio convinced her to come here, and I was sure he had used me as the bait somehow.
“In the spirit to end all speculation, I thought it’d be best to have both women here so you could explain to everyone exactly what was going on,” he lied. “Remy, why don’t you come forward, dear.”
I didn’t look her way, but I put my hand up to stop her. I walked further into the circle until I was practically in the center of it. It wasn’t until then that Ciro, Phoenix, Sal, Leo, and Remy came up from behind to complete the circle. Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths, and all that could be heard was the rustle of leaves and dead grass the wind was playing with.
I wanted to kill this man and everyone in the room knew it.
My voice was so cold, I didn’t even recognize it myself. “You dare to parade another woman, one who I’ve been in a relationship with, in front of the woman I plan on marrying?”
“Ah, so you do plan on marrying one of them,” he replied, a brow lifted in arrogance.
I looked at Beverly and she looked terrified. “Beverly, are you okay?” I asked because I wouldn’t put it past Gio to have harmed her in some way.
She stepped out from under Gio’s arm and nodded. “Luca…I…” Beverly’s voice cracked, and she had to compose herself before continuing. “He said you asked for me.” Her explanation was offered on a tortured whisper and I knew she thought I was going to kill her.
I gave her a curt nod but didn’t bother to alleviate her fears. We were two seasoned lions facing off, and I was not going to show an ounce of weakness in this room. I would handle Beverly afterwards.
“Well, Son,” Gio said, “we’re just all wondering on which direction you plan on taking this organization. I mean…to be fair, if you can’t choose between two women, how can we count on you to make the hard decisions?”
I didn’t take my eyes off Gio when I said, “Beverly, can you tell everyone why you’re confused about being here, please?”
“Be…because…I don’t belong here,” she said. “It’s a…a family meeting. I have no business here because I’m not…a part of all this.” Gio’s eyes narrowed and I could tell his composure was slipping. His grandstanding was backfiring. “And…well, I hadn’t seen you in a couple of months before you called me last week to…uh…Luca?”
Still not looking at her, because I didn’t want anyone in the room to think I was intimidating her, I said, “It’s okay, Beverly. Continue and tell them everything.”
“You called me to meet you…so…well, you ended things with me,” she finally finished. “I…I didn’t ask why because it was none of my business.”
In a desperate bid to cover up his folly, Giovanni tsk’ed. “Really, Luca?” He dramatically shook his head. “She’s been doing the job of being your woman for years and you go and give the position permanently to someone else? A bit insensitive, don’t you think?”
I took a few steps forward for purpose. I glance around the room and everyone saw a smirk on my face rather than the rage or embarrassment they were expecting. “Well, if I’m expected to set the example, then I guess all Benetti men will be expected to marry their mistresses, yeah?” All around me, males straightened and bristled at the very idea. “And since it’s apparently appropriate to parade my former paramour in front of my fiancé…” I looked over at the first elder to catch my eye. “…then I suppose it’s okay for Joseph to invite Minnie to Christmas dinner this year. I’m sure Angelica wouldn’t mind entertaining her husband’s mistress for the holidays. After all, Joseph’s been keeping Minnie for years now. Surely, Minnie deserves some recognition just
