3

Ginevra

“What kind of party?” I ask her, looking up at her intrigued.

“The Gold Point Finance Holding’s party.”

She flashes me a big smile as I stare at her incredulously.

“You know that I’m not admitted there, right?”

Gold Point Finance Holding is one of the biggest finance companies you could find in this booming city. If there is something screaming big business to finance, you can bet on their involvement.

My grandfather once had an immense dispute over the financing of an enormous building site of ours with the group’s CEO, and it didn’t go well for the latter. The entire argument started because of my grandfather’s arch-rival, the head of the Capoletti family, getting involved as other party in the construction deal. As it totally went overboard, it nearly risked the entire finance group falling apart. The moral of the story, it didn’t. And the now most awaited party of the year is tabu for mine as well as the Capoletti-family.

Not that I would care about the jerks.

My family is at war with their rival since forever. The quarrel began long ago, even before I was born. I never talked to even one member of the Capoletti family and complying with my family’s wishes and their rules, I never had the desire to and surely never will.

I know that my brother is about to enter a huge deal with them, and my family has been freaking out because of it for days already. This will mean a lot of long days with grumpy men complaining about the barbaric Capolettis interfering with their success. I guess that each family would have loved to get to manage the billion-worth building site on their own, but apparently, that wouldn’t have been doable.

“Who cares?! My father got tickets and I’ll bring you as a guest. Fuck ’em. You’ll be my wonderful companion, Rachel Silverstar.”

I laugh out loud at her plan.

“I love this, but no. I would be dead if it would ever get out.”

Nina just shrugs her shoulders, taking another chip out of the bag.

“You still have a few days to think about this. Otherwise, I’ll take Hissy, I hope you will be happy.”

I laugh again. Hissy is the spoiled daughter of one of our neighbors. That is a pet name, but I can’t remember her real name. She has been around us since forever and even went to the same schools as us. We were never really thrilled about having her around, but our parents and hers are good friends, so we always had to take her everywhere. Apparently, her mother had already told her that Hissy would be happy to join the party too.

“I’m sure you two will have a blast.” I say chuckling and fliping open another folder.

Nina pouts as she flicks her copper-blond hair over her shoulder.

“Of course, we will! Now let’s find you a husband.”

***

It takes me a few breakdowns to finally chose the best bachelor of the pile. A 32-year-old son of a bankers’ family with blond hair and blue eyes. What sounds like a prince charming doesn’t fit the description at all. Even if the high cheekbones give him an aristocratic hint, his skin is pale and his lips practically non-existent. His family is extremely wealthy, lives in a big mansion and has one or two vacation homes distributed all over the world.

I could see myself sacrificing my romantic dreams for a sunbath in Monaco.

I wonder what his red flag is. He isn’t exactly Mister Universe but with all those assets and wealth, I can imagine him being surrounded by marriage-willing women. There’s nothing I could get out of the profile, that was obviously redacted by his mother. But who am I to judge, considering the result I got, I’m clearly a big walking red flag myself.

Before I present my choice to my mother, I decide to show him to my brother first. My heart beating in my throat risks suffocating me before I can even knock on his office door. Inviting me in with a yes, muffled by the door, he doesn’t even look up as I walk into his office.

“Do you have a minute for me, Federico?”

He looks up, staring at me worriedly over his glasses.

“You just used my full name? How bad is it?”

I wrinkle my nose as I sit down, stretching out the file at him. Getting up, he bends over his desk to snatch it out of my hand.

“What’s this?”

“My future husband!”

I stare at the carpet, pursing my lips. The flap of the opening file is followed by a long whistle, gaining back my attention.

“What?”

He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

“Nothing. I know him.”

“You do?”

I scoop at the board of the chair I’m sitting in as he nods.

“Yeah, the private bank his family owns is often involved when there is something to finance in regard to our building sites.”

He throws the file on the other end of his desk and adds with a grin.

“Dad is going to love him.”

***

Taking a deep breath, I walk into the sitting room where my mother and grandmother are drinking coffee while going through designs for the upcoming collection. In the early years of my grandfather becoming more successful, my grandmother got a little boutique as a gift from him. It should keep her occupied and reduce her complaints about him working non-stop.

Ah, Love.

She soon started designing and sewing designer bags and the little hobby took off. Now she is still designing and does that with the help of my mother, but the sewing has long since been outsourced. As they spot the file in my hand all eyes are on me. Even their minions appear curious to see who I chose. My grandmother just holds out her hand and I give her the file biting my tongue. A snarky comment would be really bad right now. She opens the file and smiles as she opens it.

“Oh, what a nice choice.”

She passes the file to my mother who practically squeals.

“What a handsome man.”

Well.

“I will contact the agency right away.”

I flash her a small smile as she scurries out to organize my marriage proposal.

How romantic.