Chapter 6: The First Meal

The silence at the table was so heavy. The four men stared at me. Angelo, the one with the white beard, looked like he wanted to spit on the floor. He didn't like that I had talked back. In his world, women were probably supposed to stay quiet and pass the wine.

Luca didn't say a word. He just leaned back in his chair and watched me. There was a tiny spark in his eyes. It wasn't quite a smile, but it wasn't the cold stare he usually gave me.

"A Romano," Angelo finally said. He picked up his wine glass but didn't drink. "You have the nerve of a Romano; I’ll give you that. But nerve doesn't pay debts. Nerve doesn't bring back what your father stole."

"I told Luca already," I said. I picked up my fork. My hand was steady, even though my heart was hammering. "I don't have the diamond. I don't know where it is. If you want to spend the whole dinner talking about something that's lost, go ahead. But I’m here to eat."

A younger man sitting across from me laughed. He had slicked-back hair and a gold watch that looked way too big for his wrist. His name was Marco as I'd picked up from their conversation. He had been staring at my neck since I walked in.

"I like her," Marco said. "She has spirit. Tell me, Isabella, does that spirit come from your father? Or did you learn to fight like that while you were serving coffee to truck drivers?"

My heart stung but I didn't loose composure.

"I learned that people only respect you if you don't let them walk over you," I said. "Whether I’m in a diner or a palace, that doesn't change."

"Enough," Luca said.

His voice wasn't loud, but the table went quiet instantly. He didn't even have to look at them. He just picked up his knife and started cutting his steak.

"Isabella is my wife," Luca said. "She is a Moretti. If any of you have a problem with her name, you have a problem with mine. Is that clear?"

Angelo grumbled something under his breath, but he nodded. Marco just smirked and went back to his food.

For the next twenty minutes, the men talked about business. They talked about shipments, docks, and a rival family called the Vanchis. They spoke as if I wasn't even there. It was like I was a piece of furniture that happened to have an opinion.

"The Vanchis are moving into the North End," Angelo said. "They think we're soft because we're focused on the diamond. They think we're distracted."

"They can think whatever they want," Luca said. "The North End is ours. If they set foot on our docks, burn the warehouse. Don't ask for permission. Just do it."

"And the girl?" Angelo asked, nodding his head toward me. "They know she’s here. They know she’s the key. What happens if they come for her?"

The girl? Like hello, I’m right here.

Luca stopped eating. He looked at Angelo. "They won't get past the gate. And if they do, they won't leave this property alive. Isabella is under my personal protection. Anyone who tries to take her is choosing death."

I felt a chill run down my spine. It wasn't a romantic thought. It was a reminder that I was a prize in a war I didn't understand yet. I wasn't a person to these men. I was a target.

"I can protect myself," I said.

The men at the table all looked at me. Marco actually chuckled.

"With what, sweetheart? That silver hairbrush Maria gave you?" he asked with a smirk.

I felt my face get hot; I wonder how he knew that. I reached into my pocket and felt the weight of the hairbrush I had hidden there. "I’ve survived ten years without a mafia king to watch over me. I think I’ll be fine."

"The world you lived in for ten years is gone," Luca said. He wasn't looking at the men anymore. He was looking only at me. "The people who are coming for you now don't care about your rules. They don't care about your life. They only care about what you can give them."

"And you're different?" I asked.

Luca didn't answer. He signalled to the maid, and the plates were cleared away.

"The meeting is over," Luca told his men. "Get out. I want the reports on the Vanchis by morning."

The Capos stood up. They bowed their heads to Luca, but they barely looked at me as they left. Angelo was the last to go. He paused at the door and looked at me one last time. It wasn't a look of respect. It was a look of disgust.

When the doors shut, the room felt empty. The silence came back, but this time it wasn't as scary. It was just me and the man I had married.

"You shouldn't have done that," Luca said. He stood up and poured himself a glass of water.

"Done what? Stood up for myself?"

"They are killers, Isabella. They don't value 'spirit.' They value power. When you talk to them like that, you're challenging them. You're making them want to break you."

"Let them try," I said. I stood up too. I was tired of sitting in that heavy chair. "I'm not going to be the quiet little bride who hides in her room while you decide my fate."

Luca walked around the table. He stopped a few feet away from me. He looked tired. The shadows under his eyes were darker than they had been this morning.

"You did well though," he said quietly.

I blinked. "What?"

"You didn't show them you were afraid," Luca said. "That’s the first step. If they think you're weak, they'll move against me to get to you. Tonight, you made them think you might be dangerous. That keeps them guessing."

"I'm not dangerous, Luca. I'm just tired of being pushed around."

"In this house, those are the same thing."

He gestured toward the door. "Come. I'll walk you back."

We walked through the long, dark hallways together. There were no guards inside this part of the house, but I could feel the presence of the men outside. The house felt like a living thing, watching us.

"Why do you do it?" I asked as we reached the stairs.

"Do what?"

"This. All of this. The killings, the threats, the stone walls. Do you actually like being the king of a graveyard?"

Luca stopped walking. He looked out a window at the dark garden. "I didn't choose this, Isabella. Just like you didn't choose to be a Romano. I was born into a world that was already on fire. My job is just to make sure I’m the one holding the match."

"That's a sad way to live," I said. He shrugged.

"It's the only way to stay alive," he replied.

We reached my bedroom door. He didn't open it for me. He just stood there, his hands in his pockets. For a second, he didn't look like a mafia king. He just looked like a man who had forgotten how to sleep, he looked so tired like he could drop dead any minute.

"Eat something before you go to bed," he said. "You barely touched your pasta."

"I told you, I wasn't hungry."

"Eat anyway. You'll need your strength tomorrow. Please."

Did he just say please?

"What's tomorrow?" I asked.

"The bank," Luca said. "We're going to see if your father’s gift actually works. If it doesn't... then we have a very different conversation to have."

"And if it does?"

Luca looked at me. His gaze was intense, and for a moment, I felt a spark of something that wasn't fear. It was a strange, heat-filled tension that made my breath hitch.

"If it does," Luca whispered, "then you might just get your life back. Eventually."

He turned and walked away before I could say anything else. I watched him go until he disappeared around the corner.

I went into my room and shut the door. I didn't lock it this time. I walked over to the vanity and put the silver hairbrush down on the marble top.

I looked at my reflection. My eyes were bright, and my face was flushed. I didn't look like the girl from the diner anymore. I looked like someone who was starting to enjoy the fight.

And that terrified me more than Luca Moretti ever could.

I sat on the bed and looked at the intercom. I thought about pressing three for the kitchen. I thought about the pasta I hadn't eaten. But mostly, I thought about the look in Luca’s eyes when he told me I’d done well.

I wasn't just a prisoner anymore. I was a player in his game.

I lay back on the pillows and closed my eyes. Tomorrow, I would find out if my father had saved me or destroyed me. But as I drifted off to sleep, I realized I wasn't dreaming about the diamond.

I was dreaming about the man who was keeping me in this castle.