Page 56 of Lost Prince

I nod. “I have no clue who you are, but I’m not impressed so far.”

Matteo snorts and hides his laugh behind his napkin. Lana smiles, but her eyes tell me to not upset the man.

“So you can see. We’re just looking after our family. There’s no disrespect,” Lana says.

Rinella sniffs in a breath, not looking convinced.

“Tell me, how is Ava?” Lana asks, impressing me with how she’s moving the conversation in a new direction. Especially when it works.

“She’s engaged.”

Matteo’s attention snaps to him. “To whom?”

He tosses Elio’s words back at him. “I’m not sure it’s your business.”

Elio acts like he doesn’t care one way or the other.

“I’m sure it’s a good match,” Lana says. “She’s a lovely woman.”

“It is. She’s going to New York. Don Gianni.”

“Carlo Gianni?” Elio asks.

“Yes. We’re forming an alliance.”

“He’s older than you,” Matteo says to Rinella with a tone of disgust. There's a flicker of emotion I can't quite place. Hurt? Anger? Whatever it is, it's clear this news has shaken him.

The atmosphere in the room shifts, becoming even more uncomfortable.

Rinella raises an eyebrow at Matteo's outburst. "I fail to see how that's any of your concern.”

Matteo's jaw clenches. Elio shoots him a warning look.

Rinella continues, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction. "As I was saying, Ava is to wed Don Gianni as part of an alliance with our family. The wedding is set for just a few months from now."

The implications of this announcement are lost on me. Why does this matter? I glance around the table, taking in the reactions of my family. Elio's face is a mask of calm and I genuinely feel that this news doesn’t bother him. Matteo, though, he looks like he's about to explode.

"Your father was a man of his word," Rinella sneers at Elio. "You, on the other hand, have proven to be less… reliable. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by Don Caruso."

The threat hangs in the air, heavy and ominous.

Tension radiates off Lana, but her expression and her tone belie that. “Surely, you don't intend to send your daughter so far away? To a man old enough to be her father, no less."

Rinella's attention shifts to my sister, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"After all," Lana continues, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, "why look to New York when there are perfectly good matches right here in Chicago?" Her eyes flick to me. "Ava could make an excellent match for Lazaro, don't you think?"

My heart stops. My sister has just handed me over to Rinella as a peace offering.

21

DIANA

Itry to leave to prepare for my date, but Anna indicates that Lazaro hasn’t talked to her. Did he forget? I can’t go against my boss, so I stay, hoping Lazaro won’t be mad that I’m not ready.

But then, Maria comes flying into the kitchen reporting that Mr. Rinella has stopped by and will be staying for dinner. She remarks that the tension between him and Elio is thick, so we know this dinner is important.

And now I understand why Lazaro hasn’t let Anna know about our date. I wish he’d told me what was happening, but I can imagine that Lazaro is feeling a little bit stressed. He’s sensitive to tension in the air.