Chapter 22

NICHOLAS

I shot a murderous glare at Nicolo as he danced with his arms around Giselle. He even had the guts to smile at her, and she smiled back at him.

"Women can never be satisfied, huh?" 

I looked up when I heard Gregorio's sleazy voice.

A smart man would have gotten the hint when I glared at him, but Gregorio lowered himself to Giselle's vacated seat.

"Imagine getting her a ring that cost you twenty-five million dollars, and she still flirts with other men. Take a look at that smile. And her dress?" He shook his head.

I pinned him with one of my dark stares that had men shaking in fear. It worked. "She looks beautiful in it, I know. I see nothing wrong with the way she's dressed."

I wouldn't stand for anyone calling Giselle loose because she danced with another man. Especially not from this idiot sitting in front of me. 

"If you say so. I suggest you put a tighter leash on her. It'd be disrespectful to you if she sleeps around like a cheap, used whore."

Right. Like it wasn't the 'cheap, used whores' he cheated on his wife with.

"I don't know what you think this marriage is, but I certainly do not parent every action Giselle takes. She can smile at any man she wants. That doesn't mean she doesn't know who she's married to." I was telling both Gregorio and myself. "Since when did we meddle in each other's families? It seems you've forgotten your place."

Gregorio's face reddened in mortification. "I'm sorry, Nicholas. Pardon my slip-up. How is the injury on your side doing?"

I tensed for a nanosecond before arching a brow at him. "From what incident?" I asked. No one knew I had to get stitched before the wedding. How did Gregorio get to find out about it?

The snitch again. 

Cristo, when I got my hand on whoever it was, the person would go through a slow, torturous death. Ivan was just an example.

He flashed me a malicious smile. "The one that happened two weeks before the wedding. Bullet wound, was it?"

It wasn't a bullet wound, but I played along. "It has healed nicely. Thank you for your concern, Gregorio."

He rose to his feet, holding his hand out to me. "Any time. Congratulations on your win."

I gave his hand a scathing look, and he quickly withdrew it. "Thank you," I said instead.

He nodded before scurrying off. Good riddance. He needed to be put in his place more often.

When I focused on the dancefloor again, Giselle was gone, and Nicolo was dancing with another woman. She was probably in the bathroom, so I sat put, nodding when several people came to congratulate me on my win.

The cycle was boring, and when I couldn't tolerate it any longer, I took out my phone, pretending I was busy on it. It was a trick I used all the time to let people know I wasn't to be disturbed, and it worked like a charm every single time. 

I looked up from my phone just in time to see Giselle marching across the room, her determined gaze focused on Eduardo and her father, her eyes blazing with fury.

Cazzo! 

She was going to do something stupid if I didn't stop her. I rose to my feet, pushing through the crowd to get to her, but it was too late.

Giselle had already slapped Eduardo.

"What is this nonsense, Giselle?" Gregorio barked, marching forward. He cocked his hand back to hit her, but when he saw me come up behind her, he froze.

"I should ask you and your sick, twisted wife that question. She's only eighteen. How can you make her get married to this old fool who has more children than cars?"

I mentally winced. She was harsh with the insults. This was the reaction I feared she'd have when Matteo told me the other day. Not that Eduardo didn't deserve it.

"If I'm not mistaken, he probably has children the same age as Cara," she went on. "In what world is this okay, Father?"

Eduardo's eyes narrowed in anger. "Take care of your wife, Nicholas. I'd hate for something to happen to her."

He had a smile on his face, but the threat was clear. He was going to get back at her for humiliating him in public.

What the fuck did you get yourself into, dolcezza?

Eduardo stepped to the side, disappearing into the crowd.

"What is wrong with you, Giselle? Please, tell me what your problem is." Gregorio glared. "This is Fanelli's business."

"You are my problem, and I don't give a fuck if this is Fanelli's business. Cara is my fucking sister."

Damn, she was pissed. She rarely cursed. I knew if I didn't intervene, she'd cause more damage than she already has.

"Giselle…"

She cut me off with a glare. "Stay out of this, Nicholas. This is none of your business."

Gasps filled the air at Giselle's dismissal and disrespect of me, but she didn't even bat an eye.

"You know what, Father? The engagement is called off." She tossed a ring at her father's feet. "Cara isn't getting married to anyone, and she's under my care now. Hear me? She is no longer a Fanelli, so you have no control over her anymore. You never cared about her, anyway."

"That is enough, Giselle," I hissed into her ear, my tone cold and filled with anger. I was fucking pissed.

Giselle stiffened like she had just finally realized where we were.

"We're heading home," I hissed when she turned to face me.

"Nich…" She began.

"Fucking now," I insisted, sparking fear in her eyes, but it was too late. She'd already fucked up.

***

GISELLE

The car ride home was silent, and I occasionally tried to fill it with the reassuring words I spoke to Cara.

That was right. I made the decision that Cara was coming with us, and I wasn't budging on that soon. Not even when Nicholas glared at me before climbing into the car.

The air in the car was tense, and when the driver pulled up into my compound, Nicholas was the first to get out of the car, undoing his bowtie on his way in.

He was furious. I knew I fucked up badly when even Nicolo had a look of surprise on his face when I passed by him.

"Let me show you to a room."

I led her up the stairs, choosing a room at the far end of the hallway. If something bad were to happen, she'd have time to escape because her room was the furthest from the stairs.

"Nicholas is mad at you," she said when I returned shortly after with my pajamas. 

"He's not." I chuckled when she raised an unimpressed brow at me. "He's pissed, but it's nothing I can't handle." In fact, I already had a plan in mind. "I messed up tonight, and I'll fix it."

Cara looked down at her hands. "All because of me."

I took her chin in my hand, raising her head. "It's not your fault, Cara. I've always had a temper, and it has come to bite me in the ass. I'll be fine. I promise. Get changed, and go to sleep. You'll see everything will be alright when you wake up."

She nodded, smiling at me. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. It was time for me to face my demons right now, or in this case, Nicholas Rossi; my furious husband.