“Fifth, if you ever try to take over D’Averrano, this marriage is over.” I continued.
This time, Lorenzo stayed silent longer. I waited. He stared at me without blinking. “Fine.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
I leaned back. “Interesting.”
“What?”
“I’m not finished.”
He waited again.
“I’m not going to be the wife who stands behind you.”
“I know,” he replied.
“I’m also not going to be the woman who waits for her husband to come home while preparing dinner.”
“Not a problem.”
“And I’m not going to give you children just because the family needs an heir.”
This time, Lorenzo remained silent.
I lifted my chin. “Well? You didn’t answer that one.”
He looked at me for a long moment before saying, “Children aren’t a family decision.”
I hadn’t expected that answer.
“Then whose decision is it?”
“Ours. The parents’.”
I fell silent. Finally, since this conversation had begun, I didn’t have a quick answer.
I turned my gaze toward the sea. I didn’t like it when someone managed to make me think before answering. Especially not a man I’d known for less than an hour.
“And what if I don’t want children?”
“Not a problem.”
“What if you do?”
“That’s a different matter.”
I turned to him. “What does that mean?”
“Your wishes and mine would have to be discussed.”
Simple. Reasonable. Infuriating because it was reasonable.
I let out a long breath. “So you’re not a demanding man.”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Not necessarily.”
I stared at him. “What does that mean?”
“You don’t know what I’ll demand yet.”
My smile disappeared. I looked at him more sharply. “Then tell me.”
“It’s not time yet.”
I stood. “Do you make a habit of keeping people curious?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I simply don’t say anything before it’s necessary.”
I fell silent. That might have been the longest sentence he’d spoken since we sat down together.
I studied him again, trying to draw a conclusion. Lorenzo Veretti. He didn’t talk much. He made no effort to please anyone. He showed no fear.
And what bothered me most… I still hadn’t found his weakness.
Everyone had a weakness. I was sure of it. There were plenty of examples.
Dad had a habit of trusting his own calculations too much. The heads of the families had greed. Government officials had their price. Guards had families. Everyone had something that could be used to make them submit.
But Lorenzo? I hadn’t found anything.
“Why me?” The question slipped out before I realized it.
Lorenzo looked at me.
“Why do you want to marry me?”
He was silent. I waited, though I was actually impatient. I just didn’t want to admit it.
“Because of your family.” An ordinary answer. Too ordinary.
I gave a small nod. “Of course.”
I was about to turn away when he continued. “And because of you.”
I stopped. Slowly, I turned back. Lorenzo was still looking at me.
“What does that mean?”
“Just what I said.”
“Don’t speak in riddles.”
“It’s not a riddle.”
“Then explain.”
He stood. His height made the distance between us feel different.
“I want to know what you’re like,” he said.
“And?”
“That’s all.”
I stared at him. Something didn’t add up. If he only wanted to get to know me, he wouldn’t have come out into the middle of the sea and sat across from me as my prospective husband.
There was something he hadn’t said. I was sure of it. My instincts had never been wrong.
“Did Dad tell you about me?”
“A little.”
“What little?”
“That you’re difficult to control.”
I smiled. “True.”
“And that you don’t like losing.”
I didn’t answer.
“Also true?” This time, he was the one asking.
I lifted my chin. “I don’t lose.”
The corner of Lorenzo’s mouth moved slightly. Not a smile. More like an acknowledgment.
“Good.” His voice was flat.
“Good?”
“Then we won’t get bored.”
I was about to respond when the sound of footsteps came from behind me. I turned.
Dad was walking back toward us. Carlo followed beside him, his face serious. I knew immediately that something was wrong.
Dad wasn’t smiling anymore. He stopped a few steps away from us.