Chapter 1

###Chapter 1

Out of nowhere, Bianca Moretti, the woman who had grown up alongside Lorenzo Valente, raised her glass during our pre-wedding dinner at the Valente family's private club.

The long table was crowded with members of the Family and several of their closest allies. Tomorrow, Lorenzo and I would exchange vows before both families, formally uniting the Valente and Romano families.

Bianca smiled as she lifted her glass higher.

"First, a toast to Lorenzo Valente, our groom. Since you're getting married tomorrow, I suppose you'll finally have to stop stealing my underwear whenever we watch action movies together."

Laughter broke out around the table.

A few of Lorenzo's closest men laughed especially hard, clearly familiar with whatever private joke Bianca was referring to.

Bianca laughed with them, leaning toward Lorenzo until her shoulder nearly brushed his.

Then she caught the look on my face.

Her smile widened.

"And my second toast is to the bride."

She turned her glass toward me.

"Adriana, you must be something special to finally get Lorenzo to settle down. I'm sure you know exactly how to keep him satisfied."

Another ripple of laughter moved around the table, though this time, a few people exchanged awkward glances.

Lorenzo reached over and caught Bianca by the wrist before covering her mouth with his other hand, laughing under his breath.

"Dio, Bianca. Do you ever know when to stop?"

Bianca pulled his hand away, completely unbothered.

"Come on, Lorenzo. Adriana knows we've known each other our whole lives."

Then she looked directly at me, her expression innocent enough to fool anyone who didn't know better.

"You don't mind, do you, Adriana?"

……

I smiled.

"Why would I be? You two have known each other since you were children."

The table went strangely quiet for a moment, almost as if my reaction had disappointed them.

Lorenzo slipped an arm around my shoulders and tapped the tip of my nose.

"You're surprisingly calm tonight. I thought you'd get jealous and make a scene."

One of the men across the table laughed.

"She's handling it better than the women before her. None of them ever lasted long around Bianca."

"Because they couldn't take a joke," Bianca said, lifting her chin. "They all wanted Lorenzo to choose sides."

A few knowing laughs circled the table.

Another man raised his whiskey.

"Then they should've known better. You don't walk into the Valente circle and start telling people who they can keep close."

Bianca looked pleased with that answer. She reached toward Lorenzo again.

"So tell me, Lorenzo. Once you're married, are you going to forget the rest of us? Because I still have enough embarrassing pictures from when we were kids to ruin your reputation."

Lorenzo caught her hand and pushed it away, still smiling.

"Bianca, enough. Adriana is sitting right here."

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, now you're worried about boundaries? You spent half our teenage years snapping my bra straps and figuring out how to unhook them. I had a boyfriend back then, remember?"

More laughter followed.

Then Bianca grabbed my arm with an exaggerated pout.

"Adriana, you should make him compensate me. He ruined enough of my bras over the years."

I lowered my eyes to the hand wrapped around my arm.

Then I looked at her.

"Are you planning to make the same toast tomorrow?"

Bianca's smile faltered.

Tomorrow wasn't some private dinner where Lorenzo's friends could laugh off whatever they pleased. Senior members of both Families would be there, along with men whose alliances with the Valentes and Romanos had been built over decades.

A joke tonight was one thing.

Standing in front of them tomorrow and turning my marriage into a story about another woman's underwear was something else entirely.

Bianca slowly released my arm.

"What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm asking whether you intend to give the same toast tomorrow."

Her expression hardened.

"So now I need your permission to speak?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

She set her glass down hard enough for whiskey to splash over the rim.

The sharp crack against the table silenced the room.

Bianca turned to Lorenzo.

"Your future wife is unbelievable. What did I even say? It was a joke. And none of it was a lie."

Lorenzo's smile finally faded.

He looked at Bianca first, then at me.

After a moment, he reached beneath the table and took my hand.

"Bianca, you're family to me. Adriana is going to be my wife tomorrow. This doesn't need to become a fight."

For half a second, I almost thought he understood.

Then Bianca gave a short, disbelieving laugh.

"I've been beside you my entire life, Lorenzo. And now you're taking her side because she's upset over a joke?"

"I'm not taking anyone's side."

"Sounds like you are."

Lorenzo exhaled slowly, already looking tired of the argument.

Then he turned to me.

"Adriana."

Something in his tone made my fingers go still.

"Just apologize to Bianca. I'll make sure she changes the toast tomorrow, and we can put this behind us."

I stared at him.

He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, as though he were offering me some generous compromise.

Then his palm settled against my back, gently urging me toward Bianca.

Around the table, the tension immediately eased.

One of Lorenzo's friends chuckled.

"Come on, Adriana. It's Bianca. She'll forget about it in five minutes."

"Exactly," another said. "There's no reason to turn tonight into a problem."

A third man lifted his glass toward me.

"Make peace with her. Tomorrow's supposed to be a good day."

Bianca said nothing.

She simply leaned back in her chair and looked at me, waiting.

And Lorenzo's hand remained against my back.

Not comforting me.

Pushing me forward.