Chapter 11: Chapter Eleven

*Enzo*

I watch her leave the room, not realizing I was still standing there like an idiot. I hear my grandfather clear his throat grabbing my attention from where she had disappeared too. Seeing that I was now the only person on my feet, a flush of heat hits my cheeks and I quickly take my seat.

I try to ignore the stupid grin on his face and the twinkling of his eyes as he watches me. Whatever he saw there was nothing more than a polite way of bidding goodnight to a young woman. But I don’t voice this out loud since he wasn’t going to believe it anyways.

“Shall we retire to the study?” My grandfather announces, pushing his chair back and getting up.

Maria comes forward and starts cleaning up. Charlie gives me a look that told me this was the perfect time to talk things through with my grandfather as he starts helping her.

“Oh, mijo, no need for that. You’re a quest, I insist you be treated as one.” Maria gushes as she sees what Charlie was doing.

“With all due respect, ma’am, please allow me. These three need to have their own conversation.” His voice held meaning as Domenico walks by completely oblivious of the conversation.

She looks over to me to where I raise my brows and shrug my shoulders. Sighing she relents and allows him to help her. “Well, I could use the company. Are you originally from New York…”

They head off into the kitchen with a few dishes leaving me on my own to follow the other two. As soon as I close the door he doesn’t wait.

“Open your email. I want to see the damage you have done.” He pushes Dom towards his desk where a computer sat waiting.

We all stayed silent as we waited for him to get into his email and pull up the file that he sent. Once he was done, Nonno pushes him away a little and starts reading the email. I stood near the bookcase, pretending I was interested in the titles when I hear,

“Jesus Christ kid. What the hell were you thinking of sending something like this to him?” He sounded aghast, making me turn in their direction.

“Is it that bad?” I ask, sounding almost bored.

The old man gives me the stink eye. “It’s worse. Not only did he threaten to blackmail him, but he didn’t bother to specify which daughter he took. He doesn’t mention her by name at all. Reading this, there’s no way Alejandro is going to believe that taking Gabby was a mistake. Add salt to injury the daughter he did take is his actual biological kid too.”

“In my defense I had forgotten all about her, okay! She just popped out of nowhere not that long ago! You think that’s something I’m going to think when I made this fucking email?!” He nearly screeches.

Nonno slaps him upside the head. “Language boy! You royally screwed yourself up here. You can’t take the girl back now; you’ll have no leverage to keep them off your back. But you’re sure as hell not keeping her against her will either. It was a good thing you brought her here instead.” He grouches, continuing to look through the computer.

“I don’t understand why here is better in the first place. Also, why does it seem you guys know each other?” Domenico rubs the back of his head, wincing.

“She grew up here. Came every summer and weekends to help me with the grapes and spend time with this old man, unlike two grandsons, that I do have, refused to do.” He bites out.

Dom stares at him in shock. “Wait, seriously? Did you know that she was a Russo?”

“What the hell does that matter?” He nearly barks, looking a little pissed.

“Isn’t that like…against our code? Our DNA? Betrayal of some sort?” He truly looked appalled by this fact.

I wanted to laugh at my cousin’s stupidity, while our grandfather looks to him with disgust. “You’ve been letting those close-minded sons of mine get into your thick skull lately? It’s apparent you know nothing, kid. Gabriela wasn’t raised with that hatred, and I bet she wasn’t even aware of it until recently. Just because she’s related and has the name Russo attached to her doesn’t mean she’s one of them.”

“You’re being a bit hypocritical aren’t you, lame head?” I finally pitch in, getting both of them to look at me.

“What?” Dom frowns with confusion.

“You’re trying to force marriage on Ivy Russo. So, how is this any different?” I point out making my grandfather grunt with agreement.

Domenico’s face flushes. “That’s different!”

“How so?” I lean against the shelf looking dead at him with a disbelief expression on my face that he could actually argue with this.

“She’s not blood related, that’s how!” He spats with confidence.

My eyebrows shoot up. “So, because she has no blood of a Russo, but raised as a Russo it’s okay, compared to someone who has the blood but was raised with no knowledge of that hatred between our two families? Do you hear yourself right now?”

“It doesn’t matter if she didn’t know. As long as Russo blood produces in her veins, she’ll always be the enemy.” He confirms.

I scoff needing to look away from him. “Un-fucking-believable.”

“You’ve been spending way too much time with Antonio.” Nonno grunts as he shakes his head.

Dom swings his head to him and frowns. “I don’t understand you. You were the one who grilled this into your sons head ever since they were children. And now you backtracking on what you always believed to be justified. And you’re calling me a hypocrite?”

Nonno sighs heavily, looking to him with guilt in his eyes. “You’re right, I did believe that to be true to the bone and with that false truth I enforced it on my children, who is unfortunately enforcing it down to you. I was wrong, Tesoro. Have been a very long time, but I’ve come to my senses that not everything is so black and white. I felt it was too late for my boys to conform, they’re in too deep with this hatred. But I had hope to spare the two of you at least.”

Domenico frowns even deeper but doesn’t say anything to that. Instead he looks away.

After a moment, Dom turns back to him. “Why is it a good thing we brought her here anyways? If we allow her her freedom, wouldn’t she just go back to her father?”

“Most likely not.” Nonno states. “She’s homesick and probably never wanted to leave in the first place. Her father was never a part of her life until her mother passed away. This is her home and being here I bet she isn’t in any hurry to head on back to her old man.”

Domenico frowns even deeper after hearing that.

“When was the last time you checked your email?”

“I haven’t since the day I sent the blackmail to Alejandro.”

Alarm hits me as I see the old man’s face turn grim. Straightening up, I start walking over to his side. “What is it?” I demand.

“He sent an email back. And it’s not good.”