Chapter 16 Chapter 16

Chapter 16 Chapter 16
Scarlett’s POV
"That came out wrong," he said.
"You think?"
"I meant—" He stopped. Rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not good at this."
"At what?"
"This. Talking. Relationships." He gestured vaguely between us. "I don't know how to... I'm trying to take care of you. I just don't know how to do it without making it weird."
I bit my lip.
Okay. That was... honest.
"The card is weird," I said.
"I know."
"Really weird."
"I know."
"Like, 'sugar daddy giving his mistress a credit card' levels of weird."
He winced. "I didn't think about it like that."
"Of course you didn't. Because you're a man."
"Is there a better way?" he asked. "To help you? To make sure you have what you need?"
I thought about it.
The truth was, I didn't know either. This was new territory for both of us.
"Just... don't expect me to use it," I said finally. "I'll keep it. But only for emergencies."
"Emergencies," he repeated.
"Yes."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Medical stuff. If the baby needs something. Real emergencies."
"Maternity clothes are real emergencies."
"Maternity clothes from Target are real emergencies. Maternity clothes from Chanel are not."
His mouth twitched. Almost a smile. "Noted."
We stood there for a moment.
This is so weird.
"We should go," I said. "I'm going to be late."
"Right." He grabbed his car keys from the counter. "Let's go."
We walked to the garage together.
Third Person POV
The Romano family sat around the long dining table in their mansion.
Sal Romano sat at the head of the table. He wore a dark suit even though it was barely eight in the morning. His face was hard. Tired. He looked like a man who hadn't slept well in days.
Viviana sat to his right. She picked at her breakfast. Her nails tapped against her coffee cup. The sound was sharp. Irritating.
The silence was heavy.
Viviana's phone rang. She looked at the screen. Her face changed. She set down her fork.
"It's Mrs. Santoro," she said. Her voice was tight.
Everyone at the table looked up.
Viviana answered. "Hello, Elena. Good morning." Her voice became sweet. Fake. "Yes, of course. Lunch today? That would be lovely. The usual place? Perfect. I'll see you at noon."
She hung up. The sweet expression disappeared immediately. Her face went hard.
"That woman," Viviana said. She practically spat the words. "She wants to have lunch. Again. This is the third time this month."
"What does she want?" Sal asked. He already knew the answer.
"What do you think she wants?" Viviana's voice rose. "She wants to talk about the marriage arrangement. She wants to know when we're sending our daughter to marry her crippled son."
Lorenzo looked up from his phone. "The Santoros are getting impatient."
"Of course they're getting impatient," Viviana snapped. "When Adrian was healthy and whole, they barely acknowledged the engagement. They kept postponing. Making excuses. But now that he's in a wheelchair, suddenly they're desperate to lock it down. They want our daughter to be his nursemaid for the rest of her life."
"The arrangement was made years ago," Sal said quietly. "They have the right to expect it to be honored."
"I know that," Viviana said. "But Scarlett is gone. She made her choice. She walked out."
Zelda set down her fork. Her hand trembled slightly. She looked up at Viviana with those big blue eyes.
"Mom," she said softly. "I've been thinking about this. About the Santoro arrangement. About everything."
Everyone turned to look at her.
Zelda bit her lip. Her eyes looked shiny. Like she was about to cry. "I could marry Adrian instead."
The table went silent.
"What?" Viviana's voice was sharp.
"I could take Scarlett's place," Zelda continued. Her voice was quiet. Hesitant. "I know the arrangement was supposed to be for the eldest daughter. But Scarlett is gone. And the Santoros need someone. I could do it. I could marry him."
She looked down at her plate. Her shoulders hunched. She looked small. Vulnerable.
"I don't want you and Dad to worry about this anymore," she said. "I don't want our family to have problems with the Santoros because of me. Because Scarlett left and now there's no one to fulfill the arrangement. I can fix this. I can be the one."
Viviana's face softened. She reached over and put her hand on Zelda's arm.
"Baby, no," she said. Her voice was gentle now. "You're not marrying that man."
"But the arrangement—"
"I don't care about the arrangement," Viviana interrupted. "You're not sacrificing yourself for this family. You're too precious. You have your whole life ahead of you. You're starting at Columbia in the fall. You're going to have a brilliant future. I won't let you throw it away on a man who can't even walk."
Sal's jaw tightened. He set down his coffee cup. The sound was loud in the quiet room.
"Zelda is not marrying Adrian Santoro," he said. His voice was ice. Final. "That's the end of the discussion."
Zelda's eyes filled with tears. She nodded. Wiped her face with her napkin.
Nico watched her. His face was dark. Angry.
Sal looked around the table. His eyes stopped on Lorenzo. "Have you heard from Scarlett?"
Lorenzo shook his head. "I've called her at least ten times in the past few days. Every single call goes straight to voicemail. I think she blocked my number."
"Blocked?" Viviana's voice was sharp. "Why would she block you?"
"I don't know," Lorenzo said. He looked frustrated. "But my calls aren't going through. My texts aren't delivering. She's definitely blocking me."
Nico pulled out his phone. His movements were sharp. Angry. "Let me try."
He typed something into his phone. Hit send. Waited.
The screen flashed red. MESSAGE FAILED TO SEND.
He frowned. Tried calling instead.
A robotic voice came through the speaker. "The number you are trying to reach has blocked your calls."
Nico's face went dark red. He looked at the phone like he wanted to throw it across the room.
"That ungrateful little bitch," he said. His voice was low. Dangerous. "She blocked me too."
Sal pulled out his own phone. Tried calling. Same result.
Viviana tried. Same thing.
Even Zelda pulled out her phone and tried. Her hands were shaking. When she got the same message, she looked at her mother with wide, shocked eyes.
"She blocked all of us," Viviana whispered. Her face was white. Then it turned red. Then almost purple. "She blocked her entire family."
Silence.
"I can't believe this," Viviana continued. Her voice was rising. Getting shrill. "We took her back in. We gave her a home. We gave her food and shelter. And this is how she repays us? By cutting us off completely? By blocking our numbers like we're strangers?"
Her hands were shaking. She gripped the edge of the table.
"When that ungrateful little whore comes crawling back, I'm going to make her regret this," Viviana said. "I'm going to make her beg on her knees for forgiveness. She'll learn what it means to turn her back on this family."
Nico leaned back in his chair. His eyes were cold. Calculating.
"She's working at The Brew Station," he said.
Everyone looked at him.
"What?" Lorenzo asked.
"The Brew Station. That coffee shop in Manhattan. On West 47th Street." Nico's voice was calm. Matter-of-fact. "I had someone follow her before she cut contact. She works there. Morning shifts mostly."
He stood up. Grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. "I'm going to the coffee shop today," he said. "I'll bring her back. By force if necessary."