Chapter 114 *
Third Person POV
The Romano estate dining room was silent except for the sound of silverware against china. Nobody was eating much. The tension from the past week hung in the air like smoke.
Salvatore sat at the head of the table. His face was harder than usual. Lorenzo was across from him. Nico picked at his eggs. Zelda sat next to Viviana, pushing her food around her plate.
Viviana's phone buzzed on the table. She glanced at the screen. Her expression changed. She picked it up and walked out of the dining room.
Lorenzo watched her go. He didn't say anything. Just cut into his steak with more force than necessary.
Five minutes later, Viviana came back. Her face was tight. Pinched. Like she'd been arguing with someone.
Salvatore looked up. "Who was that?"
"Zinnia Park." Viviana sat down heavily. "Madison's mother."
"What did she want?" Salvatore asked.
Viviana's jaw clenched. "She wanted to apologize. For her daughter. For what Madison did to Scarlett."
She picked up her coffee cup. Her hand was shaking slightly. "She was practically begging. Said Madison's made a terrible mistake. Said the family wants to make amends."
Lorenzo set down his knife and fork. "What did you tell her?"
"I told her I'd talk to the family." Viviana's voice was sharp. "I told her we'd discuss it."
She looked directly at Lorenzo. Her eyes were hard. "But apparently that's not going to matter. Because Scarlett won't even acknowledge their apology."
"Good," Lorenzo said. His voice was flat. Final.
Viviana's face flushed red. "Good? You think this is good?"
"Yeah. I do." Lorenzo leaned back in his chair. "Madison Park tried to destroy Scarlett's life. Why should Scarlett forgive her?"
"Because it's the mature thing to do!" Viviana's voice rose. "Because continuing this vendetta makes our entire family look bad!"
"Or," Lorenzo said calmly, "it shows that the Romano family protects its own."
Viviana laughed. It came out bitter. Harsh. "Protects its own? Is that what you call it?"
She gestured with her coffee cup. Some liquid sloshed over the side. "Do you know what people are saying online? They're saying we raised the wrong daughter. That Zelda is spoiled and Scarlett is some kind of hero."
Her voice cracked slightly. "They're attacking me. Calling me a terrible mother. Saying I favored the adopted daughter over my own blood."
"Maybe they have a point," Lorenzo said quietly.
The room went dead silent.
Viviana's mouth fell open. "What did you just say?"
"You heard me." Lorenzo's voice didn't rise. But something in his tone made everyone freeze. "We threw Scarlett a party for getting a perfect SAT score. Oh wait. No we didn't."
He picked up his water glass. Took a drink. Set it down carefully. "But we sure threw Zelda a big celebration when she got a 1410. Gifts. Cake. The whole family."
Zelda's face went pale. She looked down at her plate.
"That's different," Viviana said. Her voice was defensive now. "Zelda worked hard for that score. She studied for months."
"And you think Scarlett didn't?" Lorenzo asked. "She worked construction. In Montana winters. And still managed to ace the SAT."
"Lorenzo." Salvatore's voice cut through the tension. "That's enough."
"No." Lorenzo didn't look at his father. Kept his eyes on Viviana. "It's not enough. Not even close."
Viviana's hands were shaking now. "You don't understand what I'm dealing with. The comments. The messages. People calling me names. Saying horrible things."
"Welcome to Scarlett's world," Lorenzo said. "She's been dealing with that for weeks. Where was your sympathy then?"
Viviana turned to Salvatore. "Are you going to let him talk to me like this?"
Salvatore rubbed his temples. "Lorenzo. Watch your tone."
But his voice didn't have much force behind it.
Nico spoke up for the first time. "I think we're all missing the point here."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"The point is," Nico continued, "Scarlett is planning to sue Madison Park. Actually sue her. Take her to court."
He looked around the table. "That's going to be a media circus. The Romano name is going to be everywhere. In every newspaper. On every gossip site."
"So?" Lorenzo asked.
"So maybe we should convince Scarlett to drop it." Nico's voice was careful. Measured. "Accept a settlement. Move on quietly."
"Absolutely not," Lorenzo said immediately.
"I actually agree with Nico," Viviana said. "Dragging this through court will only make things worse."
"For who?" Lorenzo's voice was sharp. "For Scarlett? Or for us?"
"For everyone!" Viviana's voice rose again. "This family doesn't need more negative publicity!"
"Then maybe this family should have thought —" Lorenzo shot back.
Salvatore slammed his hand on the table. The silverware rattled. "Enough!"
Everyone went quiet.
Salvatore looked around at all of them. His face was hard. "Here's what's going to happen. We're going to call Scarlett. Ask her to come home for dinner."
He paused. Let that sink in. "And we're going to convince her to drop this lawsuit. Accept whatever settlement the Parks are offering. And put this whole thing behind us."
"Will she though?" Zelda's voice was soft. Tentative. Like she was afraid to speak up.
Everyone turned to look at her.
She bit her lip. Twisted her napkin in her hands. "I mean... I want Scarlett to come home. I really do. But..."
"But Scarlett's temper..." Zelda's voice got smaller. "If we ask her to come back and make peace with Madison, won't she be upset?"
She looked down at her plate. "I'm just worried. You know how she can get. What if she thinks we're taking Madison's side?"
"We're not taking anyone's side," Salvatore said. "We're trying to protect this family."
"I know, I know." Zelda nodded quickly. "I just... I don't want there to be more fighting. More tension."
She paused. Her fingers fidgeted with her napkin. "Maybe it's better if... if we just let Scarlett handle this on her own? Without getting the family involved?"
Lorenzo went very still.
Something in Zelda's tone. The way she phrased it. The careful hesitation.
It wasn't concern. It was suggestion.
She didn't want Scarlett to come back.
"Zelda." Lorenzo's voice cut through the room like a blade.
She looked up. Her eyes went wide. Startled.
"Isn't Madison your best friend?"
Zelda blinked. "What?"
"Madison Park." Lorenzo leaned forward slightly. "Your best friend. The girl you've known since middle school."
"I... yes?" Zelda's voice was uncertain now.
"I remember every time you had a problem, she was the first one to jump in and defend you." Lorenzo's eyes never left her face. "Every single time."
Zelda nodded slowly. "She's... she's been a good friend."
"So what is it?" Lorenzo's voice dropped lower. Harder. "You don't want Scarlett to forgive her?"
"No! That's not—" Zelda started.
"Or..." Lorenzo interrupted. "You don't want Scarlett back in this house?"
The silence that followed was deafening.