Protecting The Principessa (Complete)

~ Chapter 48 ~

"You know what to do?" Ignazia glanced at Adriano as he pulled up to the restaurant, they had picked for this dinner date. Adriano had booked it, using his power, and had gotten a little place for her and her dad in a private corner.

"Yes, information." Adriano took her head before she got out of the car and she glanced back at him.

"No, beyond that. You two really need to talk, sweetheart, not just about the man, but about other things." She stiffened at those words, but she knew he was right as well. They did need to talk. She needed to vent, and maybe Carlo did too.

"I'll call you when we're done," she told him and leaned over to give him a quick kiss.

"No need, I'll be in the parking lot the whole time. You don't think I would leave you alone that long, do you? You walked for miles and hours the last time I left you, not again." She winked at him as she climbed out and went into the building, giving the hostess her name. She smiled and turned to walk down the hallway, letting her know that her father was already there. Well, she was a few minutes late, she needed some extra time to gather her courage, and to cover the damn love bite that Adriano gave her. However, when she started to apply the makeup, he walked in and stopped her, saying he loved the look on her. So, she pulled her hair over her shoulder, trying her best to hide some of it that way.

"You're late," her father said as the hostess walked away, and Izzy sat down.

"By a few minutes, traffic, you know how annoying it can be." His lips twitched as he looked at her.

"So, should we discuss what happened earlier?" Izzy gave a very unladylike snort that caused her dad to glare at her.

"What I do with my fiancé has nothing to do with you, even if you're the one behind it." Her dad crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.

"You knew?"

"I saw the folder. And as I'm not nearly as dumb as you might like to think just because I'm a bartender, I knew what the folder was thanks to me asking about Sara. Why would you do that to me? Or to her? And why put Adriano in that position, a man whom I gather, you admire?" Carlo sighed and rubbed his hand over his face.

"I hope you got time and Adriano is willing to wait because all of that is a story, and it's a rather long one." Izzy waved the waitress over and put in a drink order. If it was going to take a bit, they had better start with their drinks.

"I'm all ears." Carlo stared down at the table for a few moments and she watched as he gathered up his thoughts before finally looking back up at her.

"Adriano is a good man, damn good man. He's got the brains and the brawns to lead this family and the others. However, there are men I've had around me for years and won't take kindly to putting up with Adriano as their boss. He deserves to lead; those are his men and I know they will follow him. Rather than start a war by him leaving and taking half those men, I figured the best thing to do would be to make him the Don, but it's not just something I can hand over.

"In the eyes of the other men, he has to earn it properly. Not that I don't think he has. But I figured if offering up my daughter's hand, then all would be okay. In the older eyes there, he is my son-in-law, and it works perfectly."

"Why do I feel like there's a but in that?"

"It should have not ruffled nearly as many feathers as it has, but it did. Not that anyone has come out and said it, but I've been dealing with this shit for too long, reading people for too long."

"No one should have known about the contract though."

"Oh, Ignazia, no one does. They're pissed that Adriano is my second, that he's marrying my daughter. They might not know the contract is there, but they can guess something is up. Besides, it's rather obvious that it wasn't love between Sara and Adriano. I asked them not to maintain an open relationship, or at least to be rather careful; they actually were."