His Bambina

Chapter 30

Glittering lights glow through the hundreds of windows up ahead. The grass is greener than the summer trees. The cobblestone walkway is set like a red carpet ready to bring its guests into the magical world inside.
Vincenzo can't fight the proud glint on his face as I forget to hide away the look of awe that blankets across my face. We walk into the double doors and it's like walking into a fantasy. My heels click against the beautiful marble floors and the violins sing beautiful songs inside. Fairy lights hang from each level and I'm astounded by how many wooden bookshelves I can see. I bet that's not even all of them.
We quickly come to a stop before I can get too lost in the beauty of this building. My men and I all look at Vincenzo confused.
"No weapons past this point." All of my men look at the basket Vincenzo gestures towards, then to Nico and I.
Nico's left hand twitches but the rest of his demeanor stays steady, "You expect us to surround ourselves with these Italian strangers unarmed? You're delusional."
"These are my allies. And this is neutral ground. No. Weapons." I expect Vincenzo to give Nico a look that would send any man 6 feet under, but instead he smiles a cold smile. The feeling in my gut tells me he's up to no good. But I give Nico and our men a nod to tell them to listen. We don't need our weapons this evening anyways. In no way will anything tonight end in blood. That's not the goal tonight, the goal is to prevent any of my family's blood from spilling.
Even so, as the sound of every one of my men's guns fall into the basket Vincenzo seems to grow more satisfied and I feel the metaphorical chain around my neck tighten by the second.

Vincenzo's hand is tense around mine as we make our way to each table. Despite his cool demeanor and the glittering smiles he receives as he divulges in small talk, his hold on me stays firm. As if he's ready for someone to snatch me away at any second.
"Chiao, Galate. Glad to see you were able to make it tonight."
Vincenzo shakes hands with the man in front of me. This man, standing at about six foot three and dressed in all red with a ring on every finger, seems to be the first man who hasn't greeted Vincenzo with a smile or kissed the ground he walked on.
I give Nico a subtle glance from across the room and he nods. Carlo Gilate. He and Vincenzo were close friends and allies for years. Up until Vincenzo refused the marriage proposal of Carlo's sister about a year ago.  If there's one thing to know about the rough looking man in front of me, is that he has an even rougher temper. If Vincenzo were to worry about anyone causing enough trouble to "hide me away" it'll be Carlo.
And there's nothing more Nico enjoys than edging on people who can't control their temper.
Two hours into the night it seems like we've finally run out of people to speak to. My aching feet take refuge in the relief of finally being able to sit down for dinner.
The two of us sit in an awkward silence. If the food could be served any quicker that'd be great...
"Hey girlie!" Emily and Amelia plop into the seats to my right. Emily's hair has been put up in an elaborate updo with a bow that cascades down her back. Amelia's hair has been trimmed to hover right above her shoulders and is straightened, giving her a more professional look as Emily went for a fairytale style. It almost shows the difference between the two tonight. Amelia is ready for our one task tonight, as Emily is trying to enjoy her last night with us.
Even so they are both extremely elegant in their floor length gowns. As Amelia goes for a simple forest green satin dress, focusing more on comfort for the night, Emily goes for a dress that catches everyone's eyes. Her strapless gown holds art resembling the art in the Sistine Chapel. The beautiful colors and shape of the dress even catches the eye of Nico from across the room.
"Emily gave me the 'grand tour' of the place. It is extremely beautiful.Truly a work of art." The look on her face confirms my worries. It's extremely big. A complete maze. 
Servers disperse from the kitchen to each guest's table. We thank them as they get to us, but before I can dig into the delicious food Vincenzo catches my attention.
"Aria, I've been meaning to talk to you about what happened," his voice is low to ensure no one else can overhear. But the look on his face tells me it can't wait.
"We've been so caught up with this event and all our new business, I haven't gotten the chance to tell you how sorry—"
"Oh! There you are!" Her voice washes over us like a bucket of ice water.
Veronica is wearing a beaded sweetheart neckline, and lace sleeves that go up to her elbows. Her neckline shows just enough to make all the men stare, and her tan slender legs peek through the slit that stops just below her hip.
She's absolutely breathtaking. I hate it. I hate how jealousy has such a rotten take and yet I'm filled with it.
Vincenzo visibly stiffens as she puts her hand on his shoulder and she side-steps in between us, "I have a very important client I've been meaning to introduce you to."
"Dinner has just been served, Veronica. It can wait."
"I'm afraid not sir," she fakes a pout and leans in closer, "I promised them your company and they're starting to get... impatient."
"Nemico l'amore di-" He snaps, getting the attention of one of his men. He stands leaning towards the man, "non farts uscire se la tuna vista. (Do not let her out of your sight)"
Without another word he leaves towards wherever Veronica is leading him. I try to ignore the bitter taste in my mouth. But I can't seem to hide away from the girls' looks of pity.
Not a minute later the clash of broken glass echoes through the venue.
"You have something to say? Say it to my face, vigliacco!"
Men begin pushing and throwing punches. Vincenzo's men who were put in charge of watching me glance at each other apprehensively before diving into the chaos. But it'll take more than two men to contain the drunk beast in the fiery red suit. Carlo Gilate was our ticking time bomb. And he just exploded.