Lissy Romano

78| Marry her myself.

Lissy Romano

"You must be Lissy," Amara said, her smile warm and inviting.

"You must be Amara," I replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Giovanni's told me so much about you. I think we'll be friends... if you want to, of course," she added nervously, trailing off.

"I don't know," I said coldly, not bothering to hide my hesitation.

"Okay, let's sit down then, shall we?" Giovanni suggested, trying to break the awkward silence.

We all sat, and Vincenzo didn't let go of my hand. I was grateful for that. It was comforting, knowing he was there.

I was seated between Vincenzo and Santino. Santino, being my person, made me feel safe and at ease. Next to him was Dante, always on alert, scanning the room like a hawk. He was my protector, constantly aware of his surroundings, just in case anyone tried something stupid. But with the security at this place, I knew nothing would happen.

Next to Dante was Davide, clearly happy to be here, his excitement contagious.

In front of me, Giovanni and Amara were seated across from each other, exchanging smiles. Amara smiled at me every time our eyes met, but I didn't smile back. I knew I was being distant, maybe even a little rude, but I couldn't help it.

Next to Amara was Enzo, and beside him sat Matteo, with Domenico next to Matteo.

After we all decided on our orders, the waiter left, and Amara excused herself to go to the restroom.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back," I said, smiling at my brothers.

They nodded, still deep in their business conversation.

I made my way toward the restroom, feeling the pressure of making a good impression on Amara. But I wasn't in the mood to be nice. Not yet, anyway.

I walked in and found her putting on pink lip gloss in the mirror. She noticed me and smiled.

"Lissy, I..." she started, but I cut her off.

"I'm Lissy Romano to you," I said firmly. She frowned, clearly not expecting my coldness.

"We're going to have a serious conversation now. My brother likes you, I can see it," I said bluntly, and her smile faltered. "But that doesn't mean anything." I added, watching her face fall.

"I..." she began, but I interrupted again, "I talk, you listen."

She nodded, her eyes wide, and I felt a little bad, but I had to know her intentions before letting her into our family.

"If you hurt my brother in any way, I promise you... I'll find you, and you'll regret it," I warned, and she nodded again.

"I know you think you're important, but you'll never be more important than I am. Not in Giovanni's life, not in this family. Girls come and go, but I'm his sister, and I'll always be here," I continued, my words harsh but necessary. "I want you to remember that."

Her eyes began to water, and her hands started trembling. I felt a pang of guilt. I hadn't meant to make her panic.

"Amara, we're not enemies, as long as you truly love my brother. Just don't hurt him," I said, softening my tone and stepping closer to her.