Lost Lombardi

Chapter 9

Dino lost track of time while he was studying inside his room. His favorite subject was math. Math kept his mind and brain busy. He never stopped until he solved a question. He excelled at his studies in school. Teachers liked him because he was a clever student. But he had only a few friends.

Downstairs, dinner time came, and everyone gathered at the dinner table to have dinner. Don sat on his chair, and everyone took their chairs at the long table.

"Let's cheer for Dino coming back home," Don said, raising his champagne glass, and everyone raised their glasses.

"Where the hell is he?" Don asked, looking at the empty chair with anger.

"Shit, did he run away again?" Nico whispered to Rocco, and both brothers looked at Pietro with anger.

"Maybe he went to the washroom," Pietro said, clumsily rising from his chair while Don glared at him. Caterina, Pietro's fiancée, looked around with confusion. She still didn't know who Dino was and what kind of relationship Dino and Pietro had.

"Luca... Luca...," Luca heard Pietro calling.

"Boss," Luca responded quickly.

"Where the hell is Dino? Did he run away again?" Pietro asked angrily.

"He went to his room," Luca, who had kept an eye on Dino the whole time, said.

Pietro ran upstairs quickly. He had made Don angry, and it was not a good thing.

Meanwhile, Dino had become oblivious to the world around him, immersing himself completely in solving math problems. When Pietro entered Dino's room, Dino sat beside his desk, surrounded by his school books. He didn't hear Pietro coming inside.

"Dino, what the hell are you doing?" Pietro said with an annoyed voice.

Dino gasped at the sudden interruption and looked at the time.

"Is dinner ready?" Dino asked in a relaxed tone.

"Yes," Pietro said, wrapping his arms around his chest and looking at Dino angrily.

"You look mad. What happened?" Dino asked, standing from his chair. 'So, this is my father then,' Dino thought. Dino felt his heart beating fast. He wondered what Pietro might be thinking about him. Does he hate him, or does he love him?

Pietro and Dino stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Let's go. Don is waiting. It's not wise to make him mad," Pietro said.

"What will happen if he gets mad?" Dino asked.

"If you want to know, make him mad and find out," Pietro said.

"Would it work if I don't go to dinner? So I can see what he will do when he gets mad today," Dino said, and Pietro grabbed Dino's hand and pushed him out of his room.

"Find out another day," Pietro said.

"Aw... you hurt me," Dino said, touching his hand.

"Don't act like a snowflake. Let's go," Pietro said, and Dino went downstairs with Pietro.

"Dino, sit down," Don said with an authoritative voice. He sounded a bit mad, and the atmosphere in the room was uncomfortable for everyone. Dino sat on his chair between Helio and Abel.

"Where were you?" Don asked before Dino had a look at the food on the table. There was so much food. No one had started to eat, and no one breathed a word. He felt like all eyes were on him, and he felt dizzy.

"In my room," Dino said nervously.

"It's your party. Why were you in your room?" Don asked. The way he spoke sent a chill through the room, making everyone uneasy.

"Just... because... I... I don't know anyone," Dino said. Dino hoped Don would stop asking questions.

"So, none of you bothered to talk with him?" Don looked at the others and asked.

"I talked with him, Papa. I introduced my wife and children," Nico said.

"I did the same," Rocco said, and Don looked at Dino again. Dino wished he could just die on the spot rather than be uncomfortable in front of some strangers.

"So you lied to me?" Don said, and Dino felt like he was sweating. He didn't know where to look, so he looked at his plate.

"No, I... I did not. They introduced themselves, but no one really talked with me, so I felt... I felt like I didn't belong here. So I came to my room," Dino said. 'Oh God, please help me!' Dino thought.

"Pietro, did you introduce Caterina to him? Or the other way around?" Don asked.

"N-No. I didn't see Dino at the party," Pietro said, and Caterina looked at Pietro with confusion.

"You three idiots can't even do a family party right," Don growled, looking at his sons.

"Let's eat now," Don said finally, and Dino felt relieved. 'Thank God!' he thought.

Everyone waited until the servant served food to Don. After that, others served themselves with the food on the table. Don's servant stayed beside him to help him serve food and drink. The servant would occasionally wipe Don's mouth as well. 'What a life,' Dino thought.

Dino looked at the food and was excited to see all the delicious-looking dishes. There were different kinds of shellfish, meat, salads, and many things for dinner. Dino had never tried shellfish before because the Johnsons never let him eat expensive food.

Dino put some shrimp, salads, and other good-looking food that he didn't know the name of onto his plate and started to eat. He remembered not to eat like a starving pig deprived of food for a long time. Dino wondered what the dessert would be like while eating the food on his plate. He couldn't believe that he was going to have dessert too. When he lived with the Johnsons, he was never allowed dessert.

He loved the taste of the shellfish, so he ignored the slight itchiness his mouth felt. He wondered if it was because of the salad he ate. Maybe the leaves made his mouth itchy. Slowly, he felt his throat tightening, making it difficult to breathe, so he drank some water. He didn't understand why he felt like he couldn't breathe properly. He felt dizzy and started to gasp for air. His fork fell onto his plate, making a big noise.

"Is he okay?" someone said. Dino fell on the floor, gasping for air and vomiting.

"Looks like he's having a food allergy," Rocco said, swiftly approaching Dino. Pietro checked Dino's plate to see what Dino ate, and he saw the shrimp.

"EpiPen. Bring my EpiPen," Pietro shouted, and a servant ran to bring it.

"Hey, hey, look at me. You're going to be okay," Pietro said, kneeling beside Dino. But Dino didn't hear anything as he was fighting for his life.