American Dynasty

F O U R T E E N

Since returning from the study Stella had ignored all of Tilly's questions as to where she had been and why she had taken so long.

"I got side-tracked," was the only thing she could say. Tilly looked like she wanted to press on with more questions but she kept her mouth shut and nodded. After helping Stella into a white day dress she smiled.

"Anything else, Signorina?"

"No, thank you, Tilly," Stella said kindly, feeling bad for how she had been short with her maid. Tilly nodded and left the room, heading off to attend to her other household duties.

Stella examined herself in the mirror. Her dark brown eyes were slightly bloodshot and glazed, probably from holding back tears this whole time. She could not even bring herself to smile even a tiny bit.

The sound of the doorbell echoed all throughout the house but Stella hardly even reacted. She stepped away from her mirror and fell back onto her bed, her head spinning. Would she ever be able to look at her father the same way ever again?

She could hear her father's deep, booming voice welcoming whichever guests had decided to grace the Biancardi house with their presence. It wasn't until Stella heard a voice speaking in a distinct Irish accent that she sat up in utter surprise and disbelief. She forced herself to run out of her room and to the staircase.

There, standing in the main entrance way was none other than the same man who had been in her room the night before. He was shaking hands with Beppe, a cool, charismatic smile on his handsome face. Standing next to him was Giuseppe Masseria who was watching the two men's interaction with great interest.

Stella quietly crept down the stairs, trying not so make a sound. But Giuseppe, sharp-eyed as always, noticed her from the corner of his eye.

"Stella!" He exclaimed, holding his hand out to her. "Mio dio, I have not seen you in quite a long time; how are you? You've grown even more beautiful."

"Th-thank you," Stella stammered, apprehensively taking Giuseppe's hand. He pressed a chaste kiss to her knuckles before pulling her in for a polite hug.

"I heard you were at Dante's party but I never saw you. You're...what? Twenty now?"

"Almost," Stella corrected, her eyes darting to Flynn who was unashamedly staring at her. "In less than a week now."

"My, how they grow up so fast," Giuseppe exclaimed with a wide smile.

Beppe smiled tightly at his daughter and stepped forward. "If you'll excuse us, cara mia, we're going to be in my office. If you could please tell your mother not to disturb us?"

Stella nodded slowly, trying to keep her expression neutral. Beppe started leading the two men away to his study, chatting idly as he did to lift away any suspicion from Stella.

Flynn glanced over his shoulder at the young woman still standing at the foot of the staircase. "Been a while, hasn't it, doll?" He mused quietly. Before Stella could retort he shot her a boyish grin and followed to the two men ahead of him.

Stella waited a few moments until she could no longer hear voices and started to trail behind them. She winced every time the heels of her shoes clicked against the marble tiles. She quickly took her shoes off and searched for a place to hide them. She smiled when she spotted a potted plant in the corner. The pot was deep enough for her to hide her shoes in without them sticking out over the top.

Satisfied that her shoes were sufficiently hidden, Stella quietly jogged to her father's study. The door was closed, but she could hear voices on the other side. She cautiously pressed her ear up to the door and strained to hear the conversation going on inside.