My Neighbor is Bad News

9: Partners

Jenna was seated at the table and next to her were her sister and brother. They looked pretty as the teenagers that they were but she bet they didn't have to worry about marriage just yet. Not like how she was being coerced to be betrothed to a stranger.

Her mother sat quietly as she watch guests of the extended family enter and they were all eventually seated in the great dining hall. It was basically a dinner party and Jenna felt that she was the one whom the attention was most on. When everyone had joined, she couldn't recognize anyone who sat at the table other than her parents and siblings. The rest were a sea of faces that she didn't care for.

They ate their dinner with music softly playing in the background and she didn't have an appetite for the dinner that was set in front of her. It was a seafood plate and as much as she used to love eating the dish, she almost missed her instant food. There was something about the extravagant meal that made her want to vomit and she assumed it was because it reminded her that she had an apparent duty to fulfill to become the Giovanni heir's bride.

She tried to eat what she could and stopped eating halfway. She then decided that she would just eat the rolls that were provided and ignored the curious glances that her mother had sent her way. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be back in Oregon, back at her old apartment working for Lonnie in the diner. At that thought, her bicep ached and she forgot to take her pain meds.

Maybe she would let it ache for a bit to remind her that she was still her. That the wound was for naught and that running away let her taste a bit of freedom while she could. The thought popped back to her annoying neighbor and Jenna could only imagine where he was at.

She wondered if he was still in Oregon or if he was a temporary detail and he moved back on to the next job or his own life. She wondered if Cade thought about her and the thought struck her. Why was she thinking about him? He caused her nothing but annoyance and headaches as he often snuck over to her side. He was good company and as distracting as he was, she missed the contact that they had.

"Jenna darling." She heard her name again and realized that someone was talking to her. Shaking her mind away from her thoughts, she looked at the person that was calling her and saw that it was her father. "Yes father." She said as he watched her with his intent eye.

"I would like to introduce you to Mr. Giovanni." He said and an older bald, robust man brought his hand up to wave at her. He seemed to be in his mid fifties and she half assedly waved back and tried hard not to roll her eyes in sarcasm. She felt another surge of anger at having to put up a facade when all she wanted to do was go back to her room and kick her feet in frustration. As rebellious as she felt, she wouldn't put her life on it at the moment and she was already in deep shit so she gave a very courteous smile to go with her nonchalant wave.

The man had three sons apparently and while the oldest was in prison for money laundering, the second in line was her fiance. As she had thought, he was a man in his mid thirties and already balding. He was not hideous but Jenna wouldn't say that he was attractive either. Even if she didn't know if that made her shallow, she felt that was the first thing she could easily judge him on. He looked at her with his beady eyes and she felt disgusted as he undressed her with his expression. Her skin crawled at thinking that if she really was marrying a man that was ten years her senior, the thought of him undressing her and giving him her virginity made her feel like a cheap whore.

He smiled at her and she wasn't sure if he realized it but licked his lips in an attempt to wet them. If Jenna could shiver out of pure disgust, she would have and she was surprised to be able to hide how she was really feeling about him.

"Lorenzo is the one we choose for you to marry." Her father had said and she glared at her father and mother. If looks could kill, she hope they felt the daggers that were piercing their souls a thousand times over. The next son was a younger man, most likely the same age as Jenna was and he looked like he didn't care to be at the dinner. That would make the both of them alike.

There was a loud knock on the door before a man came over to whisper something into Giovanni Don's ear and his eyes widened. At the same time another man in a crisp dark suit entered the room and Jenna felt something hitched in her throat.

The man had hair that was long and slicked back but she knew it wouldn't reach his shoulders and his face was freshly shaven. There was something familiar about the man but she couldn't place it. He smiled at everyone and the face that Giovanni Don made, had Jenna wondering what was happening as murmurs started around the table. "I'm sorry but I'd like for you to meet my special guest, Cadeon Giovanni. Can you imagine my surprise that you never told me that you had another son?" Her father said as the man took an empty seat next to him.

The man's gaze fell on her and his eyes, something flickered in them and it didn't stop her from standing up from her place at the table. The sound of dishes clattering had everyone looking at her as she stared at him, "Cade?"

He smiled at her and he did a very familiar mock salute that she was all too aware of. It can't be, he couldn't be a child of this hideous man and she wondered how it was possible that the man had another child. There was whispers across the table and Jenna felt that she wanted to jump across the table and hug the man. "We need to talk." Jenna said and she received a look from her father. "I don't want to marry him," She said pointing at Lorenzo and she knew that her mother was glaring at her ready to shut her up right away.

"If all you want is for us to join with the Giovanni's then any one of the sons would suffice right?" She asked not knowing where she was going with this but her mind was racing and the last thing she would do was marry someone she didn't want or love.

"What are you saying?" Giovanni Don was saying as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"What I'm saying is that I refuse to marry Lorenzo, but I will agree to marry him." She said pointing at Cade.

"B-but he is not the rightful heir." He stuttered, his fat under his chin moving with the movement as he spoke.

"But neither is Lorenzo, Gino is but he is in prison. So either I'm betrothed to Cade or I'm not marrying anyone at all." Jenna said as she put her arm over the other ignoring the pain that it caused her. She knew the next day that it would be sore.

There was the face that Giovanni Don wanted to argue with her but he looked to her father. "This cannot happen. She has lost her mind, control your daughter Lazarus." he said and if Jenna could she would have punched him.

Her father looked at her intently and then he moved to look at Giovanni Don. "She has a point. I really don't need to have an alliance with you. You're a conniving snake and I know you'll do anything to be the Big Boss so I have no doubt you'll try, but with you're social standing and your heir locked away, you have no real success without my backing. So she has at least this one choice. Marry your illegitimate heir, or you can leave my premises while I'm still in a decent mood." He said and Jenna felt the underlying threat between his words. Jenna had never seen her father talk that way and she was surprised that he had such a threatening aura for the way that he looked.

Giovanni Don had sweat running down his temple and he used a rag to wipe it away. "F-fine. Consider it done." He said and Lorenzo turned his head to glare at his father. He was ready to say something but Giovanni stopped him. "We shall take our leave. Thank you for the meeting and dinner." He said excusing them and gathering his sons. All of the gang had left but Cade who was looking at her with an interested look and he then followed her father out of the room.

Jenna got up out of her chair but her sister grabbed hold of her. "Leave it to you hooch to choose the hottest brother." She joked and Jenna felt relief as she looked to her sister who she felt was hiding an emotion that she had never seen before. Her sister looked like she was relieved and the uneasiness that carried over them all seem to dissipate some.