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They groan even as they good-naturedly give in, and as I turn away to pass their orders to the kitchen, I overhear one of them saying they'll need to leave in half an hour to avoid being late for their first class.

Carlita shakes her head in amusement as I hand her the order slip. "SignoreMassimo is really something,sì? Those girls are—-what?Quindici? Sedici?"

"They're still in high school, for sure."

Carlita laughs. "Che incredible.I cannot say he is any more or less handsome than his brothers, but there is really something too irresistible about your sister's boyfriend, don't you think?"

"I don't think I'm supposed to say yes to that." My quip makes Carlita laugh, and I manage to grin like it's no big deal even when my heart is still breaking over her words. It's another thing I've gotten used to, thanks to repeatedly hearing people refer to Massimo as my sister'sboyfriend.

A set of regulars comes in at that moment, and it's the exact kind of distraction that I need. "Buongiorno, Ric, Alfie."

"Buongiorno, Ysa." One-armed Ric used to work asconsiglierefor one of the mafia families in New York while Alfie, well...all we know about him is that he'sfamiglia,and that's all that matters, really.

"Have you heard the news, Ysa?"

"About what?"

Ric lowers his voice, whispering, "Everyone's been sayingLa Stregais on the move again."

"You make it sound so ominous." It's another quip that has someone else laughing while my heart breaks anew, and I only allow my smile to fade once I turn around to hand over their orders to the kitchen.

Bene, ecco qua. There you go, Ysabel.

After five impossibly, tortuously long years, it's finally the beginning of the end.

Three

Massimo

JUST AS ANY RULINGfamily would have eyes and ears in every part of their kingdom, so it was as well with the Marchettis in every corner of Boston. There was nothing that went on that they did not - orcould not -know about, and the power they wielded was such that it now allowed Massimo to watch his future wife's day unfold without her knowledge and from the comfort and privacy of her office. Hisfamigliahad 24/7 access to every surveillance camera installed in their territory, and what he saw...he did not like at all.

Why the hell would this woman take a canoe to work, when his city had a perfectly functioning public transit system in place?

Some people might find humor in her actions, but such peculiarities had no appeal to him at all. The woman who gave birth to him had been the queen of "eccentricities", and it was this side of hers that had made Massimo's life hell.

Sheila had delighted in shocking people with her utter lack of morals; it had almost been a matter of pride for her, even when it had caused her own son to be bullied and ridiculed by his peers.

Growing up, Massimo had deliberately shunned any woman who possessed the slightest resemblance to his mother. It was why Ynez, with her coolly refined demeanor and respectable career, had completely appealed to him. Her older sister, on the other hand...

Why the fuck did La Strega want this woman to be his bride?

Like everyone else, he had assumed that his grandmother would arrange marriages that were designed to strengthen theirfamiglia's hold on their city. Cesare's bride was an heiress from a neighboringfamigliawhile Sarica had been promised to his oldest brother Giancarlo to keep the peace between her ownfamigliaand theirs.

The Ossanis, however...

Ynez and Ysabel's family had always only ever existed in the lower rungs offamigliahierarchy, and a part of Massimo had long expected that a day would come whenLa Stregawould ask him to break things off with Ynez.

But what he did not see coming at all was for the older woman to choose Ynez's own sister to be his bride.

Massimo's mouth tightened in disapproval as he switched his attention back to the screen, which was now displaying real-time footage of Ysabel humoring a group of high school girls as they asked her intrusive questions about his relationship with Ynez.

Did she not realize how unbecoming her behavior was? Or was she so desperate for attention that she would willingly gossip about her own sister, as long as it meant she would become famous as well?

Massimo's gaze narrowed when he heard Ynez and Ysabel's step-aunt tease the latter about his looks.

'There is really something too irresistible about your sister's boyfriend, don't you think?'

He waited for her to say something distastefully salacious, but all Ysabel did was grin.'I don't think I'm supposed to say yes to that.'