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“Excuse me,” I said in an abrupt tone, but I meant to excuse him for his lack of manners.
He’d never shown more than polite coolness toward me, and I never understood why.
“I’d like a word with you before the meeting,” he said in a flat tone, finally taking a step back. I could have refused, but I followed him to the end of the hall to at least try to clear the air between us.
“I’m just going to tell you what I think,” he began in a low voice.
I sighed. “Go on.”
“Rocco’s a rare star. He’ll make history one day as one of the greatest men in our lifetime. You must see his potential’s limitless,” Nico trilled.
I knew from Rocco that Nico had never been particularly invested in his children. Rocco had very little if any respect for this man. But at the same time, I got a sense of the pressure Rocco must have lived under.Had he ever been allowed to make mistakes? Be silly?Have fun?
“…Did you know that when he was Chief Executive Officer, he led Marini Holdings to record sales and higher stock values? He even followed me into films; all his productions have won awards. He’s special.”
“He is,” I agreed.
“But then there’s you, Adelina. You’re the daughter of a disgraced judge, a drug addict. And your mother—”
“Don’t talk about my mother,” I hissed in a deep tone, cutting him off.
His head jerked back in surprise, and he adjusted his tie, clearly not used to anyone telling him what to do. “I feel sorry for Lorelei because what he did to her was abominable.” The muscles in his jaw tensed. “I’m only pointing out the obvious.”
I crossed my arms. “And just what’ssoobvious, Nico?”
“You’re not suitable for Rocco. Aside from everything else, you only have an undergraduate degree, poor relations, and your family has no money. You have nothing to bring us except scandal once the public knows everything.” It was a threat, but the Marinis would also lose if a scandal broke.
“He needs a powerful, influential woman at his side…”
Nico continued with his rant. Most of his put-downs didn’t land, but he clearly wanted something. Consequently, I decided to interrupt, forcing him to get to the point. “What do you want?”
He huffed. “I want you to step aside and let Rocco find a woman worthy of him. Someone he deserves.”
I blew out. “Have you spoken to Rocco yet? We married today.”
“Yes, I did, and it’s a disgrace how your family pushed him. You can rectify this mistake. Just agree to step aside.”
I didn’t answer but I left him and returned to the bathroom, giving myself a chance to recover from his hostility. His words echoed in my head.What do you have to offer but scandal?In truth, I had nothing to give Rocco but myself. Was that enough?
I thought of Luca again. What would he say about Nico?
“Forget that guy. What does he know? Nothing. One day, you’ll see how amazing you are.”
Will I, Mr. Marini?
“I guarantee it. You’re a diamond, Lina. You’ll grow up and shine brighter than the stars. Never let anyone tell you you’re less.”
My chest pained, and I remembered I’d never hear Luca say that to me again. However, it worked to lift my spirit. I left the bathroom and headed over to the boardroom. When I reached it, Ian frowned.
“You look different. Did something happen?”
Nico would think his insults got to me if I made a fuss about it.
I put on a smile.“Just a quick talk with Nico. I handled it.”
His eyes narrowed. “We’ll see about that. I’ll have a word with Rocco about it.”
“Please don’t.”