Page 50 of Beauty and the Daddy

My palms go damp, my throat tight. I don't even know the rules of this game, and somehow I'm already the piece on the board being judged.

Run, my brain whispers. Smile, my mouth remembers.

Both feel impossible.

"Miss Donovan." Don Fiorello takes my hand, his skin papery against mine. "We've heard so much about you."

I seriously doubt that, considering Luca himself hardly knows anything about me beyond how I taste.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Don Fiorello," I say, channeling every ounce of politeness my mother ever taught me.

He studies me for a long moment, then turns to Luca. "We'll talk later," he says, his tone making it clear this isn't a suggestion.

The next hour is a blur of introductions. Names and faces wash over me like waves, too many to remember.

My face hurts from smiling. My hand aches from being shaken.

And I really need to pee after that long flight.

I excuse myself to find a bathroom. After three wrong turns, I finally find it—a bathroom bigger than my first apartment, all gold fixtures and marble countertops.

I'm washing my hands when I hear voices outside the door. Voices, speaking in hushed tones.

I catch snippets of conversation.

"Moretti's new toy…"

"…American girl…"

"…so young…"

"…what was Luca thinking…"

"…not even Italian…"

My blood runs cold. They're talking about me. I shut off the water, straining to hear more.

"She's naive," one voice says. "Probably has no idea what she's walked into. And so different from Elena"

"She'll never measure up."

I grip the edge of the sink, suddenly dizzy.

These people are comparing me to… his first wife.

Okay. Don't freak out. You've got this. Deep breath, Belle. Calm down.

I dry my hands, take a deep breath, and wait. One beat. Two.

The shuffle of footsteps finally fades down the hall.

Walking back to the living room, my mind races.

It feels a little like being Jackie walking into the Kennedy machine— already fighting ghosts that whispered in his ear long before I showed up.

I'm going to have to win their respect if I plan to stick around in his life.

How am I going to do that?