Page 22 of Tragic Empire

“We do,” Dante says cagily. “Due to the nature of the situation, only a few matches made sense. The Kings need a leader, temporary or otherwise. I’m sure you can see why Matteo is not an option.”

He’s too young and nice to be respected by a bunch of gangster strangers. He won’t intimidate anyone the way some of his older brothers might.

“I understand.”

“My first thought was Apollo,” Dante continues. “He’s in the highest position of power, and likely to be accepted as Monarch easily. But Apollo needs an heir, sooner rather than later.”

I swallow hard.

Dante looks sympathetic. “I don’t want that to be a requirement for your marriage, Ana. So it’s not the best fit, but if you believe you want that choice, you have it.”

“I won’t love you, it would be a business arrangement,” Apollo says, almost startling me. “Try to keep that in mind.”

“You’re giving me choices?” I realize, eyes widening in surprise.

“Three of them,” Dante says.

Wow.

That’s… thoughtful?

He continues, “Cassio makes the most sense.”

Cassio?I have to hide a bewildered look.

Cassio is a widow who I’ve never even seen smile. The man lost his wife and son in childbirth two years ago. How can he be the perfect fit? He probably loathes the idea!

“He’s an advisor and strategist, which makes him perfect for temporary leadership. You both have lost greatly and I assume, are not ready for a relationship?”

“Definitely not,” I confirm, relieved that he’s being so realistic about it.

“So there would be no pressure in that area. You’d be roommates and friends. He’ll take care of you and the Kings. He’s agreed to the arrangement if you pick him.”

He did!?

Holy shit.

“And the last one?” I rasp.

Dante lets out a breath. “This arrangement would never be more than platonic and is being offered only because we believe you may feel the safest this way.”

Intense…

“But I’ll marry you if it’s what you choose, Ana. I’m old enough to be your father so believe me when I say I will not pursue you romantically. I would step down as Capo, putting Apollo in my place while I took Killian’s.

Holy. Bleeding. Fuck.

Dante notes my surprise and continues. “The community would?—”

“Accuse you of being evil,” I burst out, so shocked that he knows that and is still offering.

Men who respect him would freak out if he married a woman his daughter’s age. They’d see him as some old perv. Yes, age gaps are common in this world but ten to fifteen years max, not over thirty!

I start to get choked up. “I can’t believe you’re willing to do that.”

“I think you’ll find that there are few things I wouldn’t do for my daughter,” Dante replies gently. “In any case, we’ll need to act quickly. The ceremony should be here with witnesses. It will be small and fast, but necessary. The last thing we need now is accusations of some sort of plot.”

A different kind of plot, he means. He doesn’t want it to look like The Morettis are trying to take over The Kings.