I shook my head at my movie-loving, romantic friend. “I bet the Clarks aren’t laughing, Luisa,” I said with a small laugh.
Sofia snorted. “They didn’t look very amused, that’s true.”
Luisa nodded with a worried look. “Maximo Clark will make sure the Outfit and your family pay for this public humiliation. He isn’t someone who presents the other cheek.”
I nodded, worried. “Maybe I can straighten things with Clifford. I need to talk to him in private.”
Sofia gave me a doubtful look. “Maybe you should let your father handle it. This might be an instance where only threats work.”
A knock sounded and a second later Leonas poked his head in. He gave me a sly smile that made me want to hug and punch him.
“We should probably leave. This is family business,” Luisa said to Sofia. After hugging me, they slipped out, leaving me alone with my brother who still smiled broadly.
He sauntered over to me and patted my shoulder. “Thanks, Sis.”
“What for?”
“For making all my past wrongdoings look like a piece of cake.”
I grimaced. “That bad?”
“Pretty bad, yeah. I mean, it could have been worse if you’d killed Clifford to evade marrying him, or if you’d been caught banging Santino in a cupboard during the wedding party, but otherwise you really picked the worst possible moment to decide you couldn’t stand Clifford.”
“You really know how to lift my mood,” I muttered.
“I’m trying,” he said with a smirk, but I could see tension in his eyes. Leonas always pretended he cared about nothing, but our family and the Outfit meant a lot to him, and I might have hurt both today.
I swallowed, guilt weighing heavy on me. “It’s not even that I can’t stand Clifford. He isn’t bad. He’s nice, with a great career ahead of him.”
Leonas made a face as if he doubted it. “Only if voters give him pity votes after today, but being left at the altar doesn’t really scream tough future leader of the state.”
Had I really ruined Clifford’s career today? I didn’t want to believe it. “He’s really ambitious and clever. He’ll turn today into a great story and advantage for him.”
“Whatever. I don’t give a fuck about him, but we should really rack our brains how to make sure the Outfit leaves this shitshow as the winner.”
“I’m surprised you think we can still win after the mess I made.”
Leonas shrugged. “We might have to fight dirty, but that’s all the more fun.”
Over the years, my wife had surprised, and even shocked me on several occasions, a feat few people managed.
Today my daughter and wife both had given me the greatest shock of my life, and not just me.
I knew they hadn’t agreed on making such a public affair out of it, but they both shared a boisterous temperament that sometimes chose unfortunate moments to burst through.
“Valentina, what is going on?” I muttered under my breath. The shocked silence was quickly turning into disbelieving whispers. I needed to get the situation under control before it escalated even more.
“I’m sorry, Dante. I couldn’t let Anna marry Clifford. She wouldn’t have been happy.”
I stood with a tight smile.
Maximo Clark looked ready to explode and his wife was already fanning herself with the wedding program in a very attention-seeking way.
I cleared my throat audibly, then waited for silence to descend in church. “We must ask you to leave now. We have matters to settle and this wedding won’t happen.”
Then I turned my focus on the Clarks. Maximo was motioning for his son to come toward them. Valentina in turn was already rushing toward Anna who still stood in the front with a wide-eyed look.
I didn’t allow my frustration to grab the reins. I had to handle Maximo and Clifford first. They could cause a scandal I didn’t have the necessary patience for. Once that was done, I’d deal with my erratic wife and daughter. I had a feeling there was more at play here.
A suspicion had festered in me ever since I’d seen Anna at Santino’s side when he’d been shot, but I’d chosen to distrust my instinct, because I didn’t like what they were telling me.
Valentina and I had always thought by arranging a marriage with Clifford, we’d make sure Anna had more freedom than other girls in our world. We’d taken our own marriage as reassurance. Our love had developed with time, and we’d thought Anna would make the same experience.
If I’d known she was in love with Santino, I would have canceled the wedding myself. Any bond was bound to fail if one of the parties entered it while being in love with someone else. My marriage to Valentina had almost crumpled because I’d clung to my love to my late wife, no matter how hopeless that love was.
Anna’s love wasn’t hopeless. Or hadn’t been. Right this moment, my emotions were too complicated to decide about Santino’s fate.