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Corrado finally broke eye contact with Carht around"

"Yes, you are," she said "You’re just a big bully You act like he blatantly ignored what time to be here It was just a few minutes, no harht not ht now, but five minutes can be a matter of life and death in other situations"

"Yes, other situations Meaning not this one, so give the boy a break"

"He’s not a boy, Celia," Corrado said, his expression darkening a bit

"He is," she argued "He’s my nephew"

"He’s my soldato"

"He was my nephew first"

"It doesn’t matter He’s mine forever"

Car in the pit of his stomach He had witnessed a lot of ridiculous conversations in his life but having theue over him was surreal

Celia pushed her chair back and stood "I’ to the ladies room"

Corrado shook his head when she stor to his left, clapped hilie non ha padrone"

Carmine smirked at his words and Corrado smiled, but it was forced He was furious that Celia had challenged hilass on the table in front of hi a drink as Haven leaned toward Caruy say?" she whispered, trying to be quiet, but Corrado overheard her

He set his glass back down and answered before Carmine had a chance "He said a man without a wife is a man without a ot you don’t speak Italian," he said "Have you ever thought to learn?"

The color drained fro put on the spot, the eyes of everyone nearby going straight to her Most people within the organization knew by now she was a Principessa by birth, even though few of theued, naturally Carmine understood their curiosity, but that didn’t mean it annoyed him any less

"Uh, yes," she said "I’ve learned a little bit"

"Frolanced at Car the panic in her eyes She was trying her best to stay cool on the surface, but he could tell she was a ht me some, yes"

"So I assume you know the bad words, then," Corrado said

She nodded "I know other things, too, though"

"Like?"

She looked at Carain, like she expected him to rescue her, but he couldn’t Even if he tried, Corrado would stop hioing to say anything She turned back to Corrado, picking at her fingernails under the table "Like ti amo and seiorno Grazie Prego" Her pronunciation was spot on It was si "And uh, Vaffanculo?"

They all just stared at her, the silence row even more aard

After what felt like an hour, Corrado’s expression softened and a s laugh "That was a curse"

"Oh" She turned bright red "Carmine uses it a lot"

"Doesn’t surprise me a bit"

There was quiet chatter as everyone relaxed, the Boss’s de the others The tension receded froer stiff Celia returned, she and Corrado both relaxing as they whispered to each other Carmine watched the, the fighting and violence and outright bullshit their lives could soether They loved each other and it was the love that got the would tear the under the table and taking her hand He squeezed it and she s back at him He saw that same type of love in her eyes, the kind of love that was damn near unbreakable

There was food and drinks, conversation and laughter Time passed swiftly and Carraced Haven’s lips as she talked to people, not see at all nervous to be around his kind

His kind He hated saying it, but it was true La Cosa Nostra was his fa hated them most of the ti all types of people having dinner There were couples and families, friends and business associates All seeer in the rooe to Carmine how people didn’t even flinch from their presence, like they were desensitized to violence and pain They see cri the sa aze fell upon a man in the corner by hi them His eyes locked with Carmine’s after a moment, and even across the room he could see the coldness The man certainly wasn’t what he would call a friendly face

Car soht continued on, as did the food and drinks The crowd thinned, thoughts of thatwith the others

"Can I get you guys anything else?" a waitress asked eventually, stepping over to their table It was nearing ten in the evening Corrado and Celia were a few feet away, talking to the soon-to-be bride and groo at the tiramisu on her plate with a fork "No, thank you"

The waitress glanced at Car it out to her She walked aithout a word, returning with another vodka and Coke He thanked her, taking a drink as she moved on to the next table

Haven set her fork down and looked at Car past hi toward the couple