My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 434

Chapter 434

I already didn’t like that tone.

Adriano leaned back, crossing his arms, “If we’re discussing complicated situations…”

I stared at him.

He stared right back.

“…I don’t think I’m the one with problems.”

I narrowed my eyes.

Madeleine immediately looked between us, “What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing,” Adriano agreed.

The bastard was smiling now.

“You look tired,” he added casually.

“I didn’t sleep.”

“Clearly.”

Madeleine frowned, “Are you okay?”

“Perfect.”

Adriano immediately snorted. I looked at him and his grin widened. I made a mental note to kill him later.

The dining room doors opened before I could.

Vincenzo walked in first. Claire beside him, his hand rested automatically against her lower back. Claire looked significantly more awake than he did.

Vincenzo took one look at Adriano’s expression, then mine, “What happened now?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing,” Adriano echoed.

A few minutes later, the heavy doors swung open again. My father walked in first, with Hazel moving stiffly right by his side. Christ, the resemblance was staggering, she looked exactly like her daughter. A bright smile lit up Hazel’s face, making her look absolutely radiant despite the sickness eating away at her.

The sight made something uncomfortable twist inside my chest.

I looked away.

Then Silvio, Dante and Luca arrived, the three of them walked in together, still dressed from travel.

Dante immediately dropped into a chair. Luca followed. Silvio grabbed coffee before even saying hello.

“Why are you all here?” Claire asked.

“We landed three hours ago,” Dante answered.

“Vegas lost money,” Silvio added.

Luca glared at Dante, his jaw tight. “That’s because Dante cheats like a fucking amateur. He’s loud and sloppy about it, it’s fucking embarrassing.”

“I do not.”

“You absolutely do.”

“I prefer high-risk strategy.”

“You’re banned from three casinos, Dante. Including one that we own because your execution is so pathetic.”

Dante shrugged, “That is unrelated. Vegas was stupid.”

I leaned back in my chair. The pressure inside my chest eased slightly, and everything almost felt normal again.

Then the dining room door opened. My body recognized her before my brain did. The small bit of relief I had managed to find vanished instantly.

Gianna stepped into the room.

And suddenly every sound around me seemed much farther away than before.

She was wearing light blue jeans and a white crop top that showed a small strip of skin above the waistband. The shirt had bright pink lettering across the front.

I’M NOT LAZY. I’M ON ENERGY SAVING MODE.

Silvio snorted immediately, “That’s the most Gianna shirt I’ve ever seen.”

Gianna rolled her eyes, “I bought it for finals week.”

A tiny smile appeared on her face, it disappeared almost immediately then Jewel walked in behind her.

The second her eyes landed on me, her entire face scrunched up. A full glare, it was not subtle either. An aggressive, ten-year-old glare.

Jewel attached herself to Hazel’s side immediately. Gianna barely had time to react before Alessia pulled her into a hug.

Eventually everybody settled into their chairs. Gianna ended up across the table from me like always.

She never looked in my direction. She spoke to Hazel, to Claire, to Aunt Alessia, to Jewel, to literally everyone except me.

Exactly what she’d asked for.

Exactly what I’d promised.

Breakfast continued for another few minutes, the noise never really stopped. A normal morning.

Then Vincenzo casually reached for his coffee and changed the entire atmosphere of the room with a single sentence, “It’s good you’re here, Aunt Alessia.”