Page 219 of Claimed At First Sight

A faint, sad smile touches her lips.

“I pray you’re right,” she whispers. “All we can do is wait.”

Chapter Sixty-One

Mialina

Ijoin the rest of my family in the dining room a little while later, although my head is still swimming with everything Mamma told me upstairs.

Apparently, one life-altering revelation before noon wasn’t enough. Today required an engagement, an unwelcome relocation, a resurrection, a secret elopement, and the possibility that someone I’ve known since childhood is now an internationally wanted cybercriminal.

What’s next?

Aldo looks up from where he’s standing beside Mamma near the fireplace, and the guardedness that enters his face tells me he isn’t sure what he’ll get from me. I don’t leave him wondering. Crossing the room, I wrap my arms around him.

“Congratulations, Aldo,” I say to my future stepfather. The title feels strange, even inside my head. “And I’m sorry for storming off before.”

He gives me a warm squeeze as he returns my embrace.

“Considering the way you found out, I’d say you were entitled to a little drama.”

I raise an eyebrow even though he can’t see me. “A little?”

“I was being diplomatic.”

I draw back with a reluctant smile. “You’ll learn quickly that diplomacy doesn’t work on Accardi women.”

He chuckles and Mamma slips her hand into his when I release him. The simple gesture still catches me off guard.

Sienna nudges my shoulder. “Can we celebrate now without any more family drama?”

“I make no promises,” I mutter.

As everyone begins moving toward the dining table, I glance at Mamma and whisper, “Do they know about Isa and Luca?”

She leans closer and lowers her voice. “Only that Luca is alive and married to Isa. Not the rest.”

That explains why my sisters don’t look worried. For now, at least, they can believe Isa is off somewhere enjoying an impossibly romantic reunion with the man she never stopped loving.

A maid enters carrying a silver tray lined with flutes.

“I think this calls for a proper toast,” Aldo says.

The maid fills the glasses with champagne and juice for Ari and Sien, then departs.

“To new beginnings,” Aldo says, lifting his glass and smiling at Mamma.

“To new beginnings,” we echo.

Our glasses meet in a soft chorus of chimes before I take a sip. Mamma beams at Aldo over the rim of hers, her eyes shining with love, and he looks back at her as though the rest of us have disappeared from the room.

For a few precious moments, there are no arguments, dangerous men, or worries about Isa.

Mamma’s phone vibrates on the dining table, and we all look at it. She lowers her glass and glances at the screen, a frown appearing on her forehead.

“I don’t recognize the number.”

She picks up the phone and opens the message. Staring at the screen, her frown gives way to shock.