My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 284

Chapter 284

I let out a soft, breathy laugh, “Nice to meet you, Manuel. I’m Gianna.”

He pulled out my chair, waiting for me to settle into the velvet seat before he sat down right next to me

As I got comfortable, I looked down the long, candlelit table. Further down the row, on the opposite side of the table, my eyes found Raphael.

He was already seated, his large hand wrapped around the stem of a glass filled with deep red wine/ His date-the girl Kylie-was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his focus was entirely on a gorgeous redhead sitting directly opposite him, in the same row as me.

My stomach twisted into a tight knot.

That had to be her. That had to be Vivianne.

“Gianna, these are the best friends any girl could ever ask for,” Claire voiced.

I looked down the table. First, Claire pointed to a beautiful woman, “That’s Evangeline,” she said. Evangeline gave me a soft, knowing smile. She was the wife of the Cosa Nostra’s Don, and you could see it in her eyes.

Then there was Allegra, “You know her from the wedding, right? Aunt Alessia’s daughter,” Claire explained.

Next were Delilah and Lilianna, who both looked at me with kind smile. Beside them was Bianca, who had a gentle face but sharp eyes.

Finally, my eyes landed on the redhead.

“And that’s Viviane,” Claire said.

Viviane sat directly across from Raphael. Unlike the cold, sharp look I expected, she gave me a beautiful, real smile that reached her eyes and for a second, the twist in my chest felt stupid.

“And everyone,” Claire announced, “This is Gianna. She’s my new little sister.”

I felt like a small boat in a very big ocean.

“It’s so good to have another sister,” Allegra called out, “We need more girls in the Capone Mansion to balance out all that testosterone.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

He went back to his food, looking like he couldn’t care less, but he didn’t look at anyone else at the table while

Allie fumed beside him.

Across the table, the other women exchanged knowing looks. It was obvious to everyone that Silvio was full of it, he was counting the days until she came back, even if he’d rather die than admit he missed her.

Manuel leaned closer to me, his breath warm against my ear as he watched the show. “I’m feeling ignored, by the way,” he whispered, his voice vibrating in my ear.

I smiled and turned back to him, “I’m so sorry. I got a little distracted by the family drama.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s better than most movies,” Manuel said, “But I didn’t come all the way from Milan to watch people fight. I came to find out if the most beautiful woman in the room is as interesting as she looks.”