My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 743

Chapter 743

Dad sat at the head of the table, already halfway through breakfast. He looked up when I walked in, Good morning, darling.”

“Good morning, Daddy…”

I pulled out the chair beside him. A servant immediately stepped forward to pour coffee into my cup before another placed fresh fruit, eggs, toast, and yogurt in front of me.

Everything looked perfect.

Everything felt wrong.

Without meaning to, my mind drifted somewhere else again.

The Capone dining room.

Too many people trying to talk over one another, people stealing food off each other’s plate. Someone laughing so hard that they nearly choked on food.

Vincenzo pretending he wasn’t smiling.

Claire sitting beside me, quietly moving the strawberries from her plate onto mine because she’d remembered I liked them.

Someone always threatening to throw someone else out of the house.

It had never been quiet.

I looked around the room again and the silence pressed against my ears, “Where’s Gio?”

Dad continued cutting his food, “In his room.”

“And Perla?”

“They’re together.”

I frowned, “Aren’t they coming?”

He looked at me, “For what?”

“Breakfast.”

He shrugged, “They eat somewhere else.”

Somewhere else, the words sounded so strange. I blinked, “Where?”

“I don’t know.”

I stared at him, “You don’t know?”

“I’ve never asked.”

Something inside my chest tightened, “You’ve… never checked?”

He took another sip of coffee, “Perla prefers eating with Giovanni alone.”

“Every morning?”

“So it seems.”

I looked toward the empty chairs surrounding us. Twenty seats. One father. One daughter and everyone else was somewhere else. I slowly pushed my chair back.

Dad looked up, “Where are you going?”

“I’m getting them.”

His brows drew together, “There’s no need.”

“There is.”

“We’re all having breakfast together.”

The smile on her face faded. She exchanged a quick look with Giovanni then she looked back at me carefully, “Gianna.”

“No excuses,” I pointed toward the hallway, “Come on.”

Perla hesitated, “You don’t understand-”

“I understand we’re a family,” I walked over and rested my hands lightly on the wheelchair handles, “So today, we’re going to have breakfast together.”

Giovanni looked at me, then at Perla, neither of them moved.

I gave the handles of his wheelchair a small push, “Come on.”

Perla’s fingers stayed wrapped around the teacup in her hands for another second before she slowly set it down.

“Gianna…”

‘I’m not taking no for an answer.”

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Giovanni’s mouth.

“You always were stubborn,” Perla sighed.

“I got it from my mom,” then I started pushing the wheelchair, “Now let’s go before Dad finishes breakfast without us.”

Giovanni’s room had something I hadn’t expected.

A private elevator.

The doors opened silently at the press of a button. The space inside was wide enough for the wheelchair without forcing anyone to squeeze together. I rolled Gio inside while Perla stepped in beside us.