don’t you?” Anthony was acting like she was bugging him and replied “Guess, he made her an “offer she couldn’t refuse.” A really big one!” He pulled at her arm again like earlier. It was so out of character for him. “You know, things aren’t going as I planned in New York and I had a very tough time there. I don’t need this crap from you right now.” Kristen was frustrated and shot back at him. “Why are you acting like a pig? We’re getting married tomorrow. Remember?”
Anthony started to walk off “I guess I’m a little tired and edgy. I had my bachelor party last night.” He patted his crotch and said with a nasty jab “It was memorable!” Kristen shook her head in disbelief as he went off to the heavily decorated table and sat next to his mother and Antonia. He ignored Kristen and made no attempt to clear a seat for her, so she planted herself by her bridesmaids and Godfather. She couldn’t understand his behavior.
Dinner consisted of several courses and a lot of wine. Kristen circulated around the table in order to spend time with Anthony’s family so she could get to know them. His sisters weren’t quite what she was used to mingling with, but she liked them and thought they were funny. She avoided Antonia like a disease and noticed that she had been watching Kristen closely and her interaction; which was null, with Anthony.
When it came time for the toasts, Anthony came back over to her and sat down, putting his arm around her for show. Marco walked in the door as if on cue, but no Ashley was in sight. Kristen was a bit upset that her Maid of Honor didn’t come back to the dinner. She was an important part of the festivities. Marco did the traditional best man toast and roasted his brother to shame, speaking half in Sicilian, before congratulating him. He was very flattering in his remarks to Kristen. She had put on the necklace he had given her and she gave it a fond jiggle and a wink when he looked her way.
When the dinner was over, they still had a late party to go to back at The Colony for all the relatives that didn’t come to the rehearsal. Anthony walked out with Kristen into the hallway. He still seemed a bit distant to her. Kristen wanted the truth “What is wrong?” He replied in hushed tones trying to be discreet as the others filed out around them “So, you really want to know why I am acting like this? I think you know. You know what you did.”
He walked her into a side parlor area and asked her to sit down. He stood in front of her and said “What is it with the old boyfriend? Why is he here? You are bringing dishonor to my name and embarrassing me in front of my family.” Kristen said “You know that I invited Michael to the wedding. He’s just an old friend. He lived next door.” This angered Anthony even more. “Friend? Why were you with him down at the ocean overlook?”
Kristen could not believe it. “What are you doing? Have you been having someone watch me?” Anthony said “I know everything you do!” Kristen started to question him, but Anthony cut her short, grabbed both of her arms and lifted her out of her chair. He started speaking loudly, then looked around and lowered his voice again. His face was contorted in anger and he pushed it close up to hers. “No one crosses me! No one! Especially you! We are not even married and you are already cheating behind my back. I thought you loved me? Or do you just love the money?”
Kristen couldn’t believe this was happening. She wasn’t sure how much Anthony learned about her walk with Michael. As usual, she decided to just let him do the talking, to see what he knew. Anthony fumed “You had that man in my house, MY house! What is wrong with you? What type of whore have I met?” Kristen tried to diffuse the tirade. “Calm down Anthony, you are obviously drunk, nothing happened.”
He got even angrier and raised his hand “Do not lie to me!” Kristen was now upset. She looked fearfully at his hand and protected her face crying “What are you doing? Are you going to hit me? Are you a mean drunk? Don’t you care what you are saying to me?”
Anthony started to turn away “Quit acting so fragile! You know you’re acting. You’re not so innocent!” He started walking. “And one more thing. I am not so sure I want to give you your dream house and keep living here in Palm Beach. The island is being taken over by all those jerks and celebrities who have too much new money that they didn’t work hard enough for. They aren’t aging very pretty, and worst of all, they are letting everyone know about Palm Beach and telling them to move here. They are going to ruin it.”
He knew he was hitting on a sensitive subject and paused for a moment to study her reaction. Kristen just shook her head like she didn’t care. Then he said “I am going to the party. Are you coming?” He angrily took Kristen’s hand. They both put up a front as they went outside to the limousines.
There were no more chances to talk to him in the car, his mother and Vincente were in there with them. Anthony sat coldly next to her and pillaged the liquor station the entire way until they finally arrived at The Colony.
Outside of the car, in front of his mother, Anthony gave Kristen’s cheek a friendly rub and said sickeningly sweet “I reserved bridal rooms at The Breakers tonight for you and your friends. Your dress and everything is already there.” He added, “Marco told me that Ashley was dropped off and is passed out in her room. You might want to check on her. If she doesn’t wake up tomorrow, my sister can fill in.” He went ahead of her and huddled with Vincente. Then the brothers walked off to the patio each talking on their cell phones.
The Colony’s lounge was packed and everyone was swinging to a Mo-Town band. The Fiore family was scattered all over the room and also out by the pool area. Kristen took turns dancing with all the male cousins. Anthony mostly ignored her and stayed in a corner with Marco and Vincente, engrossed in conversation.
Kristen paid no attention to him and went off to the restroom. When she came out of the stall, Antonia was standing there, tall and even more foreboding in her very high heels. Kristen thought that she might have followed her in there. “Oh, hello Antonia” Kristen said as she washed her hands. She reached for her Chanel compact and brushed on some powder. Antonia moved closer to her. “I can tell Tony is mad at you about something.” Kristen moved back a bit and looked at her from the mirror saying “Everything is great. No concerns.”
Antonia pushed on. “You haven’t been seeing him very long. I can tell you about him if you want. I don’t think you really know him.” Kristen was perturbed and turned to her. “I don’t think I need to talk to you about him. I know him just fine.” Antonia kept on “We were very much in love and he still loves me. I was his childhood sweetheart!” Kristen challenged her, “Then why didn’t he ever talk about you to me? It doesn’t look like he liked you that much. I heard from someone that you even died. What did you do?”
She said flat out “I slept with Marco a few months before the wedding and then I was dead to him. He couldn’t forgive me.” She continued, “But now he has and I have been spending a lot of time in New York with him this month. He’s getting cold feet about you. He just told me tonight that you have been sleeping around on him. He wants me back! We…”
Kristen interrupted and tried to walk past her to get out the door “I don’t want to hear any of this. You don’t know what you are talking about!” Antonia blocked her way and leaned on the door. She seemed amused. “I know for sure that you don’t know who he really is. Do you? If you did, you wouldn’t still be here. You would be as far from him as you could.” She looked nervous “Don’t you know the Fiores still run part of New York?”
Kristen scoffed it off. “I know his Father and Grandfather were in the Mafia, but they’re gone now. Anthony is a businessman.” Antonia laughed “Antonio’s main business will always be family business. He’s the Boss! Don’t let the Harvard connection fool you. The apple fell straight down the trunk with this one and his brothers are right there in the dirt rotting with him. They all lay low and Tony tried to pull out, but they are still making him plan everything. Why do you think he has been up north so much lately? Don’t you read the papers?”
Kristen was confused,
she remembered what Marco told her about his older brother not being the same as them, and couldn’t believe that Anthony was any part of it. He wasn’t the type. If he was true Mafioso, it meant he was a killer, and that couldn’t be true.
Kristen said “You mean he hasn’t been going up there to sleep with you?” Antonia looked like she was lying as she tried to assure her “No, No, Anthony hangs out with me, but he is still too mad at me and Marco. He’ll never touch me again.”
At that moment, Kristen came to the believable conclusion that Anthony thought she was cheating on him with Michael and there was a slight possibility that he might be out for revenge-slamming with Antonia. It was a remote chance but it still wouldn’t make sense, since he did want to marry Kristen and not her. Either way, she would get the scoop from Ashley later.
Kristen also surmised that Antonia was lying to her about everything else because she wanted to break up their wedding and she only had a few hours left to do it. Kristen adamantly believed that Anthony was not capable of being a mobster. Again, maybe his brothers could do it, but not him. He was too busy with his chemical empire to bother with the
The Devil's Intended-Love & Evil In Palm Beach Page 50