Precarious

Chapter 15

"Where are we going?"

"We're going out to dinner."

"Why do I have to change? Can't I stick with what I'm wearing?"

"Unless you want Stefano to glare at you, then feel free to do that. It's a formal restaurant, so wear something that looks nice."

"Do I have to wear makeup or anything like that?"

"Well, do you want to?"

"No."

"Then you already have your answer."

Before I could ask him for more clarification about what to wear, Gavin left the room to change. We were going to a formal restaurant, so I assumed that I had to wear a dress. Since I had absolutely no sense of style, I settled for a black dress that was a little above the knee and brushed my hair. After all, black was the only color that could be worn at any time. Because the weather was getting colder, I put on leggings and flats. When I went downstairs, I saw all of my siblings in tuxedos. How formal was this restaurant?

"Get in the car. We're already late," Jett spoke in a cold tone.

"Uh, where's Stefano?"

"He's already at the restaurant."

I stayed quiet for the rest of the ride. Obviously, Jett wasn't in a good mood and I didn't want to worsen the situation by talking to him while he was driving. When we arrived to the restaurant, I felt out of place. It seemed that my siblings were used to going to these types of places while I could only dream of dining here. We entered the building and I saw Stefano and a woman talking. Jett went to them and I could see a grin on his face.

"Stefano, it's good to see you and your girlfriend," he spoke in a formal tone.

"It's a pleasure to see you again," said the woman, who I now knew was Stefano's girlfriend. "Jett, how are you? It's been a couple of weeks since I last saw you."

"I'm fine. How's the business?"

"We're doing an excellent job. Now, to change the subject, how are you Adrian, Cole, and Gavin? Is school okay for you?"

"We're fine. School is okay."

"I'm glad to hear that. Who's the girl with you and what is she doing here?"

"I'm Sierra," I mumbled.

"Yes, but that doesn't answer my question. What is your purpose here?"

"They're my brothers. I guess that they wanted me to meet you."

"Stefano, you didn't tell me that your parents had a daughter nor did you say anything about having a sister."

"They didn't have another child, Ashley."

"Then how is she your sister?"

"We all share the same father, but Sierra has a different mother."

"So she's a bastard child? But then she can't be your sister. She's only your sister if you share the same parents."

Suddenly, I felt extremely uncomfortable in this situation. It didn't strike me that once people started to know that I was related to the Rossi brothers, that they'd question my place in the family. To me, they were my brothers despite the fact that we rarely exchanged a conversation. But to anyone outside us, I was just the product of two unmarried adults who didn't belong in the Rossi family despite sharing the same father.

No one said anything, but soon, a hostess led us to a table where there were six seats. The hostess immediately had a look of worry on her face. Soon, it dawned on me - there weren't enough seats for the seven of us.