"Xavier, the banquet has been canceled." Jane's tone was clipped with irritation. "The Commission members have refused to attend. Every senior Don on the Eastern Seaboard has pulled out. They said they will not celebrate while the Valducci princess lies between life and death. Vanessa is devastated. All her preparations..."
"I don't care."
The words left Xavier's mouth before he could stop them, low and raw, carrying a growl that made two patrons at the next table flinch.
"The banquet is not important." His voice shook. He did not recognize it. "I cannot find my wife."
Silence. Then Jane's voice returned, colder now, edged with contempt.
"What? Where is Mia? To think she would throw such a tantrum and disappear when she is already carrying a child. Xavier, I told you from the beginning. You should never have married that orphan. A girl with no name, no family, no standing. This is what comes of..."
The rest of her words dissolved into static.
The phone slipped from Xavier's fingers and clattered against the marble tabletop.