"I'll stop by to see Luca," she said. "I don't know when next I'll see him when Bianca arrives."
"Vee…" His voice dropped. "If Val finds out from Marco, the narrative will not help me. She will leave me."
"I will make sure he doesn't," she said simply.
"Okay."
"Oh, I have one more question. What does it mean to be Donna?"
His eyes narrowed slightly in realization. "Luca wants to make you Donna?"
"I don't know what that is," Vee admitted.
"Uh, well…" He hesitated, searching for the right words. "You basically become his right hand. After him, it's you."
Vee's brows lifted slightly, but she said nothing, letting him continue.
"Everything famiglia-related in his absence is up to you," Ricardo added, gesturing vaguely. "Decisions, orders, discipline. Asides from that," he went on, warming into the explanation, "you are in charge of his men. You cater to their individual needs, make sure they're… functioning. Loyal. Stable."
"These are grown men, not houseplants."
