My cheeks burned at her words. “Thanks.” Noemi was never shy with her compliments, so I should have been used to it, but not in front of everyone else. I may have been trying to push everything to the back of my mind, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t aware of all the gazes pointed our way.
“Let’s go,” I said, hooking my arm through hers and stepping forward.
“We gotta wait,” Noemi said, pulling me to a stop. “Sofia is coming with us.” She paused, her attention focusing on me. “That’s okay, right?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say no. I was trying to get away from the Beretta family, not spend the night with one of them. But I didn’t have a choice—like always—so I nodded. “Yeah, sure.” I shuffled on the spot. “Where is she?”
“She’s gone to get changed,” Noemi whispered, looking at something over my shoulder. “I—”
“Aida,” a deep voice said from behind me, but I ignored it. I wasn’t going to give him my attention. I was done with him and with this entire messed-up agreement. “Aida,” he repeated, this time louder so everyone could hear him.
I blew out a breath, my shoulders slumping at the move. “Yes?” I asked, blinking as I turned just enough to see him out of the corner of my eye.
“We need to talk.”
“No, thanks.” I smiled that sweet smile that I knew he’d hate, but I didn’t care. Everything had been about him from the moment I’d met him in the kitchen when I was helping Dad with deliveries. He hadn’t thought about anyone else around him. He hadn’t cared how his actions affected other people. All he cared about was getting what he wanted.
“Aida,” he growled, snatching my wrist. His movement was in complete contrast to how softly he held it, and I cursed when my body came alight with his touch. Apparently, my brain hadn’t sent a memo to the rest of me. “I’m not letting you leave until we talk.”
I raised a brow, feeling my anger bubbling up to the surface. “You won’t let me leave?” I laughed, turning so that I was facing him fully. “You don’t get a say, Lorenzo.” I stepped toward him, hearing his sharp intake of breath. “You don’t get a goddamn say in anything I do.”
“Yeah, I fuckin’ do,” he growled out, lowering his face so it was only inches from mine. “I’m head of this family. Boss of the Beretta family—”
“And a pain in my ass,” I interrupted, yanking my wrist from his grip. I wobbled a little but righted myself just as Sofia ran down the stairs. “I’m leaving.”
The silence in the foyer echoed around us, and it was only then I realized everyone was listening to us. Part of me hated that I was coming across like a bitch, but the innermost part of me was rejoicing for standing up to him. No one ever told him no, but he was about to learn really fast that I was done taking any of his shit.
“No, you’re not,” Lorenzo ground out. I tilted my head at him, my eyes shooting laser beams, then he finally said, “Not without bodyguards.”
“Bodyguards?” Sofia groaned.
I shook my head. There was no way I was going to the club with bodyguards. I opened my mouth to tell him as much, but he held his hand in the air. “You’re the wife of the head of the Beretta family. You need protection.” Lorenzo took a step back. “This is non-negotiable, Aida.” He narrowed his eyes on me. “Christian and Mateo will take you and keep you safe.” As if by magic, they appeared at the mansion doors, their faces stern and their attention on Lorenzo and me. He nodded at them in some kind of silent communication, then spun around, leaving all of us standing in the foyer.
“Well, shit.” Noemi hooked her arm through mine, fanning herself with her other hand. “That was H.O.T. Hot.”
I rolled my eyes. “Shut up.” Sofia sidled up on the other side of me, her gaze flicking from side to side. “Let’s get out of here.”
Sofia grasped on to my arm the closer to the doors we got. I frowned at how hard she gripped me and turned to look at her, but her gaze wasn’t on me. It was on Christian.
I slowed down, my head whipping back and forth between the two of them. Christian’s eyes narrowed, his gaze tracking down her, and not even I could miss the way his eyes heated when he got to her legs.
“Sofia,” he greeted, his voice deeper than usual.
“Christian,” she answered back, her grip so hard on my arm now that I was sure she was going to leave a bruise.
Mateo stepped to the side, but Christian didn’t move as we walked through the open doors. Sofia’s shoulder scraped against his chest, and for a second, I was captivated by the way they looked at each other. If I would have blinked, I’d have missed it. But I didn’t. I’d seen the silent conversation happening between them.
“Sofia,” I whispered, and at the sound of my voice, they both snapped their attention away from each other. “Ow.” I wriggled my arm in her grip.
“Crap. Sorry.” Her cheeks burned red. She’d been caught, but there was no way I was going to say anything, especially when I had my own things going on. I groaned at myself. For a few blissful seconds, I was thinking about something other than what Lorenzo and I had done, but now it was over. Now I was back to reality—a reality I didn’t want any part in anymore.
The usual SUV Mateo drove was in the driveway, so I slid in. Noemi followed me, and then Sofia. We all stayed silent as Mateo and Christian got in the car and drove away from the mansion. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but as long as there was alcohol and music, I didn’t care.
I wasn’t sure how long we all sat in the back of the SUV, squeezed together like sardines, but I found myself blurting out, “I slept with him.” My hand slammed over my mouth, my eyes widening to the size of saucers. Crap. Why did I say that in front of everyone?
“You…what?” Noemi’s hand gripped my knee, her nails digging into me. “You slept with who?”
“Lorenzo,” I whispered, letting my head drop back. Now that it was out there for everyone to know, I felt a sense of relief. “I slept with him, and now I hate myself.”
Noemi laughed, unable to contain herself. “You hate yourself because you slept with your husband?” She slapped my leg and turned back to face the front. “You, little sister, are insane.”
“I’m not!” I threw my hands up in the air, narrowly missing Sofia’s face. “You don’t get it. He’s…he’s…”
“An asshole?” Sofia supplied.
“Yes!” I pointed at her. “That.”
“An asshole you slept with,” Noemi quipped.
“I’m not the only one he’s slept with,” I ground out, staring at the back of Christian's and Mateo’s heads. They knew exactly what would have taken place behind my back. They knew everything that went on around Lorenzo. “He fucked that woman who redid his office.” I waited, seeing if either of them would say anything, but they didn’t.
“Veev,” Sofia groaned out. “Her name is Veev.”
I curled my lip up at the name. What kind of person was called Veev anyway? “Veev,” I said, seeing how the name sounded on my lips. “Yeah. I hate her too.”
“You hate a lot of people,” Noemi said.
“And?” I pursed my lips at her. “If I want to hate on people, I can, okay?”
She held her hands up in the air, surrendering. “Okay. Jeez. I can see why you wanted to get drunk.”
I moaned. “I need to get so drunk that I forget my name.”
“I’m down for that,” Sofia sang, reaching for my hand. Her lips pulled up into a small smile, understanding shining in her eyes. She’d been part of this family from the moment she was born, which meant she knew the men inside it better than anyone. “And if that doesn’t work, we can TP Veev’s house.”
I laughed, trying to keep the burning tears at bay. Tonight wasn’t about anything other than spending time with my sister and drinking as much alcohol as possible, but somehow, I’d managed to gain another ally—an ally I hadn’t seen coming. I hadn’t even tried to get to know Sofia. I’d been so trapped inside my own head and what was happening with Lorenzo, that
I’d forgotten about the other people in the house.
So as Sofia stared at me and we pulled up to the club, I promised myself that I’d get to know her. I’d stop being so consumed by Lorenzo and start living my life, whether he liked it or not.
LORENZO
I stared at the screen of my laptop, trying to make sense of the numbers on the spreadsheet, but my focus wasn’t there. Every time I tried to do some work, all I could think about was a certain curvy, dark-haired woman who had flipped everything on its head.
Fuck.
I hated how she’d wormed her way inside. Hated how every time I heard her laugh, I wished it was me who had caused her to have that reaction. Despised how I looked forward to dinner so I could sit next to her.
Why? Why couldn’t she have been a one-time thing that I could have gotten over right away? Why did she have to drive me nuts but also make everything so clear?
I let out a frustrated breath and slammed my laptop closed. There was no use in me even trying to work because nothing was going in. Nothing was making sense anymore. And it was all because of her. Aida. Fuckin’ Aida.
Pulling out my cell, I checked if she’d replied to my message this morning. She hadn’t. She was ignoring me, but politely, which was even worse. I wanted her to shout at me, to call me an asshole, to tell me she hated me, but the pleasant silence was killing me. Every time I saw her, I wanted to shake her. I wanted to touch her. I wanted to fuckin’ kiss her again.
I slammed my hand down on my desk, growling. It wasn’t meant to be like this. She was meant to be my wife for show. She was supposed to go to college, live her own life, and not make an inch of difference to me. So how the hell had she managed to get under my skin so quickly? It had been six weeks since I’d put the ring on her finger, but it felt like I’d known her my entire life.
Soft laughter floated through the house, footsteps ricocheted across the foyer, and I leaped up, not wanting to miss her again. It had been three days since she’d gone out with her sister and mine, and since then, I’d been coming up with a plan, one where she wouldn’t shut me down and shut me out.
I halted at my office door, catching sight of Aida’s smiling face as she talked animatedly to Sofia. I couldn’t help but like the fact they got along so well. Sofia had always been a loner, trying to find her way through life and the people who had exploited her to get close to the family. Time and time again, her friends had used her to get to Dante or me.
“Aida,” I called, my voice rougher than I intended it to be. Both of their heads whipped around as they got to the bottom of the stairs. “I need to see you in my office.” I turned, not giving her the chance to tell me no. I was done with her defying me. She was going to listen to what I had to say whether she wanted to or not.
I walked across my office and to the bar cart, poured myself a whisky, then leaned against the front of my desk. I was calm, calmer than I had been for weeks. Maybe it was because I’d come to a decision? Maybe it was because I knew I couldn’t pretend I didn’t feel something for her. Or maybe it was because I was done listening to her silence.
My stomach rolled as her footsteps neared, and when she paused in the doorway, it took all of my strength not to stand and go to her. I was trying to act like this was just a normal conversation, but it wasn’t.
“Yes?”
Silence spread out, permeating the air with tension.
“How was your day?” I asked, lifting my glass to my lips and cursing. Why the hell did I just ask her that?
“It was fine.” She shrugged, her gaze moving to the desk I was leaning against. “I hope you cleaned that.”
I frowned. “What?” I stood, looking behind me. “Cleaned what?”
“Your desk.” I turned back to her, seeing her lips lift at the corners, but I knew it was one of her fake smiles, the ones she used when she was trying to put on a facade. But I saw through it. I always saw through it.
“Aida.” I let out a breath and placed my glass on the desk, trying not to remember fucking Veev on it. It had been an asshole move, I knew that, but nothing could change it. I was who I was, but maybe…maybe I didn’t want to be an asshole anymore, not to Aida anyway.
“Come with me to the gallery opening tomorrow night.” I stepped toward her. “We can go for dinner afterward.”
She snorted. “Hell to the no.” She planted her hand on her hip. “I’m sure Veev would like to go.” She winked, a move that I both hated and admired. “She’d never turn you down.”
“I don’t want to ask Veev,” I rushed out and stepped toward her. “I’m asking you.”
Aida stared at me, her light-brown eyes filling with fire. That was what I wanted. I wanted her to fight. I wanted her to have a reaction. Hope built in my chest. Hope that I hadn’t fucked things up completely. It was ironic. I’d spent over a month pushing her away and pulling her in just enough to keep her sated, but all it had taken was one moment in time to change everything. To change the way I saw her, to change the way I’d been taught to feel.
I advanced toward her again, getting so close that if I reached my arm out, I could just about touch her. But the move had her stepping back into the hallway, her eyes shutting down everything they’d displayed.
“I think I’ll pass.” She tilted her head and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Have fun, though.”
“Aida.” She spun around, her feet carrying her as fast as they could to the stairs. “Aida,” I ground out, frustrated beyond belief. “I swear to God, Aida.”
“You shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” she sang, climbing the stairs and looking back down at me. “Even Mafia bosses don’t have sway over the big guy up there.” She pointed at the ceiling and hiked her backpack higher on her shoulder, her gaze stuck to mine. I prayed that the fire and fight would come back, but it didn’t. She was blank, not giving a single thing away, and for the first time, I wondered if I’d gone too far.
Had I blown my chance? Had I pushed her too far away? I scraped my hand down my face, not knowing what to do. I’d tried to talk to her. I’d tried to ask her out nicely. I’d tried. Fuck, I’d tried. What else did she want me to do? What else could I do?
“Be yourself,” a voice said, and I spun on my heels, cursing myself for not being totally aware of my surroundings. I never let my guard down, but because of Aida, I had. This wasn’t good. None of this was good. But I couldn’t stop it.
“What?” I asked Sofia.
“Just be yourself.” She said it like it was so easy—like it would solve all of my problems. “You’re so used to having to prove yourself. You did it with Dad since you were a kid, and now that you’re the boss, you think you have to prove it to everyone else.” She shook her head. “You have nothing to prove, Lorenzo. Nothing at all.”
“You don’t get it,” I gritted out, trying to keep my patience, but it was wearing thin.
“Maybe I don’t.” She shrugged. “But I know you slept together.” She raised her brows. “And I know she deserves to see the real you. Not the you that you’re trying to portray. She needs to see the Lorenzo we know. The one who is kind. The one who would go to war for the people he loves.” She stepped closer to me, her hand resting over my chest. “The one who thinks with his heart and not his warped mind.”
“Sofia,” I murmured, not sure what else to say.
“Think about it,” she said, her voice low. “Think about letting her see the side of you that you keep so well hidden.” She stepped back, her focus not leaving my face. “If there’s anyone who deserves that, it’s her, big brother.”
She left just as quickly as she appeared, leaving me standing outside my office, wondering if I could do it. Could I let Aida in? Could I risk letting her see the part of me I kept locked away? Was she even worth it?
I closed my eyes, my breath stuttering inside my chest.
She was worth it. She’d always be worth it.
CHAPTER 12
AIDA
“And I told him, Auntie Aida
, that palaces weren’t just for princesses.” Vida fluttered her lashes up at me, her hands waving in the air. “But he didn’t believe me.” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Boys are the worst.”
I chuckled, agreeing with her. “Well, you’re my princess, and you’re staying in the palace tonight, so he can just…” I cut myself off, reminding myself I was talking to a five-year-old.
“He can just, what?” she asked, her attention focused solely on me.
Mateo chuckled from the front of the SUV, knowing I’d put my foot in it. “Vida,” he called, pulling to a stop outside of the gates. “Would you like to press the button to open the gates?”
She gasped. “The gates open with a button?”
“Yep.” He grinned back at her and handed her the device that he kept in the center console. “Click the button once, and they’ll open.” He paused, waving his hands in the air. “It’s magic.”
I squeezed my lips together to hold in my laughter as her little eyes got so wide, I thought they were going to pop out of her head. “Wow.” She unplugged her belt and stood in the back. I placed my hand on her waist, keeping her steady as she took the device and pressed the button, her little face in awe as the gates opened. “That’s so cool!” she shouted, placing the device back into Mateo’s palm.
She planted herself right next to me, and I held her close as Mateo drove us through the gates that automatically closed behind us.
“Are there other magic things in the palace, Auntie Aida?”
I grinned down at her. “Of course, there are.” Mateo opened the door for me, and I slipped out, holding my hand out for Vida.
“I’ll get her bag, Aida,” Mateo said as Vida jumped out, her bright pink dress lifting up as she did.
“Thanks, Mateo.”
“This is amazing!” Vida shouted, letting go of my hand and running toward the water feature. She’d been here the night of the wedding, but she hadn’t gotten to explore, not in the way I knew she wanted. She was inquisitive, but more than that, she was nosey.
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