“No. Even if Giovanni didn’t exist in my life, my feelings for you would still be the same.”
“And if I were to force you...”
“I don’t think you would force me. It’s not within your nature.”
“And if I decide that I can’t be friends with you anymore?”
“Then I’ll be sad. Plus, I don’t want us not to be friends. I don’t want to walk along the streets and be like strangers, not greeting each other. I want us to be friends always. I want to be there for you, like you were always there for me. I want to see you happy when you meet that person who you love.”
“But I love you.”
“That’s why I’m sad. I wish I could love you back. But I already love Giovanni. And I don’t think I can love anyone else. Can we please stay friends?”
Crispin laughed, although his eyes were brewing with tears. “My heart hurts, Jenny, but when you ask me like that, I can’t refuse you. I would prefer to get my heart broken now, but I really don’t think I could lose you as a friend, too.”
“Thank you, Crispin, for understanding me, for helping me through all my tough times. I want us to be friends forever, help each other out in times of need, support each other in times of want. I’ll always be there for you, Crispin. Just as you’ve always been there for me. If you happen to fall in love, I’ll be happy for you. If you happen to have your heart broken, I’ll listen to you. I’ll always be there for you, because you are my best friend. You have helped me so much in the past. Tomorrow, or in the future, if you ever need me, I’ll be there for you, too.” Crispin nodded with tears in his eyes, just as I said this with tears in my eyes.
“Yes. Let’s be friends forever, Jenny.”
“Yes. Let’s.” And we pinky swore.
Somehow after that talk, I felt much better, as if a ten-pound brick had been lifted off my chest.
“You should go see him. He looked pretty pissed off. I thought he was about to rip my throat out.” Crispin reminded me of Giovanni.
“Yeah. Maybe I should. It’s raining pretty bad.” Outside the rain was pounding. When did it start raining? I was too absorbed in our conversation; I didn’t even notice the nasty weather until now. I checked the time. We’d been talking for a little over an hour. I hope Giovanni wouldn’t be too pissed off. Hopefully, he’d calmed down by now.
Chapter 19
Too Late to Say I Love You
Giovanni was a raging pit bull. He punched, and he punched, and he punched. First the boxing bag, then his underlings. But even after letting off steam, he was still brewing mad inside.
“Oww, Boss, that’s enough. I give up.” Bobby bowed his head, waving his white flag in surrender.
Fuck! He’d thought he’d be rational by now. It’d been almost an hour since his return, but he was still fumingly mad.
And now, just thinking about Jay had his blood boiling again. And the only way to alleviate the symptom would be to keep punching.
It started off with him taking swings at the punching bag, but when his underlings started spouting out Jay’s name, he started punching them, too. So, they boxed, all in the name of a game, except he told them to take it seriously. Fight him like a true opponent. But none of them could hold a torch to his skill, and even Bobby had fully surrendered.
“Finnie, you’re next.” He flicked a finger in Finnie’s direction.
“No, Boss. I’ve had enough, too. Any more, and I’ll be black and blue tomorrow. People would say I’ve been domestically abused.”
“Domestically abused, my ass. It was just a few fucking punches. You shitheads are just a bunch of fucking pansies. Get out,” he yelled.
And his underlings all scrambled out of the gym. If Heath were here, he’d be a worthy opponent, but he was out, keeping an eye on Jay.
Who the fuck knew what she was up to behind his back?
He felt a bit guilty though, for lying to her, saying how she wasn’t one to talk about trust, when in fact, he was the one who lacked in trust. Even when they had agreed that she was fine to travel alone to university and back, despite being the lover of a mafia boss, he’d still put parameters on her, without her knowledge or consent. He’d always managed to keep tabs on her.
Despite all those precautions, though, he was still caught off guard. The knowledge of Jay having that boy as a friend still surprised him.
Fuck! The thought of that boy had him steaming up again. He smashed his fist into the wall, broke the wall, and retracted his hand to see a bleeding fist. That still didn’t help relieve the pain in his heart, nor reduce that ugly green-eyed monster called jealousy, residing in his chest.
Damned right he was jealous. And damned right he was pissed. Pissed at everything since they had arrived back from Singapore.
The pitter-patter sound of rain against the window was getting louder. He walked to the window and stared out at the garden, the naked statue outside taunting him with that smug look. Jay used to say he looked like that statue.
Jay...
His heart ached.
When was she coming back? It had already been two hours. And this bloody rain wasn’t stopping anytime soon. Should he go out and find her? It was like a flood outside.
Despite the mean things he’d said to her earlier, he still loved her. Like he had told her before, on the night she was intoxicated by the alcohol, he didn’t care if she wasn’t his Jennifer. He loved her as she was now. Jennifer was his past, but she was his present and future. It was a shame that she couldn’t remember their conservation from that night. If she did, she would have known that he didn’t mean any of those harsh words earlier.
He promised himself that when she came home, he’d tell her everything, remind her of everything they had spoken about that night. The moon, the stars, and the Earth. And that kiss. Of how he loved her. He’d tell her again and again, until she wouldn’t forget it, until those words were like scars engraved in her heart.
Another hour flew by. He grew tired of worrying and waiting. He was about to dial Heath’s number when his phone rang.
It was Heath. “Boss, Jenny is gone.”
“What the fuck do you mean she’s gone?”
“Jay’s been kidnapped.”
His heart dropped like a bomb.
I love him. I love him. I love him. That’s the first thing I’d tell him when I get back home. I’d tell him every day that I loved him, so he would know my real feelings.
Yes, that’s the plan. And I hoped I wasn’t too late. It was now almost three hours since I’d told him to go home. He looked really pissed off. But I wanted to talk to Crispin first. And now that that was out of the way, I could focus all my attention on him.
He should be fine. Once he saw the gift I bought for him, he’d be over the moon. This was my own personal money that I had saved up from way before I became his maid. I was planning to use that money to fund university, but Giovanni said he’d pay for it. Now, there wasn’t much use for it, except to buy him this gift. His birthday was coming soon. He’d be twenty-eight. I’d been with him for a little over four months now. But those were some amazing four months.
Thinking back, it really was a blessing in disguise. He’d helped me out on so many occasions. When Pa had left, I didn’t have the money to pay for the rental property. I was practically destitute. But being his maid allowed me to have a roof over my head. And now, being his lover, allowed me to have all the money in the world. But I didn’t care for that. What was more important was his heart. I loved him because of his heart. So, I really hoped he would like my gift for him.
But my plan was ruined by the rain and by some random black van blocking my path. And then it happened. I’d seen it countless times before in the movies, but I never thought it would happen to me.
One guy swung open the door and dragged me into the van. I kicked and screamed, crying out for help, when another guy smothered my nose and mouth with a damp cloth.
Chloroform!
I was being kidnapped.
> Oh, dear Ma up in heaven! Please help me. I didn’t want to die yet. But my world was slowly fading, and soon it turned black. I sank into a deep oblivion, the only thought running through my head was of Giovanni.
It’s too late now to tell him I love him. It’s too late now to give him this gift. It’s too late...
I woke up to a soft bed and a bright peachy ceiling as my vantage point. Where was I? Where was Giovanni? This wasn’t my bedroom. I didn’t recognize anything here.
Through my hazy sight, I saw some shadows. I tried to get up, to see better, but I couldn’t see them. All I could make out were their muffled sounds.
I tried getting up again and this time succeeded. I was about to get out of the bed when one of the shadows emerged into the light.
“Jen, how are you feeling?” the shadow said. And it made me freeze.
That voice. The name ‘Jen.’ There was only one person in the whole world who would call me by that name.
I turned to that voice and saw her, that face I recognized even in my sleep.
Tears shed in my eyes. My heart choked in my throat.
Brown hair, beautiful big eyes, and a bright smile that any guy would fall for.
My sister, Amelia.
The End
Jenny and Giovanni’s love story concludes in
Maid to the Mafia Book 4: Totally Devoted
Coming Soon
Side story 1: Giovanni’s Jealousy
Author’s Note: This event happens outside the storyline of Maid to the Mafia but occurs within the time frame of book 1: Totally Captivated. It is the time when Jenny meets Julian for the first time while she was still Giovanni’s maid.
Giovanni
Giovanni was getting jittery. He needed his cup of coffee. And most importantly, how long was Julian going to keep up the suspense. Finnie had announced that his friend had come to visit, and with a big hug and a greeting later, the man just sat silently staring out the window—for a full five minutes.
“Something on your mind, Julian? You haven’t said a word since you arrived.” Giovanni watched his friend with shrewd eyes. Something was definitely up. Julian was so silent, so deep in thought. He knew how to get him to talk. “Care to share the information?”
“Giovanni.”
And just when he was leaning in to listen to his full story, the door fucking opened and interrupted their conversation. Who else would dare interrupt his alone time with his friend except for his annoying maid, Jay.
“Boss, you needed me?” Jay immediately asked, turning to him. That girl really needed to be disciplined. He hadn’t asked for her, so what the fuck did she want? But since she was here, she might as well make herself useful.
“Jay. Make us two cups of coffee. I’ll have a flat white. Julian, what would you like?”
“What would you like, sir?” Jay asked, her voice so fucking sweet, it made his ear ache. Now why didn’t she fucking use that voice on him?
“Julian is fine,” his friend politely corrected her.
“Of course, Julian, sir. What would you like?”
Jay stood there, grinning like a stupid girl who was seeing her favorite idol for the first time. God, it fucking annoyed him.
“Jay, you’re ruining the atmosphere here. Be quick and scram,” he barked.
But did she listen to him? No. When it came to his maid, his words were like empty threats. In one ear and out the other. Sometimes, he was embarrassed to call himself a mafioso when he couldn’t even intimidate a mere girl.
“Of course, Boss, just a tick more. Have to ask Sir Julian what kind of coffee he likes. Julian, sir, what would you like to drink? I’m the number one barista in the world. Hence, Boss here can’t live without my coffee. So, what would you like? I’m sure whatever you order, it’ll delight your taste buds.”
“Jay, for fuck’s sake. Get a move on.” He bit her head off. “Julian, just order a bloody coffee.”
“Just chill, Boss. Sir Julian is taking his time deciding what he wants,” she tossed back at him. “It’s best if you take a chill pill, and then I’m sure you won’t have high blood pressure.”
Giovanni was on the brink of explosion when his friend quickly made the order.
“I’ll be back in a jiffy, Boss. Julian, sir, your coffee is coming shortly. In the meantime, please converse with Boss at your leisure,” she said, just to irritate him further.
“Jay, the fuck. Get out,” he finally exploded. Jay quickly made her her exit, and his friend just chuckled at his outburst.
“What are you laughing at? It’s not fucking funny.” Fuck, he was feeling hot in the face.
“I wish my relationship with people was as carefree as your relationship with your maid.”
“You’re talking about Jay and me?” Julian had caught him off guard.
“Yes. She’s your new maid, isn’t she?”
Giovanni gathered himself, leaned back in his chair, crossed his leg, and said, “Yeah. She’s my new maid. Her old man fucking owed me three million dollars. He ran away and left her here as collateral. What’s a mafia guy like me supposed to do but take her in? That’s all she’s good for... making coffee. And nothing else. Don’t let her talk, or she’ll run her mouth like there’s no tomorrow. Fucking experienced it. Had a headache for a full day.”
Julian burst out laughing again.
Giovanni couldn’t help but mock him a bit for laughing at him earlier. “You all happy now? A minute ago, you were sulking like a pissed-off skunk.”
“I wish I was as happy as Jay. She seemed so cheerful. Like nothing could make her sad.”
Giovanni scoffed. “Yeah. Bloody unicorns and rainbows. That’s her world. And that’s her personality. It’s an awful trait, I tell you. Always cheerful, even when her world is crumbling down. Back to you, though, before we were rudely interrupted. What did you want to tell me? Or did you simply miss my handsome mug?”
“Yes, Giovanni. I definitely missed your scowling.”
“Damn you, Julian.”
“Joking aside, I’ve brought my girlfriend over,” he finally revealed. “She’s staying in my penthouse for a few weeks, until everything settles down.”
Something was up. Giovanni sat up straight, his attention in full-alert mode. He could sense danger from a mile away, and Julian was in danger.
“Is some fucker after you again?”
“I did this to myself. Now the woman I love is in danger.” Julian looked distressed, massaging his forehead a few times before turning his full attention to Giovanni again.
“They intentionally wanted to hurt you. Your girlfriend just happened to get dragged along, too. And before I forget, you need to increase your security.” Giovanni watched as Julian massaged his forehead, his tension obviously from worry.
“I’ve already done it,” his friend said. “Kimberly now has bodyguards protecting her.”
Giovanni smirked, and just then Jay came in carrying two cups of coffee on a tray.
“Julian, sir. Here’s your Americano.” She set the small coffee cup on the table and turned her attention to the other cup of coffee on the tray. “And Boss, your fifth cup of coffee today. Here you go.”
Giovanni glared at his maid. “You’re my maid, not my fucking doctor.”
“Of course, Boss. I know I’m only your maid; however, drinking too much coffee is not good. But since you’re about to drink this cup, enjoy. I hope I won’t have to make another one today.”
“Jay, you’re really annoying. Get out.”
“Yes, Boss. Goodbye. I’m going to iron your clothes, now. Julian, sir, enjoy the coffee.”
“Yes, thank you, Jay.”
As soon as Jay left, Giovanni exhaled his breath, relaxed into the chair, and massaged his forehead, too. He didn’t know how long he could survive under her care. But that little thought had his heart aching somehow.
“You like your maid, Giovanni?” Giovanni’s eyes almost shot up to the roof. He jerked in his seat.
Where the
hell had that question come from? And what made Julian ask him that?
“Shut up. I don’t like her,” he quickly said. Or maybe too quickly. He gritted his teeth, his face turning a shade of red. “She’s so fucking annoying.”
“Still, your relationship with your maid is closer than normal, as if you two are dating, like me and Kimberly.”
“Fucking hell, Julian. Where the hell did you get that conclusion from? She’s my fucking maid. That’s all there is to it. Now, are we going to talk about your problem or not? If not, I’m kicking you out of my house.”
Julian watched the scenery outside before casting his gaze back to the steaming cup of Americano. He lifted it to his mouth, taking a little sip and commenting, “Wow. This is good.”
That made him smile. If Jay was good at anything, it would be this coffee. He could never get enough of it. “Couldn’t agree more.”
After a few more sips, he put his cup down and turned to real business.
“Julian,” he prompted his friend. “Why don’t you tell me what the fuck is going on? I know someone tried to kill you. You’ve been out of the hospital for only a little over a month, and now you’re in New York City. Someone’s after you, right?”
“Yeah. You’re spot on.”
“You need my help,” he offered. Because if there was anything he could give, it would be this. Julian was already a billionaire, but he didn’t have the connections and associates like he, a mafia member, did.
“Yeah. If you’re willing. It’s going to be risky.”
Giovanni laughed. “I’ve been through hell and back. Nothing is risky anymore, if you plan everything. Do you have a plan?”
“I have a plan.”
“Then we’ll succeed.” Giovanni picked up his cup and silently took another sip. He watched his friend over the rim of his cup and decided, whoever this woman was, she must really be the one for his friend.
Julian had never led a pleasant life. He’d been tormented since he was young. So, to see him so enamored with this woman, it must mean she was his special one.
“This woman. You love her? That’s why you’re doing everything for her?” He had to confirm, because if they were to go through their plan, he needed to be sure.
Totally Intoxicated Page 14