Castello dell’Fiero, Calabria, Italy
My throat was a tangle of emotion.
I had spent the previous night trying to get that sleeping face out of my mind. I went to Reggio Calabria, to a nightclub run by an old friend, and looked for someone who was willing to make some extra money. It wasn't unusual to find women in those places offeringadditional services, and it didn’t take long for me to find what I was looking for.
A short, blonde, golden-skinned stripper who, from behind, looked like the woman now asleep in front of me, oblivious to my presence. I ran a hand through her honey-blonde hair and brushed her bangs away from her face. I tried to fuck the stripper the night before, convincing myself that it would be enough topush Daisy Parker out of my most libidinous thoughts over the past few days, but it hadn't worked out. The woman licked, rubbed, tried every trick in the book to get my dick hard, and nothing. I even took her to a dark room, asked her to call me ‘sugar’, but my dick remained limp, and Daisy Parker was still the protagonist of my worst intentions.
I drowned my sorrows in alcohol for the rest of the night, too humiliated and frustrated to return to Castello dell'Fiero. During the day, I took the opportunity to take care of some business in Reggio Calabria, hoping that the distance would be enough to cool whatever that growing need was turning into.
I was fucking wrong.
As my phone rang and I heard Luca's distressed voice on the other end of the line, telling me Daisy had broken her promise to him and ran off to the hills without my permission, I got in the car and raced back to Castello dell'Fiero at full speed. Fortunately, upon arrival, Luca told me that she hadn’t strayed beyond the controlled area—acres of land where video surveillance cameras had been integrated into trees and along the cliffs to prevent any surprises—which meant they hadn’t lost sight of her for a second.
I then sat down in my office and dismissed everyone, staying alone in the dark with the cameras’ live feed. I watched her run, wondering how her body could withstand such exertion, and felt cold sweat break out every time she got too close to the edge of a cliff.Dio. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen until she returned, and when I did, before I could process my own actions, I was moving toward the housekeeper’s house.
Now, sitting on the edge of her bed, touching her hair without even being noticed, seeing her so fragile in one of my T-shirts, my thoughts were getting tangled, so were my feelings.
It was anger, but it was also fear. Anger at her recklessness and stubbornness, at the way she disrespected Luca by breaking the promise she made, at her for going into the hills she barely knew and risking her life. And fear because I realized she hadn't even noticed my presence in the house. I could have killed her without effort, and that gnawed at my insides.
What if it hadn't been me who entered that house? What if it had been another man? What would have become of Daisy in such a situation?
I felt my brow furrow and got up, heading back to the villa. I ran a hand through my hair and cursed myself.
Daisy had to die.
She was a dangerous witness, not just a housekeeper, not a guest, not an ordinary woman. She represented a danger that I had to eliminate.
As I entered my own room, I leaned back against the door as soon as it closed behind me. My attention focused on the four-poster bed, and I remembered the exact moment when everything started to get too complicated.
It had been on her third day there. I found her sitting on that exact bed, with one of my books in her hands, and,Madonna mia, before I could stop myself, I imagined her naked, her golden skin exposed on my sheets and her legs open for me. In a fraction of a second, I fantasized about her trying to concentrateon reading while I made her come again and again with my tongue. Fortunately, I was still able to appeal to reason. Instead of giving in to my promiscuous desires, I asked her why she was touching my belongings, and what she expected to find, which was nonsense.
There was nothing to find in my books. They were all related to my passions for photography and nature. Still, I took my frustrations out on her. Because desiring the woman I had to kill was absolutely out of the question.
But that was what was happening. A desire beyond my control, growing with her mere presence.
When my body collapsed onto the bed and I wanted more than anything to get her face out of my mind, Luca's words came back to me. Apparently, she decided to transfer her share of the Mississippi house to her aunt's name. She wanted to get rid of what she owned, and there was something about that that made me uncomfortable. Perhaps it was my stupid pride speaking, because she shouldn’t be making decisions without consulting me first. Or maybe I couldn't stand how easily she gives herself away for the sake of the people who matter to her.
I didn't intend to stop her. As soon as she asked me, I would have Lombardi prepare the paperwork. But I wondered if she would regret it in the future.
What future?
I was going to execute her, sooner or later. Wasn't I?
Chapter 29
Daisy Peonia Mary Parker
July, 2025
Castello dell’Fiero, Calabria, Italy
The air was particularly warm that morning.
I chose one of the many summer dresses Camillo had given me. It was dark green, lacy, with delicate straps, and fell just above the knees. On my feet, I wore simple brown sandals. I adjusted the skirt of the dress, creating a barrier between my thighs and the rough stone of the small wall, and sighed, inhaling the scent of warm earth and dry grass, mingling with the fragrance of a nearby tangerine tree.
Closing my eyes, I absorbed the dawn. The air wrapped around me like a blanket, the sun pouring over my face like warm water. Despite how sore my body was after the previous night's run, I felt light. Relieved. Now that I could escapefrom the housekeeper's house, the nights were no longer so frightening.
I liked running through the hills and seeing Castello dell'Fiero in the distance, turned into a nostalgic painting.
