AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Someone jiggles the handle, then bangs on the door. "Olivia, are you in there?" Declan calls out. I sink back against the counter as Massimo heads to the door and flings it open.
"See her home safely. If something happens to her, I’ll shoot you in the face."
He brushes past Declan and leaves.
27
Massimo
Leaving her is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. She looked at me with her big, green eyes, and my resolve had almost crumbled. I wanted to close the distance between us, wrap my arms around her, pull her to me and kiss her scar, and tell her she didn’t have to worry about anything. All she had to do was trust me, to lean on me for a little while, and let me take care of her while she sorts out whatever it is she needs to get right in her head. But doing so would have meant being rebuffed by her. Again.
I have less than forty-eight hours to convince her to break off her engagement, if I can even call it that, and marry me instead. And her engagementisa sham. Declan and Solene haven't been able to keep their eyes off of one another. In fact, he barely spoke with Olivia over lunch. Clearly, he’s attracted to Olivia’s sister. Not to mention, there’s not a shred of chemistry between Declan and Via. Nope, it’s all a front. Something she’s concocted in the hope of throwing me off track. No way am I buying it. I am going to convince her that I’m the man for her. That I’m the only one who can make her happy. And the way to do that is to show her what she’s missing. I need to put distance between us, and hope she comes to me. I’m gambling on the belief that not having me around will show her how much she needs me, and not that asshole Beauchamp, with his pretty-boy features and suave manner.
Is that what she likes? A man who faces the camera and worries about his looks for a living? Someone who probably spends all his time in the gym, and puts more cosmetics on his face than she ever would. She doesn’t need anything artificial to enhance her looks.
Olivia is the most beautiful, most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met, inside and out. She’s also the most stubborn. And no one will ever compare with her. It’s her or nobody else for me. If only she’d see that.
"Massimo?" Solene calls out from the seat beside me.
I force my attention back to her. "Solene," I say politely.
"You don’t want to marry me," she states.
I tense. I don’t want to hurt her, and I don’t want to lie to her. On the other hand, if I admit that I’m not in favor of our engagement, before I can change her sister’s mind, the consequences for my clan would be serious.
"It’s okay, I know you have feelings for my sister."
I firm my lips. Is this a trap? Is she saying it just to get me to admit my feelings aloud so she can use it against me?
"My brother’s the head of theCamorra. I’m one of them, too, but I’m not a Mafioso. I don’t want anything to do with the politics between the clans. Unfortunately, as a woman, I don’t have that luxury. So, I find myself in this situation where I’m, apparently, engaged to a man who doesn’t want anything to do with me, and who would do anything for my sister."
I wince. She’s right, though. What can I say to that? I certainly can’t deny it.
"When my father was the head of theCamorra, he was strictly against arranged marriages. He was fiercely proud and was ready to fight for his clan, even take on theCosa Nostraif needed, to keep his independence. Then he died, and my brother took over. He’s more ambitious, more power-hungry, and he wants an alliance with your clan. When he asked me if I was open to an arranged marriage with you, I agreed.”
She looks down at her lap. “You see, until then, I'd been drifting along, happy for others to make decisions for me. I didn’t have any opinions of my own. The one thing I’ve always wanted is to be a singer, but I was never ambitious enough to go for it. I didn’t think I had the courage it takes to go out into the world and try my luck, so I’ve been content to sing for myself and for my family. To do what was needed to make them happy. To play my part as a dutiful daughter and sister, so I could help secure their futures..."
"Not anymore." I turn to face her.
“No.” She shakes her head. "I thought I could find happiness in their happiness. I was perfectly content to coast along until—"
"You met him."
She swallows. "I… I know it’s sudden. I know I have nothing to base my decision on, except my instinct—"
"It’s all we ever have, after all," I retort.
"People might call me crazy for making up my mind in a split second, but when you know—"
"You know." I half-smile.
"Is that how it was for you with my sister?" she asks.
I draw in a breath. "Meeting Via was explosive. Volatile. Incendiary. Combustible." I shake my head. "She blew my mind, and now I can’t think of anything or anyone else."
She laughs. "You definitely have feelings for her."
I allow my shoulders to relax.
