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I feel so manipulated… like a puppet on a string he maneuvered me to where he wanted me.
He shrugs. “I just helped speed up the inevitable.”
It’s plainly obvious he sees nothing wrong with his actions. What world does he live in?! Clearly one where he plays God.
“All the conversations we had, where I thought we were learning about each other, you knew everything already. I was the only one who learned anything. And then only whatever snippets you were willing to share, while all along you were hiding the most significant thing about yourself… the fact that you are a mob boss.”
“I shared more than snippets with you, princess,” Gualtiero says calmly.
“Other than Mateo, I’ve not let anyone get close to me. With you, I share my soul.”
I roll my eyes at him. Grand words, but do they really mean anything?
I trusted him. But he played me all along.
How could I have been so easily duped?
Rhia is right. She always says I trust too easily.
Until now, it’s a quality I liked in myself—to see the best in people until proven otherwise. It used to be something I valued. Now, it’s tainted and seems foolish.
I pick up my menu and start reading, needing something to distract myself from the rage and despair coursing through my body. The relaxation from earlier has well and truly evaporated like a drop of water on a hot stone.
Unable to concentrate on anything, I lower my menu and pick up my glass of wine and gulp it down in one go. I’m sure it’s exquisite, but my taste buds register nothing.
Avoiding looking at Gualtiero, I stare into space before letting my gaze sweep over the restaurant. Alonso, Oriana, Santino, and Marcelo are seated at a table close by, enjoying some lunch while simultaneously keeping watch over everything.
I feel the heat of Gualtiero’s eyes on me. I’m aware he’s been watching me, but I ignore him the best I can.
“What is it, princess? You seem agitated,” he observes.
“No kidding! Of course I’m agitated,” I hiss. “Every day, I find out more about your underhanded ways to manipulate. And I realize I never knew you at all.” To my surprise, the thought saddens me. “On your island, I was convinced we had something special. But everything was built on lies.”
“Everything is out in the open now,” Gualtiero states, as if this would make things better.
“Is it?” I ask sarcastically.
“Si. Everything concerningyou,” he reiterates. “Oh, except…”
I raise an eyebrow and look at him expectantly. “In the interest of transparency, you’re still in touch with Rhia, and she’s cheering you on,” Gualtiero tells me with a smile.
“Of course she is,” I mumble. “Who is impersonating me so successfully?”
“There’s a girl in Uberto’s team who’s tasked with writing to Rhia a few times a day.”
It’s yet another reminder that Gualtiero is holding the reins to my life.
That’s just peachy.
Lies, deception, mistrust… is that what my life has become?
And there is nothing I can do about it right now.
I need to stay focused on the bigger picture—a picture where I’m not held prisoner in a golden cage.
I pick up my menu again. Gualtiero does the same, and that’s when I notice his bruised knuckles.
He’s been in a fight or probably more likely has beaten someone up. The guy who was dragged into the building as our car left comes to mind. I wonder if he’s still alive or dead in a ditch somewhere.
