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"How far along is she now?" I inquire, genuinely curious about their growing family.
"Seven months pregnant," he answers, his face lighting up with pride. "Can you believe it?"
"You're going to make a great father, Primo," I tell him sincerely.
"Thanks, brother," he says with a grin before walking out, leaving me alone in my office. I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts, and then head out to where Lulu waits patiently at her desk.
"Ready to go home?" I ask, feeling an unexpected warmth in my chest at the simple act of including her in my life.
"Yes," she replies, offering a small smile that has my heartbeat picking up speed.
We make our way down the elevator and back to the garage together. I walk her around to the passenger side and open the door for her. As I start up the car I look over at her. She's giving me a big grin.
"What?" I ask slowly.
"I'm waiting for you to give me my points for today."
I chuckle and pull the car out of the garage. "We're not home yet, princess."
ChapterEleven
The purr of Giovanni's sleek car fills my ears as we glide through the iron gates leading back to the dreaded mansion. I can't help but sigh at the sight of it. To some, it may be a dream home, but to me, it feels like nothing more than a gilded cage. The taste of freedom from earlier today lingers bittersweet on my tongue.
"Something wrong?" Giovanni asks, his dark eyes flicking toward me, a hint of concern in their depths.
"Can't say I'm thrilled about being locked up again," I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest.
His gaze returns to the road, and he shrugs indifferently. "It's for your own good."
My blood boils at his apathy, and I can't resist taking the bait. I know I shouldn't. The entire day was actually really nice, but his attitude irks me. "Why do you have to be so uncaring? Don't you understand what this is like for me?"
"Believe it or not, I do care. Our arrangement benefits both of us," he counters, parking the car in the underground garage. "Keeping you safe means keeping myself safe too."
"I should have the choice to go out when I want," I argue, opening the door and stepping out onto the cold concrete floor. The slam of the car door punctuates my frustration.
"Wrong." His voice remains calm and infuriatingly collected as he gets out, plugs the charger into the car, and turns to face me.
"Your attitude needs to stop," he says sternly, approaching me with determined strides.
"Excuse me?" I scoff. "I'm not a child. Stop treating me like one."
"Seems to me that you're acting like one right now," he retorts, his hazel eyes blazing with annoyance.
"Maybe you should've just let me bleed out then!" I yell, feeling the sting of tears pricking at my eyes. "It would've been better than this!"
"Maybe I should have," he bites back, his face hardening.
"Go to hell," I say, trying to mask the hurt in my voice.
"Clearly, I'm already there," he sighs.
I turn on my heel and storm off. But, unfamiliar with the garage's layout, I end up walking in the wrong direction. Realizing my mistake, I glance back at Giovanni, who leans against his car, a smug smirk playing on his lips.
Refusing to give him the satisfaction of admitting my error, I plop down onto the grimy cement floor. The filth seeping into my beautiful pink dress is worth it just to see his expression twist with irritation.
Giovanni's patience finally snaps as he strides over to me, his face a mask of controlled anger. Without warning, he grabs me by the waist and hoists me over his shoulder. I kick and scream at him, but his grip on my thighs is unyielding. He carries me like a sack of potatoes through the garage and towards the elevator, ignoring my pounding fists against his back.
"Stop it," he warns, his voice low and dangerous. "Or you'll lose that point you earned today."
