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My face must have portrayed my surprise when I saw a beautiful girl, probably a similar age to me, standing behind his desk, flicking frantically through a file. I had never seen her around here before and my first thought was that she might be Elenora, the sister I have yet to meet.
“What are you doing here, nanny?” Toni spat. His tone was sharp and accusing and I immediately felt bad for the girl. When mafia men belittle women like that there is not a lot we can do. But to my surprise, she held his hard gaze and glared back at him with just as much menace. Nanny? She works here?
Suddenly, Giovanni’s bulky and towering frame shoved me out of the way and I stumbled back slightly. It was as if time stood still the way that he looked at her and she looked at him. Both the colour had drained from their faces and, for the first time, I swear I saw a vulnerability in Giovanni.
“You knew?” she whispered to him. He didn’t move, just kept staring. Sensing Toni’s confusion as well, I realised I needed to seem involved in some way.
“Who are you?” I asked nervously.
Her green eyes, which were bright and unique with the gold speckles, looked me up and down carefully before she replied, “Olivia. Who are you?”
“I'm Camilla.”
“Giovanni’s fiancé,” Toni added with a smirk. My eyes widened slightly when I saw the girl's face flash with hurt and then anger. She glared at the man before her who seemed to have lost his ability to move.
“You’re engaged?” She screamed hysterically, the pure rage evident. In a flash, she was running to the door and Giovanni snapped into action. He tried to pull her back and nearly blew our cover when he told her it wasn’t what it looked like, but she managed to get away from him. Was he in a relationship with this girl?
“I don’t understand…” I whispered more to myself than anyone else, but Olivia heard me. She turned abruptly. The words she hissed in my face had me recoil. Poor girl. She thinks he used her. Giovanni raced out of the office after her and I stood motionless with Toni. Shit. How should I react? What would a fiancé do?
I sat down in one of the armchairs slowly, covering my mouth with my hand and feigned shock and hurt.
“So, he was fucking her after all?” Toni smirked. It was a rhetorical question. He was talking to himself. “And you didn’t know?” I shook my head slowly and looked down at the floor. “Have you been fucking him too?”
My head snapped up with genuine shock this time. I opened my mouth to speak but I didn’t know what to say. Just then, Max came into the room, and I breathed a sigh of relief. He looked down at me first and then his expression became hard when he glanced over at Toni. He didn’t trust him either. I could tell.
“Want to fill me in on what the fuck that was all about Maximus?” Toni asked as he walked over to the liquor trolley and poured himself a drink.
“What? The nanny? Just an infatuated employee who believed she meant more to Gio than a quick fuck in the laundry room. No bother,” he replied effortlessly. Was that true? He sounded convincing.
Toni turned around and stared at Max intensely, sizing him up. Max's handsome face kept its cool, neutral expression as he sat back in one of the armchairs. The atmosphere changed considerably as Giovanni bounded back in. He didn’t look at any of us as he poured himself a whiskey and downed it in one before hissing. Strolling over to his desk, he sat down in his leather chair, his face cold and expressionless.
“What are you doing here Toni?” he snarled.
“How charming! We will talk about the real reason I am here after you tell me why that nanny was in your office alone and why you seemed to care so much about her finding out you are engaged.” He strolled over to me and leaned his hand on the back of my chair, making me feel extremely uncomfortable. I noticed Max's eye’s glance at where Toni’s hand was, and his jaw clenched.
“She was snooping. She’s been getting clingy since I started fucking her. That’s all,” Giovanni growled as he leaned back in his chair, still refusing to look at any of us.
“That still doesn’t explain your reaction,” Toni quipped, hiding his amusement behind his tumbler.
“She is a good fuck. And our nanny. If she quits, we are left in a shit situation.”
“Hmm. Do you really think you should be fucking around with a nanny when you have this beautiful woman living with you?” He peered down at me and gave me a wink which made me want to gag.
For the first time Giovanni looked up and stared into my eyes. They were empty. I saw no sign of any humanity in them. He moved his gaze to Max briefly and then sighed. “I am not married yet. I was just having some fun before I have to walk down the aisle.”
“May I be excused?” I asked bluntly. I didn’t want to sit here and listen to any more of this. I didn’t want to be in the same room as these men. They were all monsters. Except for Max.
Giovanni nodded and I stood up, brushing down my flowy dress. I could feel all of their gazes on me, but I kept my head down and walked out the door. I needed fresh air. I felt suffocated in this place.
Racing down the stairs, I didn’t even bother putting any shoes on as I made my way out to the back gardens and headed for the hedged maze. I needed to get lost for a bit. To forget where I was and who I am in the company of.
I always loved mazes as a child. That feeling of never knowing which course will take you to your end destination. Just blindly following the curves and turns of the greenery and praying for the best. I used to panic as a little girl when I couldn’t find my way out. But now I am an adult, and the excitement of such beautiful, innocent moments has been sucked out of me by responsibility and duty, it has taken on a different meaning. I no longer wanted to find my destination. I wanted to get lost. I wanted to be hidden and forgotten about.
I couldn’t get Olivia’s face out of my mind. That look of intense hurt and betrayal. She loved Giovanni; I was certain. And I am pretty sure he felt some way towards her as well. You would have to be blind to not see the panic and fear on his own face when he realised she was about to leave him. How could she love a man like him? I get that he is very easy on the eye, but he is a monster. He is heartless, cold and ruthless. But then maybe that is just what he shows me. That thing between them wasn’t just about sex like he tried to convince us all. That was more. Is she the reason he wants out of this alliance?
“Cami?” I heard a deep voice call somewhere through the hedges and, by the way my stomach fluttered and skin tingled, I knew who it was.
“Max?” I shouted back.
