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“Once was not enough,” he growled before devouring my lips once more.
Goddammit
Giovanni
“Boss wants to push the wedding forward,” Toni stated as he lounged back in the armchair in my office.
My mind was fucking spinning. All I could think about was Olivia. How badly I have fucked this up. Again. The string that my control and sanity were barely holding on to was about to snap. I couldn’t speak because I couldn’t trust what would come out of my mouth. So instead, I rubbed my hand along my jaw and waited for Toni to finish saying what he came here to say so he could get the fuck out.
“I expect you have heard about the marriage between Lorenzo and Isabelle, uniting our rivals with the most powerful head family in Southern Italy. You know what this means. We must take the Leone’s out as soon as possible. Francesco will only support us once you put a ring on his daughter’s finger.”
I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes. Breathe. Control. Hold it together. Don't fucking shoot him. Where the fuck did Max fuck off to? I needed to be saved, before I did something I would regret.
A knock at the door caused me to open my eyes and I had never been happier to see my mamma’s face. Although, she looked upset. Which could only mean one thing… Olivia had gone. My heart dropped and my anger rose.
“Sorry to interrupt, but how much longer will your meeting be? I need to speak to my son urgently.”
“We are done,” I said with finality, causing Toni to frown at me.
“I will take that as an agreement and we will get preparations underway,” he growled as he stood up and nodded respectfully at mamma before leaving the room.
I leapt to my feet as soon as the door was shut and started my erratic question bombardment. “Where is she? What did she say? I need to go to her. Did you tell her it wasn’t real? Is she in the house?”
Mamma raised her hand to still me. The look on her face was a mix of sympathy, sadness and anger. “She’s gone.”
I leaned over my desk with my fists in balls on the surface, my head dropping to my chest. I knew she would have. How could I blame her? The look on her face will haunt me forever. In one aggressive movement, I swiped everything off the surface of my desk onto the floor, glass shattered and my laptop smashed, but it wasn't enough.
“You did a background check on her? Did you know about her past before she opened up to you?” Mamma's voice was soft but I could detect the disappointment threaded through her tone. I squeezed my eyes shut and ground my teeth.
“Yes.” I stood up straight and saw mamma shaking her head in disapproval. “It was before any of this became serious. As soon as I realised what she was dealing with, I put it away. I didn’t read the whole file! I wanted to earn her trust and for her to tell me herself. How mad is she?”
“Mad isn’t the word, Giovanni. She is hurt. She feels betrayed.”
“I need to speak to her. I can fix this. Once I explain everything, she will understand.” I stormed around my desk to head for the door but the pain of mamma’s next words sliced through my heart and made me unable to move.
“She’s quit Gio. She doesn’t want to see you again. It is all too much for her.”
My fists clenched at my sides and my breathing became laboured. No. I wouldn’t accept it was over. She cannot just leave and walk away from this. I sprang into action, flinging my door open as it smashed against the wall and hurtling out of my office. I could feel mamma running after me.
“Gio! Giovanni! You go racing over there to see her now like this and you will make everything worse!”
“How could it possibly be any worse!” I bellowed over my shoulder.
“You are wound so tightly with anger and tension right now Giovanni, that if you go over there and force her into anything she will be terrified of you!” I stopped halfway down the staircase. “Give her some space to digest all of this. For her to get her own feelings under control. If you go storming round there right now, demanding she listen to you, it will not end well. You are both too stubborn.”
I sighed deeply and sat down on the step to force my legs to stay still, dropping my head in my hands. Mamma was right. It would be like a fucking wildfire if we were in the same room right now and I would lose my shit if she tried to leave me. I felt mamma perch next to me on the steps. She didn’t touch me, which I was thankful for. She knew better than to touch me when I was this wound up. The only person whose touch could calm me was the one person who didn’t want to be anywhere near me.
“What do I do mamma? I can’t lose her.”
“Gio. You always knew there would be a chance this would happen. If she truly cannot be in this life, in this world with you, you will have to let her go.” My head snapped up and I glared at her. She raised her hands up in front to calm me. “But… I think there is still hope. She loves you, Gio.”
I froze. She what? “She loves me?” I whispered in disbelief.
Mamma smiled sadly and nodded. “I believe she does. And when you love someone, there is always hope. You just need to be very careful about your next moves, my boy. You need to show some patience and understanding.”
I was still shocked by her words. Did Olivia admit that she loved me or was this just an observation?
“But you need to think carefully about this. It wouldn’t be fair to pursue her if you do not feel the same way. This is an extremely dangerous game she is entering, especially with the new information we have. She would be safer if you let her go.”
