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Who Is the Real Giovanni?
Olivia
“Is Gio mad at us?” Sani asked quietly as I placed his duvet under his arms and tucked him. His handsome little face showed so much worry and it made me even angrier with Giovanni than I already was.
“No. You did nothing wrong. Sometimes...sometimes adults get stressed and take their problems out on those they truly love,” I tried to explain. He nodded slowly and rolled over onto his side.
“Will you come back tomorrow?”
Smiling down at him, I replied, “Of course!”
“You are the only one who plays with us, Liv. I wish Gio or mamma would,” sadness pulled at his features and I stroked his ebony curls away from his face.
“I am sure they want to play with you just as much as you want them to.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. I didn’t know this family well enough to make any judgments, but from what I had seen in the last few days, they were busy people. But it broke my heart that they rarely seemed to spend any time playing with Sani and Raya and if tonight's dinner was anything to go by, most family time was tense and not much fun for those kids.
He shook his head slowly, “No they don’t. They are always busy. Especially Gio.”
I chewed at my bottom lip as I looked down at this lonely little boy. I would make it my mission to ensure that every minute I spent with these kids was fun and engaging. I know nothing will take away from the longing to spend time with their family, but at least I could try to take their minds off it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sani. Sleep tight,” I leaned over and turned off his table side lamp.
“Can we get gelato?” He shouted as I reached the door. Chuckling, I nodded and left the room.
Remembering I was still in Elenora’s dress, I padded down the silent landing towards her room. My toes were enjoying the soft luxury of the cream carpets below them. My clothes were still displayed on her bed and I pulled the zipper at the back of the dress down and shimmied out of it as carefully as I could. Laying it neatly on the bed, I smiled at myself. I would never own such beautiful clothes as this but it was nice to feel a million dollars for one night. Suddenly, I felt as though I was being watched as I turned to the door that I now realised I had left slightly ajar. I stilled and narrowed my eyes, only stood in my knickers and bra, my heart started thundering in my chest. There was no one there. I must be going crazy. Picking up my ripped jeans and white cami, I got dressed as quickly as I could so I could get out of this place.
After grabbing my bag and jacket from the lobby, I poked my head around the door of the dining room to thank Cecilia for the dinner, but I was surprised to see there was no one in there anymore. The table had been cleared and immaculately polished as if the evening had never happened. I was not about to go on a hunt to look for her in this maze and risk bumping into Giovanni, so I settled to thank her tomorrow.
The bodyguards at the front door nodded to me politely as I left and the humid, Mediterranean breeze hit my skin, causing relief to flood through me. I was starting to get used to all these bulky men around the house. It felt...safe even though they looked anything but. As I descended the stone steps onto the gravel driveway, I noticed a woman’s figure sitting on the stone wall by the huge Roman statue of a naked woman. It was the orange glow from the end of a cigarette that had caught my attention, otherwise I would have walked straight past her, completely unaware.
As I approached her and she removed the cigarette from her mouth, I was relieved to see it was Elenora. She smiled at me sadly, swinging one leg and kicking the gravel with her foot.
“I wish I could tell you that family meals are normally a lot jollier than that, but I am a terrible liar,” she said after releasing a cloud of smoke which evaporated into the dark night sky. I smiled at her joke and looked down the long winding driveway. It normally takes around ten minutes to get to the bottom by foot and I was eager to get home, but I felt bad leaving this girl like this. She seemed so...sad.
“You smoke?” she held out the packet towards me but I shook my head.
“No. Thank you though,” I replied. She nodded once, dropping her hand in her lap and bringing the cigarette back to her lips. “Are you okay?”
She scoffed and sent a few more stones flying across the driveway. “I just...I need to rant!”
I chuckled and made my way over to the wall to join her. “Rant away.”
“He is just so infuriating!” I agreed completely although I tried not to show it. I couldn't forget my place and at the end of the day he was my boss, so I needed to stay respectful. “I get it. I do. I mean...he is only trying to protect me and after what happened to our papi, he is more protective than ever, but I just wish...for one day that I could be normal. Be from a normal family and live a normal life.”
I kept my eyes cast down, allowing her to express her inner torment, but I couldn't help thinking that she didn't realise how lucky she was. She had someone looking out for her. Protecting her. And I mean look at the life she lives. Filthy rich, designer clothes, no worries about how to pay the bills or afford her university debts. I am sure Giovanni had probably paid them outright.
“I know what you are thinking. That I sound like a spoiled brat! You wouldn't be wrong. I know I shouldn't complain when I have all this...” she raised her arms out around her before dropping them back. “But money really doesn’t buy you everything. Definitely not freedom or, in my brother’s case...happiness.”
I glanced up at the light that flickered on in the middle of the top floor. The warm glow illuminated the driveway below and we were no longer sitting in darkness. My chest tightened when I realised it was his office. Was that true? Was Giovanni just as unhappy as the rest of us?
“No it doesn’t,” I replied. “But it definitely helps.”
I tore my gaze away from the window and when I turned my head to the side to address Elle, I was surprised to see her already studying me carefully.
“What is it?” I asked as she continued to stare intently.
“I love my brother. But you need to stay away from him, Liv. You’d have to be blind not to notice the heated looks and the subtle touches across the table.”
I swallowed as her hazel eyes bore into mine. “I – I don’t know what you mean. I didn’t – I don’t...” I struggled to form a coherent sentence as panic and humiliation threatened to swallow me whole. Was my attraction to him really that obvious? I thought I was doing a better job at hiding it.
