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Flo came out of the kitchen and joined the table. I huffed and sat back, crossing my arms. This was not what I had in mind. My appetite had diminished and I couldn’t fucking eat having to stare at the two off-putting faces of an old hag and a Buccini brat.
“Why do I have to stay with papi?” I asked sadly, placing my hand on Alessio’s arm and trying a different approach. “Why can’t I stay here like normal?”
“Because you are not welcome here,” Flo interjected and I sent her a death glare.
“Because I am going away,” he replied frankly.
“Where?” I asked in frustration. I had just got here and he was going? Going where?
“A business trip.”
“And her?” I asked, glaring across the table.
“My name is Elle. And I’m going with him,” she answered smugly.
Alessio sighed when he felt my rage and looked over at Flo. “Zia. Can you help Elenora pack please? We have to leave in an hour.”
“Sure. Come on, dear,” she said, tapping Elenora’s arm. She reluctantly stood up and they both left the table.
“What the fuck is going on, Alessio? She is walking all over you and you are letting her! She is a Buccini! She is our prisoner! Why the fuck is she going on business trips with you and walking freely around this house like she fucking owns the place?!”
“What I do in my own house is my business, Isabelle. She is a mafia princess just like you. Regardless of her last name, she deserves some respect.”
“She deserves no respect! She is our enemy! Does papi know you are taking her with you?” I tried to play the only card I knew I had left. The only man Alessio feared. Diego.
“He thinks it is a good idea,” he gritted through his teeth as he stood up and walked to the edge of the terrace, looking out over his vineyard.
“Then you have both lost your heads!”
“What are you doing here, Isabelle? And what the fuck was that video earlier?” he snapped, turning to face me.
“Are you jealous?” I whispered, folding my arms across my chest. “You know I only imagine it’s you.”
“No! I am not fucking jealous,” he growled lowly, stepping up to me. “I am angry. What if someone had seen my phone? I have had enough of these games you play, Isabelle. I fucking mean it.”
“What games? I’m not the one pretending that what we have together isn’t special, Alessio.” I reached out for his arms, but he held them up, stepping around me.
“I can’t deal with this now. I have a flight to catch. And you need to go to Diego’s before he sends out a search party.”
I scoffed, “As if he cares enough to do that.”
Alessio rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. I felt his anger wavering and thought of the only thing I could say to make him let me stay here. I closed the gap between us and wrapped my arms around his waist, placing my head against his chest as he stood rigid.
“You know why I can’t stay with papi, Alessio. Elio is there all the time. Please, I am scared without you.”
He sighed above me. “You will be fine, Belle. He won’t touch you. It’s been twelve years since that night and he never has again, has he?”
“No, but you are always here to protect me. To remind him,” I mumbled.
“Then maybe you should have stayed in the North. Let your husband protect you instead,” he said, pulling my arms off his body. He stepped back as I looked up at him in shock. “I have to go. I’ll be back in a few days.”
With that he turned and walked into the house, leaving me standing there alone. Never before had that not worked. He had never left me when I needed him. He was pulling away from me again. He had done this many times before when he freaked out about us being caught, but this time it felt different. He felt different.
Feeling panicked and confused, I took a walk around his land, stealing wine from the winery and drinking straight from the bottle. When I made it back to the entrance of his estate to get my driver to take me to papi’s, I hid behind a bush when I saw two SUVs parked outside and men loading suitcases into them. Alessio and that bitch came out the front door. She was laughing at something he said. And he was beaming from ear to ear. At her. In a way I had never seen him look before; happy. The way he was looking at her... like she was the cause.
I watched with blazing fury igniting inside me as he opened the back door of the car for her and placed his hand on her lower back as she climbed in. He then got in beside her and closed the door. I stood up straight as I watched the cars speed away down the driveway, taking another swig from the bottle in my hand. That’s what was different. Elenora Buccini.
Anything But
