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After a few minutes of being hunched over the bin, I felt like I had nothing left to give. My whole body was shaking as I picked up my bags of groceries and handbag. The phone vibrated inside it and with a trembling hand I pulled it out, already knowing exactly who it would be.
Are you home yet? X
I clicked the screen off as I felt my bottom lip tremble and tears brim in my eyes. My life was in danger once again and I was trapped. Because of another dangerous man. How could I have been so stupid?
Imposter
Giovanni
The moment I turned my phone on and gained a signal, the joy and relaxation of the last few days evaporated, and I was struck by stress, irritation and anger. Niccola had sent me the CCTV footage of Riccardo in our restaurant and, just as I thought, he was sending me a message. At one point, he looked directly into the camera and smirked. He knew I would see it. But why? What was he trying to achieve? Was he just attempting to rile me for what I did to his little spy? But then I noticed him writing something on a napkin in large letters before he got up and left. Zooming in on the footage, it read clear as day, PALARE which means talk. Talk about fucking what?
I then received another message from Mattio saying that Leone’s men had been sighted in a few different locations in Verona in the last few days. He was trying to provoke me. But what was strange was that it was directed at me and not my uncle. He was targeting areas in my jurisdiction. My businesses and my territory. The fact my uncle hadn’t called, made me believe that he wasn’t aware. However, mamma informed me that Salvatore was coming to the house tomorrow, so maybe that was what he wanted to discuss.
Just before we boarded the flight, I saw I had five voicemails and several missed calls from Max. That put me on edge too. Max had been taking care of things while I was away and was staying at the mansion. For him to try to get hold of me that many times caused huge anxiety as to what could possibly be going on.
When I caught Liv watching me with concern on the plane, I felt ten times worse. I couldn’t be the Gio she had just had an amazing few days with right now and she knew it. When I pulled her onto my lap, it was initially for her sake. To help ease her worry about me acting differently and trying to show her that it wasn’t anything to do with her. But when I buried my head in her neck and inhaled her sweet-scented skin, feeling the warmth of her body on mine, I realised it was me that needed the reassurance. I was spiralling because I knew this couldn’t last. I couldn’t keep pretending to be someone I was not. If I really wanted to give us a fair chance, I had to be honest with her about who I was.
Climbing into the Lamborghini, I powered through my country roads that I knew like the back of my hand. My body felt tense and the darkness was starting to scratch at the surface, knowing that whatever shit I was about to deal with was keeping me away from my girl. The moment I left her at the airport, I felt uneasy. I hated being away from her. But I knew I was being overprotective and needy as fuck. Two things that she despises. So, I forced myself to give her some freedom tonight. It was for the best anyway, as I knew I would not be in a good mood for the rest of the evening.
Pulling up the long driveway of my estate, nothing seemed out of sorts. Everything was calm. It was only when I reached the front of the house and saw that mamma was standing outside the front door next to our soldiers with her arms folded that I knew something was wrong.
Climbing out of the car and striding towards her, I could see the fury in her eyes.
“What is it?” I growled.
“See for yourself,” her tone matched mine as I looked over her shoulder into the lobby, but I couldn’t see anything. As I marched past her, she grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back, looking hard into my eyes. “Keep control, Gio, and don't do anything rash. We will sort this out.”
I frowned as I shrugged her off and marched into the house on a mission to find out what the fuck was going on.
“The lounge,” I heard mamma’s voice behind me.
As soon as I opened the heavy wooden doors to our private living room, I froze. Max’s eyes widened slightly at my presence but he composed himself quickly as he stood up from the coffee table he was perched on. Directly in front of him, sitting on the sofa, was Camilla. She gulped in fear when she saw me, but slowly stood up too.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” I growled at Max.
“She lives here,” he replied, getting right to the point. My eyebrows furrowed and my face screwed up tightly with confusion as I looked between them. Camilla immediately cast her eyes down the floor.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I snapped, my voice rising a few notches. Camilla’s body visibly tensed.
“Boss and Francesco agreed she should move in with you to allow you both to get to know each other before the wedding. Camilla arrived yesterday. I tried to call and warn you.” Max said carefully as he held my gaze. His eyes darted to Camilla to warn me to calm myself for her benefit, but I felt enraged.
“Without my consent? This is my fucking house! And she is not welcome here! There will be no wedding and she can get the fuck out!” I bellowed, pointing my finger at her as I took menacing steps towards them. Max stepped in front of her protectively and gave me a stern look which only made me more pissed off.
“Maybe we should talk in private, Gio. You need to calm down before you say something that will disrespect the boss.”
“Fuck Salvatore! He may be the fucking boss, but that gives him no right to move a complete stranger into my house! And one from a rival fucking family!” My body was shaking uncontrollably.
Max glared at me, warning me to shut the fuck up. Anything I say, Camilla could tell her father and that would cause huge problems for everyone, but right now I don’t give a fuck. He turned around and spoke softly to Camilla. “Can you leave us please? Go to your room and I will check on you later, okay?”
I shook my head with a chuckle of disbelief as she nodded and nearly sprinted out of the room. Why was he talking to her like that? As if he cared. And what fucking room? She doesn’t live here!
“Seriously fratello, you need to calm the fuck down!” Max ordered as soon as she had left the room. I dove at him, grabbing him by the throat and choking him with all the rage I felt. His face was turning red as he clawed at my hand.
“I left you in fucking charge Max. I trusted you. How the hell did you let this happen?” I hissed. Letting him go with a violent push, he stumbled back, wheezing from my assault.
“What the fuck was I supposed to do, Gio? Sal and Francesco turned up together yesterday morning with her. Told me that I was to get her settled and familiar with the house before you returned. Then you and she will be able to get to know each other before you are married. Francesco even made a comment about you falling in love with her.”
I scoffed loudly. “Sal has lost his fucking mind!” I pulled out my phone from my back pocket and started calling my zio’s number.
