Chapter 3

Dahlia always told me about him, how their dates went, the conversations they had, and what she thought of him. I never liked to listen to them but now I was more than grateful that I did. 

The smile was still on my face, I'd managed to mirror the crookedness that always came to Dahlia's lips whenever she grinned. 

"You look dashing as well," I said, keeping my tone as light as I could, "I almost tripped over running down to see you."

His reaction was as she described. He threw his head back, and a loud laughter erupted from his mouth, and even his body trembled as a result. 

"Oh, Cariño," He wrapped a hand around my waist, and I tried not to stiffen, "This week has been dreadful without you." 

He turned to the large men behind him, "Go bring them in." 

I watched with confusion at first, then realization as people began walking in with large items. I spotted a new TV screen among several other expensive gifts he brought out.

"Mr. Orlando! You didn't have to go through the trouble," Dad exclaimed, his eyes wide with awe, "We've barely gone through the ones you brought the last time you came."

Giovanni chuckled, "I'll keep bringing more as long as there's where you can keep them, and if there isn't any. I'll just get a bigger house."

My head whipped towards him in shock. Did he really mean what he said? 

From how bright his face was, and the way he laughed, I could feel that he wasn't bluffing. 

I was confused. Did he truly love my sister or was this all for show? I'd read countless books about the mafia, and if there was anything that they were incapable of, then it was love.

This could all be one giant trap to get me to marry him, and then his true nature would come once they were gone.

"I'll make sure to return her home safe, Mr. Monroe," He gently nudged my waist, and the smile on my face returned instinctively, "Come on, love." 

 

He walked me to the car, his arm still wrapped securely around my waist. My eyes nearly bulged out at the sight of the white limo in front of me,

I'd only ever seen vehicles like these in the movies, never in real life. 

It took all of my willpower to keep my composure, and act cool as he opened the door for me to enter inside. Once the doors were shut, and he was in, the lights changed to a more dimmer form.

The vehicle came to life, and soon they were rolling out of my porch and leaving my neighborhood behind. 

"Here you go," He handed me a glass of flute, and I froze, "I made sure to get the one you like."

I smiled weakly, my fingers wrapping around the stem of the glass. I took a whiff, and nodded in satisfaction, it smelled nice. When I looked up, I caught him watching me and anxiety wrapped around my throat.

Did I do it wrong? I had seen the way they did it in the movies, and it was always like this.

When a smile broke out on his lips, I sighed in relief. Thank goodness.

I dropped the glass inside the small cockpit by my side, deciding to be safe. It wasn't that I had low alcohol tolerance, I'd never tasted champagne before and from how he said he'd specifically gotten it, I didn't know how strong it was. 

"So how did your week go?" He leaned into his chair, sipping from his flute of champagne, "I want to hear all about it."

A fresh wave of pain stung me, and suddenly I regretted not downing the drink when I had the chance. I had avoided thinking about it all week, but the memories flooded and suddenly, 

I was back in that hospital room again, staring at the lifeless body of Dahlia. The dull ache in my ribs returned, and I grabbed the edge of my seat in response. 

But I couldn't say any of that. Instead, I forced a small  smile, quickly searching my memory for what Dahlia had told me about work. 

"Yeah...busy as usual. You know how it is. Meetings, deadlines." I let a light chuckle, hoping it sounded natural.

Giovanni studied me for a moment, "Hmm, tell me more. I want to hear everything that happened."

My stomach flipped, but I kept my expression neutral. Why couldn't I remember anything about Dahlia's work? And why was my heart beating so fast?

I couldn't slip up. Not right now.

"Well, uh..." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, stalling. "I had to finalize that project I told you about. The one with, um...the overseas investors." I hoped that sounded right.

To my relief, he broke into another smile, "That's more reason to celebrate tonight."

I chuckled, the tension wrapping around me easing instantly. I casually took a slow sip of the champagne, and it soothed my throat more than I imagined. 

"And you? How did your week go?" I asked, and he took another sip of his wine, watching me from the rim of his glass.

I shifted on my seat, wondering why he was staring at me like that.

"It was the same, managing casinos amongst other things," He shrugged, dropping the flute, "One of my guys almost screwed up a deal but I handled it."

Handled it. The way he said it was unnerving, but a part of me wanted to know more about it.

"What happened?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. 

Giovanni watched her, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, "You really want to know?"

Maybe not.

I shook my head with a light laugh. "No, I think I like my peace of mind."

His chuckle was deep, almost approving. "Smart girl," he gestured with his chin, "And I like what you did with the hair by the way. It looks chic."

I smiled, and this time it was genuine. I could see why my sister was smitten by him, 

Giovanni Orlando was a natural charmer, his words had the power to make you ease into his presence.

I'd alnost forgotten that I was sitting in front of the dreaded Mafia Boss in New York. 

The vehicle suddenly stopped, and the excitement I was feeling buzzed down.

"We're here," Giovanni told me with a crooked smile. 

This was it. Phase two of the evening. I crossed my fingers, praying that I would survive this.