A game

ELENA'S POV

The car ride was utterly and nerve-wracking silent. It was the type of silence that should be soothing but still managed to make me nervous as I knotted my fingers together in the back seat.

He was looking out the window with a hard look on his face and after a while, I couldn't stand the silence anymore so I spoke up.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

He adjusted in his seat, his gaze softening as he looked at me. “Just a small place” he muttered.

I frowned. Small? He wasn't the type of person to go small. He liked lavish stuff so why were we going to a small-scale restaurant?

He noticed the look of confusion on my face and offered an explanation. “It's better that way. For you. If you aren't surrounded by expensive-looking stuff, it will be easier to keep yourself in control. Right?” He asked, waiting for confirmation.

Oh, right. I nodded immediately and sank further into my seat, conscious of the way he was still looking at me.

Clearing my throat, I said the first thing that came to mind. “You keep texting me with an unknown number, don't you think I should get your real number? You have mine”.

He raised a lone brow and tilted his head slightly while still staring at me. “I don't give out my number to anyone. There's only one person who has my number” he informed me.

“Male or female” I found myself asking.

“Female” his voice was a whisper and he was watching me, waiting for a reaction.

None.

I felt a pang of something twist in my guts but I refused to show anything as I simply hummed and stared out the window.

“Do you want it?” He suddenly whispered, his blue eyes glinting In the dim backseat of the car where we sat.

I could feel his breath on my face and knew that if I angled my head back to look at him, our noses would touch so I just kept my gaze fixed on the passing scenery.

He hummed and leaned away without saying another word.

Thankfully, the car pulled up and the driver announced that we were there.

Luca opened the door and looked at me waiting for me to get down and as I did, he motioned for me to enter the small cafe first

Sighing, I obliged and walked into the cafe just as my phone dinged and I stopped at the entrance to see a number texting me.

“Save it” the message simply read

As I turned around to look at Luca, I saw him talking to the chauffeur casually like he hadn't just given me his real number.

Biting back a smile, I walked into the cafe and took a seat inside the small and cozy space that was void of people just as he walked in also and sat beside me.

“Thanks” I muttered, not knowing what else to say.

He looked at me and smiled. “For giving you my number? You're my wife. You need it” he said simply.

It was fake, I knew that this was fake but the way he said his words like he meant it always made my heart trip.

From inside the closed-off room at the side, someone walked in with a waitress uniform.

I looked the woman over noting how she took a quick glance at me and focused on Luca whose gaze was fixed on me.

“Don Luca. We received your message and cleared it up immediately” She said with a genuine smile at him.

“Yes, Kaia. Tell Angelo that it is much appreciated” he said without looking at her no matter how much she stared at him

Oh, he had this place cleared out of people so that we could be alone here.

“What will you have today?” She asked while I slowly scrutinized her

With stray blonde golden hair that peeked out of the tight bun she had pulled her hair into, her eyes were a light shimmering gray and she had a slim curvy body with full rose lips.

She was beautiful and clearly, she had a thing for him.

I suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable in my skin. She was prettier and I wondered if they ever had a thing together.

“The usual. I don't think my wife has had any of that” His voice broke my train of thought and I jolted back to reality to see him give her a quick bored glance

She gave a tight-lipped smile and then looked at me. “I'll be right back” Then she walked back into the room by the corner.

Luca leaned back in his seat and tucked his hands into his pocket while looking at me, his gaze almost Daring me to talk.

“We're here to talk about stuff, right?” I suddenly asked feeling bolder.

He nodded and shrugged. “Yes, do you have something you want to ask or say?”

“How about a little game?” I said with a smirk.

His eyes brightened briefly before becoming dull again and he let a low chuckle. “I'm game” he affirmed.

“I'll ask you three questions and you have to tell me the truth. If you fail to tell me the truth in just one then you have to do something I say and vice versa” I explained.

He was silent for a brief second, thinking about something in his head before he smiled. “You start”

“Alright. First question, who is the woman with your number?” I asked.

“My mother” his reply was simple but his gaze was heated.

Fair enough

“Who's Kaia to you?”

“Former fuck buddy,” he said without a care in the world and my insides twisted again.

“Do you still like her?”, I suddenly blurted out.

“You mean do I find her more attractive than you?” He asked with a raised brow as usual.

I numbly nodded and he laughed

“Elena. I feel nothing for her. Not even one ounce. She holds no candle to what you do. You're the only one who seems to see the truth that I never revealed”

And my heart stilled at his words.