Discovering His Lies And Scheme.

ALESSANDRA

As I woke up the next morning, a flood of memories came rushing back to me. I felt a sense of embarrassment as I recalled my wild behavior from the previous night. I hesitated to open my eyes, feeling reluctant to face the consequences of my actions.

Fortunately, Leonardo was not in the room, so I hurriedly made my way to the bathroom to freshen up. I suspected that he had left early to attend to some illegal business, so I took the opportunity to reflect on my actions from the previous night.

Since I was the one who initiated the physical contact between us, I had no idea how to get out of the horrible situation I had gotten myself into. Although last night had been spectacular, I had no intention of repeating such a mistake because that would only mean that I had accepted my fate to stay in this world.

As my stomach let out a low, rumbling growl, I realized it was time to find something to eat. I frowned when I realized how weak my legs felt, struggling to maintain a normal pace. And that was not the only part of my body that was aching; my entire body was sore from last night but I didn't want to give Leo the wrong idea by falling flat on my face.

I made my way to the kitchen which was connected to the living room, glancing at the cold, minimalist decor. It was obvious the owner had exchanged warmth for its simplicity but I didn't mind. I had no intention of changing anything here since I was determined to leave the place once I got the chance.

My focus was suddenly pulled away as Leonardo's deep voice reverberated through the room. He was seated across from the kitchen island, engrossed in his meal while taking a phone call. His gaze was fixed on the chef in front of him, seemingly oblivious to my presence. "How much do you want?"

The sound of a woman's laughter echoed from the phone, causing me to stiffen slightly. "It looks like someone had a great night. Since you're feeling so generous, I'll take the property in Hudson Yards."

“You can have it,” Leonardo's voice remained impassive as he read the newspaper neatly folded on his lap. “Just make sure you keep your mouth shut about what you did yesterday and we are not going to have any problems, Isabella.”

A brief silence ensued after his words and then she told him, “I still don't think what you did was right, Leo. Imagine how Alessandra would feel if she found out that you used me to trick her into getting drunk last night?”

My entire body was engulfed in a jolt of shock as the truth spilled from Isabella's lips. The walls seemed to constrict around me, and a suffocating darkness crept up in my chest. The fact that he openly discussed this in front of the cook made me yearn for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

How could have I been so stupid? I willingly slept with a man who only wanted me for my body. Leo didn't love me like he claimed. His kisses and words were all lies, weapons to make me another notch on his bedpost before he moved on to another woman.

At that moment, the cook turned around to place a plate on the kitchen island when she saw me. Her eyes widened a bit as she called out Leo's name, “Leonardo...”

Leonardo turned around with a frown but his body instantly stiffened when he saw me standing behind him. He released a string of Italian curses before he cut off the phone call, dropping his phone roughly.

“Lexi, please let me explain...” He reached out to me.

I took a step back from him, struggling to hold back my tears. The cook quietly left the room, her face filled with regret, but the sympathy in her eyes only fueled the anger coursing through me. I picked the first thing I saw, a basket of flowers sitting on the couch, and threw it at him.

Leonardo dodged the incoming basket and grabbed me, his black gloves curling around my wrist. This time, I couldn't control myself. I slapped him hard across the face, trying to hurt him the same way he had hurt me.

“I want you to leave this house,” my voice cracked with emotion like I had expected but there were some things I needed to say to him first. “You can go live in one of your houses and sleep with any woman you like. I don't want you here, Leonardo!”

Leonardo's face became stormy after he faced me once again, and this time, I instinctively took a step back when I saw how angry he looked. I closed my eyes when his hand rose in the air, gritting my teeth hard to endure what was to come.

“If you are looking for some sort of apology, you are dreaming. I am not sorry for what happened, Alessandra,” Thick layers of frost coated his voice as he picked up his suit jacket and walked away. Once he reached the door, he added with a tone of finality, "You can stay angry as long as you like but we are going to live in this house and share the same bed. You don't have a choice.”

The moment the door slammed shut, hot, angry tears streamed down my cheeks. Anguish gripped my chest, causing me to let out a piercing scream as I hurled the plates onto the kitchen island. The sound of shattering ceramics echoed through the room as the pieces scattered across the floor, but the chaos around me did little to ease my overwhelming emotions.

I quickly rushed into the bedroom and pulled out a duffel bag from the closet. Even though my vision was blurry with tears, my hands kept busy, pushing my clothes into my bag. If he thought that I was going to stay here like a submissive wife after the trick he pulled on me, then he was sorely mistaken. The Scavelli family did not raise their women to be weak creatures.

And I was going to prove that to him.