All Chapters of Faking It: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Of course, I knew someday I’d have to go back to my former life, but I didn’t expect it to be so sudden. We’d planned to stay for another week in Italy, when Armani excused himself from lunch to take a phone call and returned with an expression on his face I could only describe as frustrated. His father needed him back home for business, so all I could do was faintly smile, finish my lunch alone and go back to a packed-up house. Armani was already on the driveway looking down at his phone, the convertible’s trunk left open to display most of the belongings we’d come with. He glanced up as he heard Bill’s car but didn’t make a move toward us. I took the moment to look to the side at the bodyguard who’d refused to leave my side out of the house. Bill pulled up the handbrake and reached for the door, but I quickly said, “Bill? Are you c-coming with us?” He glanced back at me, hesitation written over his face. I’d never seen him less than happy, though something about this country bro

Inside was a dream; tall walls, open space, windows so big you could see everything yet nothing at all. The isolation of the property both excited and scared me, and the longer I walked around holding Armani’s hand, the more I began to feel a little hopeful again. My concerns over the last day felt silly — presumptuous. Though a part of my brain was still very aware that this could turn sour very quickly, I allowed myself to enjoy this simple few minutes with my fake husband and even smile, just a little bit. Feeling a bit like we were touring a celebrity home rather than his own, I followed Armani to a long hallway of doors on the second floor, which was a lot smaller than the ground, until we reached two at the very end. Both were double, made of wood but sturdy and thick. “These are our rooms,” he told me, then led me into one of them. “Your sisters thought you’d like this one best.”The bedroom in question was already furnished like most of the house but none of that grabbed my

Unable to believe Bill’s story, I immediately got to work. Despite his protests, I marched into the kitchen to make food and leaned on the lessons my grandfather had given me: Italian cooking. Bill continued to dispute that I didn’t have to do anything for him, but even my heart felt heavy after hearing what he’d been through and I wasn’t about to let him go back to the annex alone. We ate lunch together at the kitchen island and he told me a little more about the various stages of his employment with the Cartellis. I listened eagerly to every word, until afternoon crept toward evening. It was only as I heard an engine outside that I remembered I had a husband who hadn’t been home all day. Bill politely smiled at me and stood to leave, informing me of where he would be yet again if I needed him. I resisted the urge to tell him I wanted him to stay, and turned toward the door as Armani stepped through. “Mr Cartelli,” said Bill, nodding on his way past. “Bill.” Armani’s head twis

“For that reason, we’d like to set a couple ground rules with you.” “Nothing major,” Madeline added as she gave her husband a look. “We just want to make sure that both Dante and our family are comfortable with this arrangement. And you, of course.”Leo rolled his shoulders. “Information is best kept quiet unless it’s already been discussed by Armani and Dante directly. Anything you see while you’re here if you choose to visit regularly, will need to be a secret. Depending on how involved you want to be, you’ll know what you can and can’t talk about with your family.”My lips pressed together. I didn’t know anything as a baseline besides what the business itself was, and that it wasn’t exactly legal… at all. I doubted I’d be able to differentiate what was meant to be a secret and what wasn’t, so I resigned myself to accepting if I did visit, I’d have to avoid mentioning it at all to my sisters or family as a whole. Perhaps only Olivia would be an exception, though even then she was i

Olivia had to leave shortly after dropping the bombshell that she’d arranged for the Cartellis to meet up with the Yehudas if they chose to, and suddenly I felt more out of place than I had before. I opted to take up an offer from Alyssa to tour the building, most of which belonged to the family except a restaurant on the ground floor and a couple nice apartments above it. I hadn’t noticed it when we arrived. She walked me through all of the offices and facilities, but since Danny had been very quietly walking alongside us, she didn’t dare enter a room she called the armoury. I doubted it really was that but I didn’t want to find out either. Almost two hours later, we came to a stop in a kitchen on the same floor as the main offices, and sat down opposite one another with mugs of coffee clutched between our hands. I’d barely said a word the entire time, as she’d happily explained everything she could about the family and how it operated. It was so alien to me. “So,” she finally