“You can’t buy me with bling you know,” I said as he opened the box, revealing a necklace glittering with dozens of small diamonds.
He lifted it out and fastened it on my neck, kissing me gently on the cheek.
“Now it’s perfect,” he said, turning his attention to driving the car. “But that ‘bling,’ as you called it, is platinum and diamonds. I’m sorry if it doesn’t meet your expectations.”
I liked that sly smirk of his when he thought he was proving his superiority. It turned me on. Also, it made me see red.
“Where’s your ring, Laura?” he asked, overtaking another car on the road. “You know you’ll have to tell them sooner or later.”
“But it’s not going to be today!” I cried out, exasperated. “Besides, what am I going to tell them, huh? Oh, I know! ‘Mom and Dad, I’ve met a guy who kidnapped me and told me he saw me in a vision. Then he kept me locked up threatening to kill you both until I fell in love with him, and now we’re going to get married.’ Is that what they want to hear? What do you think?”
Massimo looked ahead, keeping his eyes on the road, clenching his jaw. He said nothing.
“Maybe this time I come up with a plan? I’ll tell you how it’s going to be. In a few weeks I’ll tell Mom I fell in love. Later, in a few months, I’ll tell my parents we’re engaged. It’ll be more natural that way. Less suspicious.”
Massimo didn’t look at me. His anger was palpable.
“You’ll marry me next weekend, Laura. Not in a few months or years. In seven days.”
My jaw dropped. I stared at him with eyes wide and heart pounding so hard I could hear it. I hadn’t expected him to be in such a hurry. I had assumed we’d get married at the beginning of summer. Not in a week!
My head whirled with thoughts, with one question especially nagging: what have I gotten myself into?
Massimo stopped the car by the gate to my parents’ house.
“Listen up, baby girl. I’ll tell you how it’s going to work,” he said, turning to look at me. “Next Saturday you’ll become my wife, in secret, and in a few months, we’ll marry again, so your parents are happy. Okay?”
He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “I love you, and marrying you is the penultimate thing I want to do in my life.”
He parked the Ferrari in the driveway.
“What’s the last one then?” I asked.
“A son, of course,” he replied, opening the door.
I sat in place, trying to catch my breath, still not able to believe what was going on—how my life had changed during the last two months. Get your shit together, Laura, I told myself, stepping out. I smoothed down my dress and took a deep breath. “All right. Let’s get this over with,” I said, my legs slightly wobbly. “I hope you remember our official version.”
The front door opened, and Dad greeted us from the threshold.
Massimo chuckled and offered a hand to my dad.
They exchanged a few sentences in German—nothing important, I presume—and Dad turned to address me,
“Darling, you look beautiful. That blond hair suits you. I don’t know whether its because of that man or that haircut, but you look positively aglow.”
“I guess it’s both of those things,” I replied, kissing him on the cheek and allowing him to embrace me.
We went to the terrace and took seats on soft lounge chairs surrounding a large table. Massimo did as I had asked him, keeping at a slight distance. At some point his expression changed. He fixed his eyes on something behind me. I cast a curious glance behind me. There she was—my mother, wearing an amazing off-white long evening dress, was heading our way, gracing Massimo with a charming smile. I got up and kissed her on the cheeks.
“Massimo, please meet my mother—Klara Biel.” The Man in Black stood up, dumbfounded, but he quickly gathered his wits, switched to Russian, and greeted my mom, planting a kiss on her outstretched hand. She put on her charm, sending him one of her more breathtaking looks, before turning her attention to me.
“Would you come with me to the kitchen, darling? I need a hand there,” she said, still smiling. That smile was nothing but trouble.
She turned and retreated inside the house, leaving the men deep in conversation. I followed her.
As soon as I went inside, I saw her again. She was standing with her arms crossed, right next to the table.
“What’s happening, Laura?” she asked. “You change jobs, apartments, how you look, and now you bring an Italian to my house. Tell me everything immediately. You haven’t been entirely honest with me.”
Her natural lie detector was working without pause, it seemed, and it was never wrong. I had known it wouldn’t be easy to fool my mother, but I was still astonished she had figured it out as soon as this.
“Mom, it’s only a new haircut. I needed a change. We’ve already talked about my trip. And Massimo is a work colleague. I like him and he teaches me a lot. I don’t know what to tell you… I’ve only known him for a few weeks.”
The less I told her, the better. I wouldn’t be able to remember all those lies.
My mother stood straighter, her gaze focused on me and her eyes narrowing.
“I don’t know why you lie to me, child, but have it your way. Remember, though, that I see a lot, and I know my way around people. I also know how expensive that car you arrived in is. And I don’t think that a hotel employee would be able to afford one.”
In my mind I was screaming and cursing at Massimo for making me leave my BMW for his Ferrari.
“Besides, I know what diamonds look like,” she continued, trailing a finger along my necklace. “And I’ve seen Chanel’s newest catalog. Remember, dear, that I was the one who showed you what fashion is all about.”
She finished and sat down, waiting for an explanation. I didn’t move and wasn’t able to come up with anything smart. Resigned, I lowered myself to the seat next to hers.
“What was I supposed to tell you? That he’s a filthy rich owner of the hotel I told you about? He’s from a wealthy family and invests a lot. We’re seeing each other and I’d like it to be serious. And I can’t exactly dictate the prices of the gifts he gets me.”
Mother kept her eyes on me, studying my face. With each second, her expression was growing less hostile.
“He can speak Russian, that’s for sure. He’s a very polite young man. Well educated. And he has good taste in women and jewelry,” she said, getting up. “All right. Let’s get back to them before Tom bores him to death.”
My eyes bulged. I couldn’t believe the sudden change of attitude. I knew my parents had always wanted me to marry someone rich, but her reaction still completely surprised me. After a long while, I managed to get myself in order and followed in my mom’s steps, still a bit dazed.
Outside, the men were engrossed in an agitated discussion. I had no idea what they were talking about.
I didn’t know a word of German, but I knew I had to come to Massimo’s rescue and present him with the new version of our story. Unfortunately, though my dad didn’t speak English, he understood a lot of it.
“Come on, Massimo, I’ll show you to your room,” I said, patting him on the back. “Besides, Dad, we need to be going in a while,” I added, turning to my father.