They are so opposite, but they complement one another well. They both smile easily and are assessing as they watch me. I can tell that their relationship is one that was built over time, they act more like sisters like me and Rosana than just friends.
“Ready?” I ask.
Together, they nod as they rise to their feet. “My driver is outside waiting,” Lenora calls out.
“Enrico is going to absolutely love the day that we have planned,” Chloe says with a smirk.
Lenora snorts. “He’ll live.”
Without another word, I follow behind them and together, the three of us walk down the long hallway, until we reach a door at the end of the hall. Lenora lifts her hand, balling her fingers into a fist before she knocks against the door.
It opens and a tall handsome man in a suit tugs it open. He’s wearing mirrored sunglasses. He doesn’t move for a long moment, then his lips turn up into a grin.
“This ought to be fun,” he mumbles.
“What?” Lenora asks.
He shakes his head once. “Nothin’. Just gonna enjoy watching all of this unfold,” he murmurs.
He doesn’t allow any of us to respond, instead, he turns around and walks over to a waiting black SUV. I roll my eyes, noticing how once again, this is all nothing but a fucking cliché. I can’t believe that I agreed to this.
I’m desperate, but am I so desperate that I have to essentially hand myself over for a life of pain? A life of constant disappointment. How stupid am I?
“Don’t overthink things,” Lenora’s soft voice whispers.
Jerking my head to the side, I watch as she looks over her shoulder at me, standing directly in front of the back door of the SUV. It’s open and she has one hand on the handle as she watches my inner turmoil.
“I…”
She shakes her head, shutting me up. “Seriously, don’t. This is going to work out, I can feel it.”
I nod, but I don’t agree with her. She may be able to feel it, but she has happiness and love, whereas I’m walking into the complete unknown. I’m doing this to myself and a pit burns deep in my stomach at the feeling that I’m going to regret this probably sooner rather than later, or maybe always.
MASSIMO
My phone rings. I haven’t slept a wink, not a single moment. Reaching for my device, I slide my thumb across the screen. It’s Arlo. This is it. He’s going to tell me whether this whole thing is a go or not. I don’t know why I’m nervous, it doesn’t matter if this mystery woman says yes or no.
“Ferrucci,” I grunt.
He chuckles. “It’s a go,” he murmurs. “The planning will begin in the morning. Lenora and Chloe have decided they would like to help her. They’re going to take her out today to get started. We will be meeting with Gavino in an hour. Get dressed and I’ll come and get you.”
Arlo ends the call and I stay still, sitting in the middle of my bed just trying to breathe. This is it. It’s a go. I’m going to be marrying a stranger. Once upon a time, this would have been common practice, and it still happens sometimes in the life, but it’s rare for a man in my position.
It’s typically between the highest-ranking members, either to strengthen famiglia unity, or like Arlo who married his first wife, a woman who had ties to the government. Though I’ve worked my way up the ranks, I don’t feel like I’m anything special, not for a contracted marriage anyway.
Forcing myself out of bed, I make my way toward the bathroom. I showered before I went to bed, but I need to take another one to get going for the day. Reaching for the hot water, I turn it on full blast while I push my underwear down to the floor.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I lift my hand and slide my fingers through the strands of my hair. My dark eyes stare back at me, almost hauntedly. Pressing my lips together, I watch myself for a moment, my gaze roaming all over my face.
My beard is short but scruffy. My hair is a bit too long, I should probably clean up, but I don’t give much of a fuck if I do right now. My mind shifts focus and I no longer see myself in the reflection, but instead see Pippa’s blue eyes staring back at me.
I wonder what she’s doing right now. If she’s in college? Enjoying her time being free, being young and having fun? I hope that she laughs every day.
Every fucking day.
After I’ve showered, I dress in black suit pants and a black shirt paired with black shoes and a black tie. I decide to forego a jacket. I don’t have any official business today and Gavino doesn’t give a fuck what we wear as long as we don’t look like punks.
Using my comb, I slick back my wet hair, knowing that by the time it dries, it won’t look as neat and together as it does right now. Also, I don’t give much of a fuck about that, either. I hear my buzzer and hurry toward my front door.
Pushing the button, I wait for Arlo to speak. “Ready?” he asks.
“Be right down.”
Turning back to my kitchen, I grab my wallet, shoving it into my pocket, then reach for my watch and slip that on. When I’m ready, I leave and hurry down toward Arlo. His car is waiting for me at the curb.
Slipping into the passenger seat, I buckle my seatbelt with a sigh as he shifts the car into drive and heads toward Gavino’s.
“Do I get to find out who the girl is?” I ask after a few silent moments.
Arlo chuckles. “Maybe. We’ll see what Gavino thinks. I personally think you should wait until she’s walking down the aisle, but maybe Vino will be a little nicer to you, I’m not sure.” He chuckles.
Lifting my hand, I flip him off. We don’t say anything else for the rest of the ride. I am so exhausted from lack of sleep and from my mind spinning all fucking night long. I can’t help but wonder just who this girl could be. She’s obviously an adult, and then there’s the fact that she’s a virgin.
What kind of girl reaches adulthood as a virgin these days? I have no fucking clue. I’m curious as fuck about that, about all of this.
Gavino’s house finally comes into view. Arlo pulls up next to Gavino’s car, then quickly kills the engine. I smirk looking over at him, he’s too fucking excited for all of this, which puts me on edge. We unfold from the car before I follow behind him, making our way up to Vino’s front door.
Before Arlo can even knock on the door, it’s wrenched open and I’m surprised to see that Gavino is on the other side, instead of his driver, Paul. His gaze flits by Arlo’s and connects to mine. I watch as his lips curl up into a smirk and he chuckles.
“I fucking love this,” he mutters before he spins around on his heels and starts to walk off.
I blink as my feet begin to move, following behind Arlo and Gavino. We make our way into his office and without being instructed, I walk straight toward one of the chairs that’s directly across from his desk and sink down with a heavy sigh.
“Ask him,” Arlo mutters.
Lifting my gaze to meet his, I narrow my eyes, but otherwise don’t say a word.
“Ask me what?” Gavino asks.
“Do I get to know who she is?” I finally mutter when it’s obvious that he wants my question.
Gavino’s lips curl up into a smile. He chuckles softly, then shrugs a shoulder. “Do you want to know?”