a disturbing lie

Finally alone. 

After this confusing moment with Alessandro in the kitchen, I needed to regain my calm. Fortunately, when after a few minutes I came back to set up the table, he was no longer there. A deep relief invaded me. 

He is oppressive. Dominant. Whenever he's close to me, I feel like I was suffocating under his piercing gaze. So working without feeling your shadow weigh on me ... is a deliverance. I take the time to align the plates, to fold the towels carefully, and to make sure that everything is perfect for dinner. Madame Isabella has been eating little lately, so I’ve always been trying to make meals more pleasant for her. 

When everything is ready, I remove my apron and go upstairs to inform him that dinner is served. I cross the corridor with a quick step. I can't wait to end this day. But while I arrive in front of Madame Isabella's room ... 

I freeze. 

No ... he's still there. A look, a disorder. Alessandro is standing, near his mother's bed. He is tall. Too large. His charisma filled the room, and in spite of me, my heart misses a beat. 

Why do I always have to come across him? 

I would like to look away, ignore it completely, but it is impossible. His dark gaze captures me immediately, and this invisible tension between us returns like an oppressive wave. I cleared my throat and addressed my boss:

—Madame, dinner is ready. 

Madame Isabella smiled at me weakly. Her voice is soft, fragile. 

- Thank you, my dear. 

Then she turns her gaze to Alessandro. 

- SO ? Did you get to know Livia? 

I stretch slightly. Of course we met. And yet, even before I can answer, Alessandro speaks. In a calm tone. Natural. As if it were the most obvious truth in the world. 

- No. Not yet. 

I blink, shocked. What ? 

My fingers tense around my apron. Is he serious? 

Madame Isabella nods her head and smiles gently. 

-In this case, let me make the presentations. 

She raises a trembling hand towards me. 

- Alessandro, here is Livia. She is an adorable, very applied and attentive girl. She has been helping me for years. 

Then she turns to him tenderly. 

- Livia, here is my son. 

My gaze slides towards Alessandro. He always watches me. Impassive. Arrogant. His lie is a silent challenge. My heart is beating stronger. Why did he lie? Why deny our meeting? This moment in his room ... This tension in the kitchen ... None of that happened? 

I don’t understand his game. I’m not even trying to hide my disorder. 

- Uh… enchanted, sir. 

He sketches a smirk, a smile that I can't decipher. 

- Shared pleasure… Livia. 

His deep voice lingers on my first name, like a caress. 

I am difficult to swallow. I have to go from here. 

-Excuse me, madam, I'm going to go down, I said hurriedly. Before someone responds, I turn my heels and leave the room in speed. 

My heart drumm in my chest while I go down the stairs. Why did he lie? Why that smile, as if he enjoyed my trouble? I realize that I always hug my apron between my fingers. This type is dangerous. 

Not only because he is intimidating, but because he plays with me. And the worst ... is that I don't know if I want to flee this game. Or succumb to it. 

I thought I could breathe while leaving Madame Isabella's room. I was wrong. Because now I am stuck at the table with him. Alessandro. 

He sits right in front of me, his heavy, dominant presence, as if he controlled the entire atmosphere of the room. His dark gaze arises on me at regular intervals, and each time our eyes meet, a thrill runs through me. But I refuse to look away first. 

If it’s a game, when he knows that I’m not as weak as I think it seems. I use the soup to Madame Isabella, offering her a tender smile. She seems tired, but her gaze remains bright. 

Then, leaning slightly to stretch a piece of bread, I feel a thrill crossing me. 

One hand. Cold, firm, barely touching my thigh under the table. My breath cuts off. I straighten my head, shocked. Alessandro. He eats quietly, a falsely innocent look on his face. 

No ... he didn't dare ... 

A thrill descends along my spine. Is it a test? A provocation? My heart is beating stronger, my blood pulses in my temples. I don't have time to react that the hand disappears, as if nothing had happened. 

I cleared my throat and fix my plate, trying to ignore the heat that rises in me. 

Madame Isabella breaks the silence smiling:

- So, my son, how is work in Italy going? 

A slight silence sets in before it responds in a neutral tone:

- GOOD. Alright. 

His gaze slides over me again, as if he felt that I expected more details. He says nothing more. Of course he is not going to talk about it. His traveling to Italy after the death of his father ... The management of his belongings ... All this remains a mystery. I have never asked Madame Isabella questions, but I heard some murmurs of other employees. Rumors. Blurred stories about complicated family affairs. I slowly rest my spoon and, without really thinking, I whisper:

- I guess it's not easy job. 

He says an eyebrow, intrigued by my tone. 

-What do you mean? 

His gaze was slightly hardened. But I don't back down. 

- Manage an intense heritage, I say while weighing my words. 

A silence falls on the table. Madame Isabella observes the scene with curiosity. Alessandro, he seemed to calm in appearance. But his eyes ... they just darken dangerously. 

I touched a sensitive point. 

His fist hugs slightly on the table before he relaxed it quickly. 

-Livia… he whispers with that smirk that I start to know too much. 

I remember my breath. 

- You are very curious. 

- It's not curiosity, I answer without thinking. 

He leans his head, amused. 

- Oh yes ? So what is it? 

I feel the look of Madame Isabella weigh on us. 

- I just wanted to say that it should not be easy to come back here after so long, I get caught up quickly. 

Her smile is erased slightly. He fixes me. A long time. As if he sought to see through me. Then, slowly, he straightens up and takes a sip of wine. 

- Effectively. 

His voice is lower. Almost ... serious. 

Madame Isabella breaks the silence by placing her hand on that of her son:

- I'm sure this return will do you good, my darling. This house is always yours. 

Alessandro nods and finally looks away from me. 

I discreetly release a breath that I did not even know how to remember. Under the table, my hands tremble slightly. 

What did I just do? I caused a man who does not let anything show. And yet, during a fraction of a second, I saw something. A fault. A discomfort. 

Maybe even ... pain. But he resumed too fast.