Chapter 2.

(Elisa’s POV)

I loved how my life turned out. One minute, I was lying beside the road with a bullet wound from people I thought were my friends, and here I was living a life of crime and loving it.

I looked at my watch, realizing how late I was to get to the restaurant, and said, “I have to go. I need to run the books for my bar and restaurant.” I turned to Lorenzo and asked, “Are you coming?” I asked since he had insisted on tagging along.

He glared at his father and said, “In a minute. I need to have a word with my father.”

I nodded and headed out. But I decided to stay back and eavesdrop.

“Seriously?” He asked the moment the door closed.

“Son...”

“You do this intentionally, don't you?” He asked angrily.

I didn't understand what was going on, but now I was more intrigued   and eager to listen.

“What are you doing?” Arianna asked.

“Sh…” I said softly as I continued to listen in, and Arianna joined in.

“The kind of business we are in isn't something that can be taught, but you need to learn it, and Elisa seems to be thriving.” Bruno said proudly, “You married a good one.”

I have to admit, I loved hearing him be so proud of me. He was like a father figure to me, which made it even weirder that I married his son. Married to my stepbrother? The thought made me cringe.

“What is this about?” Arianna mouthed.

“It's what I'm trying to figure out.” I mouthed back.

Arianna and I always came up with ways to secretly talk to each other. We became close the moment I was healed enough to walk around; she was very excited to see another lady in the house.

Lorenzo scoffed: “I used to be so in love with her, but that's not why I married her. I hoped marrying her would make you realize that I could be a leader, but you don't even notice my efforts!”

What? I wondered. He didn't marry me out of love? 

I looked at Arianna, and she gave me a sympathetic look.

“What efforts?!” Bruno asked, “Elisa went to college, got a degree in accounting, and started her own business, without my help, that has become so successful that she is even considering opening a new branch. What have you done that’s so exceptional except marry a very hardworking lady?”

Clearly, my husband didn't care about my accomplishments. He just married me as a way to get his father to recognize him.

“You never gave me the opportunity to...”

“Again with the excuses.” Bruno said, cutting him off, “Do you think I got to where I am because my father handed this life to me? No!” Bruno paused, and for a minute I thought it was over and I was about to be caught eavesdropping. “I had to fight, claw and kill to get to where I am, and if you expect me to just hand it over to you, you are very mistaken.”

For a while there was silence, and I thought it was over again. I was about to leave when I heard someone speak up.

“Fine. I will show you what I can do. I am going to prove to you that I can be just as hardworking as Elisa, if not more.”

Arianna and I decided to leave when we heard footsteps. I went to my car while Arianna rushed upstairs.

Lorenzo walked out looking very angry.

I mastered a smile when he walked out of the house: “I thought that I should wait for you.”

“You have to deal with the issue on your own; I have something else I need to handle.” Lorenzo said as he walked to his car.

“Okay,” I said, and immediately drove off.

I didn't want to have to talk to him at the moment anyway, not after what I heard.

I went to the restaurant. I usually am very friendly with my employees, but not today. I just wanted to get this done and leave to have a few hours to myself.

And I just learned that my employees knew when not to mess with me. They all stayed out of my way.

I was in the middle of finishing up with the books when I got a text from Arianna.

How are you doing? Are you okay?

I had been trying to ignore what I heard, keeping it at the back of my mind, as if it would just go away and I would forget what I heard.

I was done with the books, and I decided to go where I loved to go to relax my mind.

A gallery.

My mother was an artist. She did this painting of me while I was a child, playing in a garden full of flowers.

I loved the reminder of my innocence that I felt had been stolen from me that night I was left for dead.

I stepped out to find Arianna leaning on my car, holding two cups of ice cream.

“I thought you'd want to talk,” she said as she handed me one.

I chuckled.  “Seriously?” I asked.

“What? Ice cream helps with everything,” she said as she walked to her car.

“What about my car?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes and said, “Just get in.”

She drove me to this place where it was quiet and it overlooked the entire city.

“It must be beautiful here at night.” I commented.

She smiled and said, “This is where I come when I want to be by myself and just think.” She sighed. “You are the first person I have brought here.”

“I will keep your secret.” I said it with a smile.

“I know you will,” she said as she stepped out of the car.

We sat on the hood of the car as we finished up our ice cream.

“So, about Lorenzo.” She started.

I knew that's what she wanted to talk about.

I shook my head. “I didn't know he felt that way.” I stated.

“I am sure that he didn't mean it.” She replied.

I snickered.

“He did.” I said softly. I had known him long enough to know what he was like, “And now everything seems to be clicking. I'm just surprised that I never noticed it before.”

Arianna placed his arm around me and asked, “Do you want me to kill him?” She asked it so casually that it took me by surprise.

“You would kill your brother for me?” I asked, “Someone you have known for less than a decade.”

“I would hunt down Santa Claus and kill him for you.” She said it with a smile.

We looked at each other and laughed.

“I mean; I don't like that he hurt you like that.” Arianna said.

I sighed, “Maybe he just needs to feel like he's doing something with his life; I'll just give him space.”

She shrieked.

I looked at her, confused.

“You are definitely moving into my room. We are going to have a slumber party like in the old days.” She said it excitedly.

“I’m too old for slumber parties.” I said.

“Ugh, you just don't want people to think you can be a big softie at times. But we are definitely doing this.” She insisted.

When she was this excited about something, she was definitely going to go to heaven and earth to make sure it happened. So there was no need for me to try to argue with her about it.

“Fine, but can we start tomorrow? I need to do something today.”

“Tomorrow is perfect.” She agreed.

We stayed there a while, and she told me all about her love life, her friends, and school; she was a university student after all, and her life seemed exciting, compared to mine when I was in college.

She had to leave to see her boyfriend, and I wanted to go see a painting my mom did of me.

I walked into the gallery. I had bought the painting, and the owner let me hang it there so I could come and see it whenever I wanted. There was even a bench in front of it.

I walked up to the painting to find someone else seated where I usually sit.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” I asked.

He turned to look at me, and handsome was all I could think of when our eyes met.

His curly, messy hair gave him a boyish kind of look, which I oddly found attractive—or was it because I recently learned that my husband didn't really love me as much as I thought he did?

“It has this sense of innocence that I oddly find calming.” He replied with a smile as he turned to look at the painting.

He totally understood what I felt when I saw the painting. So, I sat beside him.

“I come here whenever I need to get out of my chaotic life.” I stated, which was odd as I was never this forthcoming about my life to strangers. But I felt relaxed with him—odd, I thought, considering who he was.

He smiled, “What chaos does a beautiful lady like you have in their life?”

“Nothing I want to talk about here. This is where I come to free my mind from all that negativity that's in my life.” I replied, giving him a small smile, which he returned.

“How did you come to find this painting?” I asked as I looked at the painting, recalling just how much fun I used to have with my mom when I was younger.

Laughing as I ran around collecting flowers. I would take one and put it behind her ear, telling her how beautiful she was, and she would smile back and tell me how beautiful I was.

I assumed he found it while trying to gather information about me.

“What do you think the little girl in the picture is thinking?” The man asked avoiding my question.

“Certainly not how fucked up her future was going to be.” I replied monotonously. 

“That's for sure.” He replied. “Hey, how about you and I get a drink?” He offered.

Normally I would have said no; he might not know who I am, but I know who he is, but I was definitely in the mood to make mistakes.

“We could just go to your place,” I suggested.

He smirked, “You are very straight forward, aren't you?”

“Usually,” I replied.

“My place, then, it is.” He agreed.

We got to his place, and he just grabbed a drink and drank it straight from the bottle, handing it to me from time to time, as we spoke of random things.

I put the bottle down as I stood up and sat on his lap. 

He shifted uncomfortably, “Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked.

I smirked. “If you don't want to, you can tell me to leave?” I asked.

“It is not every day a powerful, beautiful woman like you makes a pass at me.” He admitted.

“Here is your chance.” I said, then leaned in close to his ear, “don't blow it.” I whispered, and boy, did he take my word for it.

Our night of intimacy was nothing compared to what I have ever experienced with Lorenzo, which made me wonder a lot about our marriage and our love for each other.

Now that I was back in the mansion getting ready for the meeting with the Valentes, I was sure that I was going to be seeing him again. And as I was making my way down the stairs, there he was, standing in the living room a few feet away from my husband. 

Enrico Valente.