If only she knew the situation that blew out of proportion the day she left she would have asked a lot more questions. And was he really Dante if he wasn’t causing me trouble? On the bright side, though, it was good trouble, not bad one. “Dante and I have been getting along well.” I simply stated but that wasn’t enough to satisfy her curiosity. “I hope you too have been nice to each other and continued getting closer.” Mrs. Isabelle wriggled her brows at me, and the suggestive tone in her voice warmed my face. I forgot that she knew that Dante and I were spending time together, alone at the library, when she was here. “Well…” I trailed off. How was I going to explain to her that there was nothing going on between Dante and me? I knew what she was thinking, and we weren’t in that kind of relationship, nor were we planning on getting into it. “Papa and Mama have been nice to each other, and they’re no longer having a misunderstanding.” Michael butted in like he was the one she had

There were a lot of things wrong with what Dante said. I get that he was Liam’s boss, but it was just too much.Dante was borderline, no, completely inhumane to him. There was a thin line between a scolding and a verbal insult, and he had crossed it. Heck, if I were in Liam’s shoes, I would quit my job because no amount of money would be able to suffice the trauma I would pass through.And it seemed Dante was only behaving like that toward Liam. When he related to the staff in the house, he was always cold, authoritative, and intimidating, as usual. But with Liam, it was a whole new, more intense level. “Respect is better than fear, Dante. People work better in an environment under someone they respect than under someone they fear.” I explained to him, trying to make him see things from my point of view.“Liam is fricken terrified of you, and it’s obvious why. Heck, only the way I hear you scream and demean him on the phone is enough to scare him for life. I don’t want to imagine how

Flinging the door of the library, I ran in and jumped on the couch, burying my face into my pillow on it. My emotions and thoughts were a confusing mess.Dante knew the effect he was having on me. He knew that I was trying to keep him at bay and failing woefully with each advancement he made. The past few weeks I had been with him, the walls had been chipping away very little by little, and I didn’t notice it. Especially since the no touchy-touchy and no flirty-flirty rules I made were still in place.But with what happened between us yesterday and the day before in the garden, it was like a wrecking ball came crashing into my defenses. And without even knowing it, I was basking in the attention and affection he was showering on me. I was so blinded by them that I didn’t know how much effect they had on me until he had actually pointed it out. I let my guard down for barely a second, and I got lost in his in electrifying touches and mesmerizing words.On one hand, I did enjoy it very

‘They are mine! They are fricken mine! Yes! Yes! Yes!’ I squealed, bursting with pure, undiluted joy. It was a dream come true. A beautiful, wonderful dream come true. After so many years of longing, forgetting, and not having money, I had finally gotten the books I had always wanted.I wanted to squeal again, but I choked it back into my throat.‘Calm down, Olly. No need to go all banshee mode.’ I told myself as I tried to even out my breath, rugged and heavy with excitement. ‘And you’ve not checked the others, yet, so just chill.’I dropped the books I was clutching to my chest on the other box, as quick as the wind but also with gentility so I wouldn’t wrinkle any of them, and I examined the other contents of the opened one before me. As I hoped, they were all books written by April Dove.“Why did you buy these? I didn’t tell you about them.” I gasped, taking out the books one at a time at a snail’s pace, enjoying the wonderful euphoria feeling that was so wonderful. I had only tol

“Doesn’t it feel better to let out what you feel than to bottle it in you?” Dante asked as we took our seats on the couch. “Yes, it does.” I nodded and smiled. Talking to him really did make me feel a whole lot better. It was like I was no longer being crushed like a grape under an invincible weight of worry. “Thank you for being someone I can talk to, Dante. It’s really relieving.” “I’m glad you trust me enough to confide in me.” He smiled back at me. “And I hope you would tell me anything that’s bothering you instead of shutting yourself up. I’ll always be here to listen to you.” “Anything bothering me…” I mumbled under my breath. ‘It seems like a good moment to tell him about Laura and the messages she sent to me, but is it really necessary? I don’t think so. I think my threat is more than enough to scare her off. I don’t think she would try anything stupid now that she knows, I know, that she’s behind those messages. And she was most likely bluffing when she said she would get