Page 18 of Claimed by The Italian

I nod nervously. The idea of having no plan ahead scares me a little. The whole reason I came here was for some stability and to earn some money. But I found something better than stability when I found Lorenzo. His life might be a little unpredictable, but even in the face of this, he’s solid as a rock. He’s going to keep me safe. I snuggle closer to him again.

“What will you do now?”

“I’ll tell Bianca that I’m going away for a while,” Lorenzo says. “I don’t have to tell her where I’m going. She’ll be all too happy to be left in charge. And when we go off the radar entirely, my empire will belong to her. Everyone will be happy, and she can clean up the mess with the Moretti family. I’m sure she’ll be all too pleased with that.”

“And where will we go?”

“Where do you want to go?”

I sigh as I dream of the Italian landscape outside. I want to see this beautiful country. Maybe we’re supposed to go further afield to avoid being found, but I’m not ready to leave here when I’ve only just arrived. The country where I found love.

“Rome,” I say dreamily. “I want to go to Rome.”

“Your wish is my command,” he says. I sink into his lips for a long kiss. I feel so at peace that it’s easy to forget that we might actually be in danger. It’s easy to forget Bianca’s disdain. It’s just me and him against the world.

“Shall we get ready to go?” I ask. Lorenzo nods.

“Yes. Pack your suitcase. I’ll sneak it out to the car later today. I want to show my face at least once today, so as not to arouse suspicion, we can just keep a low profile.”

We both get out of bed and dress quickly. My suitcase isn’t even fully unpacked and in no time at all, I’m ready to leave this place again. I thought I was going to be here for a long time, but I guess sometimes things just don’t go to plan.

“You ready?” Lorenzo asks, cupping my face in his hands. I nod, feeling nervous, but excited. His eyes are softer than usual as he looks into my eyes.

“Lydia, I can’t wait to start this adventure with you. I love you.”

My heart does a backflip. I’ve known all along that I love him, but it feels so good to know that he feels the same. I stand on my tiptoes so I’m closer to his lips.

“I love you too,” I whisper. Our lips collide in a kiss that has my heart racing and my center throbbing. I want him. I want him right this second…

The door flies open.Lorenzo

As I break apart from Lydia, I see my sister standing in the doorway. She takes in the kiss, the packed suitcase, and the shock on Lydia’s face and her expression darkens.

“This is not happening,” she hisses. “I warned you, Lorenzo. I said you’re going to ruin everything for us. But you couldn’t leave it alone, could you? You couldn’t just let her go.”

“I don’t want to let her go,” I growl. “She’s mine. And you’ll be pleased to know that this won’t be your problem anymore. I’m leaving and I’m taking Lydia somewhere safe. The family business is yours.”

“No,” Bianca snaps. “You’re not leaving.”

“I thought you’d be pleased,” I retort. “Isn’t this what you wanted? To get rid of me? To take over our empire.”

Bianca looks so shocked that I actually believe that her reaction must be genuine. She shakes her head at me in disbelief.

“No. That’s now what I wanted. I wanted you to stay and get back on top. I wanted things to go back to the way they’ve always been! We’ve never needed anyone else before, Lorenzo. Everything was fine until you brought her into the equation!”

Realization sinks in. I’m not the only one who has been alone all this time. Bianca hasn’t been in a relationship since we were much younger. How could I overlook the fact that by choosing to be with Lydia that leaves her more alone than ever?

“Bianca, I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you. But I have to get out of here. I have to choose my own path now. You’ll be great here,” I say. Bianca shakes her head, glaring at Lydia.

“No. I told you, you’re not going. She is free to leave whenever she wishes. The sooner the better, actually.”

“Bianca, please,” Lydia pleads gently. “We’re going to be family, please don’t make this harder.”

Bianca stares at us both in horror. “What the hell did you do, Lorenzo? Do you get her pregnant? I knew you’d lost some of your sense, but have you gone completely mad?”

“I want her pregnant,” I growl. “I want a family with her. I’m not willing to wait any longer for what I want. I’m going and you can’t stop me.”

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