Page 63 of Twisted Obsession

So, what did they gain from the relationship?

Then it clicked.

Their marriage was all for show. But what I couldn’t answer, was why. Perhaps it was just simply down to companionship. I knew that had to be important as you got older, but I was convinced it wasn’t all of it.

Maybe that was something I’d never be able to answer. But, I had my own agenda, and I hadn’t the time to work out the dynamics of their marriage.

I forced myself to stop asking the questions that I couldn’t answer.

All I knew was, they had both accepted me with open arms and I was grateful. Salvatore had even accepted that Peter, being a billionaire, had his own security detail, so Paulo had been given leave to go home to visit his wife and children. I’d been left with two of Peter’s men, two wonderfully inexperienced men that, as far as I understood, knew nothing of my previous indiscretion. My hopes and dreams for the plan I had inside my head were coming together and when Peter had asked me where I would like to visit, as we sailed around the Mediterranean for the next couple of weeks before they dropped me back in Calabria, I’d made sure to make a real show of thinking about where I’d wanted to see, even looking at few places online to decide. When I’d finally come up with three places, I’d slotted Malta in between Santorini and Crete and mentioned that the architecture and history of each place really appealed to me.

Surprisingly, my mama had also been keen to visit Malta, yet when I’d mentioned the other beautiful places I wanted to see, she had shrugged her shoulders and declared that she probably wouldn’t disembark, because she’d been there before. As I’d taken the cable car up to Fira, Santorini’s capital, I could see herspreading herself out on the top deck of Peter’s luxury ship as she prepared to spend the afternoon there, making sure her skin that already seemed to resemble the colour of my new handbag, retained what she called her healthy glow, which again was very different to the porcelain white skin she’d always maintained back in Calabria. Peter had even joked that my decision to add Malta to my list would cost him a fortune, as it was one of his beautiful wife’s favourite places to shop.

Santorini was done and dusted, and I’d even managed a couple of hours to myself inside their Lost Atlantis Experience, which I’m sure would have been amazing to wander around. Instead, I had gone downstairs and into the women’s bathroom, and there I had looked up “Gortis,” which was the name of the business we grew olives and sold the oil under, and just where they were to be found in Malta.

The company was based in the capital of Valletta. I’d felt ridiculous as tears had fallen from my eyes when I’d traced my finger over the small picture on the website of the building that belonged to “Gortis” in Malta, as I imagined Dante behind one of the many vast windows. Sniffing loudly as I’d attempted to pull myself together, I’d memorised the address.

I picked up my handbag, placing it onto my forearm, and closed my eyes briefly as I summoned up the courage to come face to face with the only man I had ever loved. Then I took in what I hoped would be a calming breath and looked out of my stateroom window. The beautiful limestone buildings of Valletta sparkled in the sunlight, sending out their welcome to me.

I could only hope I’d get the same welcome from him.

‘Let’s get this done, Gi,’ I ordered myself and left my stateroom to go ashore.

Chapter Seven

Dante

‘How much?’ Salvatore questioned. I’d just informed him that although our profits were up, we were not banking what was expected.

I listened to his tone, trying to read something… anything… into his intonation. But I got nothing.

‘All in, I reckon looking at what we predicted as projected sales forecasts, ninety to ninety-five grand, over the past one to two months.’

‘Fancolo!’ He swore and then exhaled loudly.

This was exactly why I would have preferred a video call, at least then I could have tried to read his expressions and body language. Whereas, I hadn’t a clue what he was thinking, apart from him being very obviously pissed off.

But I understood why our scheduled meeting was this way. He was travelling to pick up Serafina from our local hospital. The previous night, I’d become an uncle for the umpteenth time when Mia had given birth to her and Gabriel De Luca’s first son. Serafina, although pregnant again by the man on the phone, had been present at the birth due to complications Mia had suffered with earlier pregnancies. So, however inconvenient it was for me, with the news I’d had, I still understood just why it was so.

Normally, this was the time of the month I usually looked forward to. A chance to rub his nose in the fact I was succeeding, when he’d made it as clear as glass that he hoped I’d fail in my duty to him and my family. It had to be said, I revelled in the fact that since I’d swept into Malta and done my Don’s bidding by clearing out the trash, we had made the country a stronghold that had been providing an increased profit with each month that passed. I enjoyed giving him the details of just how well were doing and twisting in the knife in. And with every monthly report I gave him, I counted one more month down until I would at last be able to say I’d done what he’d demanded of me as my penance. Knowing that the same countdown was also decreasing my time here, and reducing the months before I could at last begin to live my life again. Far away from Italy, De Luca, and far enough away from her that I could start to move on with my life.

‘I want every man you’ve got on this,’ he demanded.

‘That’s already a given.’

‘And?’

‘I’ve already got some information. But the jigsaw isn’t complete yet and you’re not going to enjoy hearing what I’ve found out so far.’

‘I’m sure I won’t…’ he agreed and then, in that way of his, he changed the subject. ‘Do you know they’ve named him after you, Dante. Did you hear?’

‘I did. Dante De Luca.’ I spoke his name out loud, hating the way my name was now mixed up with his. ‘One day I hope to back home, where I can take an active part in my nephews and nieces’ upbringing.’

He let my words hang in the air for a few seconds before replying.

‘Your time is nearly up.’ I wasn’t sure if he said it as a fact or as a threat. But I’d long ago stopped trying to second guess De Luca.

Not nearly enough.I swallowed down the feeling once again that something was going on around us, and that whatever it was could undermine the whole future I was trying to plan.

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