Page 6 of Twisted Obsession

Something I’d said had filtered through, as Salvatore broke eye contact and looked down to his feet, at the pink shells my sisters had collected as young girls. I had never seen the man look uncomfortable before. It could have even been said he looked almost guilty.

‘I hear you, Dante.’ He lifted his gaze back to mine and I couldn’t help the expression of surprise that took hold of my features, ‘But if this conversation is ever brought up again, I’ll deny it.’

All I could do was to nod that I’d heard him.

‘She came back because she wants to be with me, and I will do whatever it takes to keep the sister you and…’ He paused for a second, as he fought to hold back what he wanted to say. ‘I will keep her safe and most of all I will make sure she’s happy.’

Realisation hit me.

‘Well, fuck… you care for her.’

‘I will protect her with everything I have and am, and you, Giordano, can ask no more.’ He deliberately used my name to put us once again on the footing we were supposed to be on.

‘You’re right, De Luca, I can’t.’ I shook my head, ‘I will say one more thing, though. If you ever put my sister at risk or threaten my family in any way, I will hit you where it hurts.’

Loud laughter escaped him. I turned around abruptly, leaving him in my wake and made my way back up the cliff side to my family home.

‘Yeah?’ he called out. ‘And just how would you do that?’

Refusing to answer, I kept my feet moving without glancing in his direction.

I’ll think of something, De Luca.

And it will be one day when you least expect it.

Chapter Two

Giovanna

Four weeks later

‘What to wear?’

I pushed a button on my remote and the doors to my walk-in wardrobe slid gently across, until I could see the neatly kept racks of clothes. With a flourish, I stepped inside, trailing my fingers over all the colour coordinated, expensive fabrics at hand height as I walked.

The day was warm and inviting and I knew I should probably be adventurous in my choice to please my mama. Nonetheless, all my adventurous spirit went into playing the piano, not dressing up like a Barbie doll, much to her disappointment. Instinctively, my eyes were drawn to the very back of the room, where they fell on the pale greens.

Deliberately, knowing my choice of colour wouldn’t please her, I made sure I pulled a dress off the rack that still had its tag on.

‘At least she won’t have seen me wear it before, surely that should score me a few points?’ I muttered to myself, as I lifted the long dress off the floor and carried it out. The dress I wascarrying was an expensive linen, and I knew it would offer me what I needed today. It was a relatively smart looking dress, that would work with my slim figure, and more importantly it would enable me to look fresh in the heat of the day. It was sage green and sleeveless, with a square neck, fitted bodice and a full skirt. Teamed with my new tan coloured, heeled mules, I knew it would be perfect. The fact it would show off my lighter brown hair, with its freshly added honey highlights and my hazel eyes, was a plus as far as I was concerned.

But its piéce de rèsistance was its pockets.

Who doesn’t love a dress with pockets?

My mama, the forever glamourous, put together wife of the next Don, that was who. But if I made sure she didn’t catch a glimpse of me before we left, I knew it would be too late for me to change once we arrived at my brother Salvatore and sister-in-law Serafina’s villa.

I was looking forward to today. We, as a combined family, had survived several years at war with rival families. I’d been home-schooled for fear of me being used as a bargaining tool, which had only exacerbated my anxieties, but now we had much to celebrate. Mia, the youngest of the Giordanos, had just completed her first semester at university and as I was dreaming of being able to do the same thing very soon, I knew that her achievement would help my own cause. Her sister, my beautiful sister-in-law Serafina, was also back in her birthplace, and back with her husband, my eldest sibling Salvatore, and having the two of them together again made me happy. If two people were meant to be together, it was them. They gave me hope for my own future, for my own marriage, which I understood would come a lot sooner than I probably wanted. I’d never believed that love could conquer all, in fact looking at my own parents’ marriage from the outside in, had often made me wonder if love existed in any arranged marriages at all.

But the way Salvatore and Serafina were with each other gave me optimism.

‘Twenty minutes and we’re leaving… Apparently, whether you’re ready or not,’ I heard Gabe shout along the corridor and knew that my grandfather would have put him up to urging us along.

Nonno couldn’t bear lateness, and he loved antagonising my mama over her tardiness even more. Valentina loved to make an entrance, with everyone already gathered there to watch her sweep in. I, on the other hand, preferred the opposite. I favoured walking in with my family, and staying with them until I was completely comfortable, which was rare. I knew that if anyone complimented me at all, a blush would consume my cheeks quickly making my sun kissed freckles stand out proudly.

I was the thorn in my mama’s side. Her only daughter. I was shy, but growing up with only brothers had given me the opportunity to hone a violent temper when riled, and neither of those, she had told me, would ever endear me to a man of any consequence. I was told I had her beauty, but my shyness and apparent temper had been inherited from my namesake, my nonna. To add to it all, I was often wracked with anxiety, and she’d stopped parading me out a long time ago, which suited me; I filled my time practising the piano.

‘Not today, though. Today, I want to be there to celebrate with them all.’ I spoke to my reflection and smiled.

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