Page 76 of Heartless Vows

Guilt wriggles in my guts, but I push it aside and focus on the task at hand. With the fury wafting off Giorgio, maybe it’s a good thing I couldn’t tell him what I found this morning. There’s no doubt he’d burn too many bridges if he knew I suspected his uncle paid someone for the cyberattacks.

In fact, I think Narciso Vivaldi is behind the physical attacks on his sisters, too, but I don’t have concrete evidence yet, so it may be best to focus on helping Serenity and Camilla instead of muddling his thoughts with suspicion over his uncle.

Bianca Vivaldi offers us an overly bright and innocent greeting, but Giorgio wants none of it.

“What did you say to Camilla, Mamma?”

She quirks a brow and rolls her shoulders into an even haughtier stance.

“Only what your father and I agreed on.”

“Which was?”

Giorgio’s gritted response raises the hairs on my nape.

Maybe I should retreat to the car, but his arm over my shoulders prevents me from slipping away.

He wants me here. I can’t leave. Iwon’tleave.

“Mio figlio,we only want what’s best for Camilla. Come in and have some breakfast, then you can discuss this with your father.”

I settle my hand on the small of his back as he grinds his teeth.

“We’d love some breakfast,” I lie.

Looks like we’ll have to play a little good cop, bad cop to figure out what she said to Giorgio’s older sister.

I haven’t seen Camilla in almost ten years, but both Serenity and Giorgio will do anything for her, so I will, too.

Giorgio would do the same for Tristan. I can’tnotreciprocate when I love this jerk so much.

We follow his mother to the table. He pulls out my chair and settles in the one beside me, placing himself across from her while the head of the table lies empty for his father.

Another full place setting waits across from me.

My head spins without warning.

Giorgio takes my hand under the table and sandwiches it between his thick thigh and huge palm. I squeeze his leg and drink half a glass of water, willing my nerves to settle. His eyes narrow on my face.

Bianca launches into a spiel about our upcoming announcement party and the schedule for wedding preparations. I find it difficult to smile and nod, but she doesn’t need to know it’s all pointless. Giorgio and I are as much a husband and wife duo as she and Matteo are, but we must continue our ruse until we find a safe escape route for Tristan and corner the culprit behind the attacks on his family.

The minutes drag by until Matteo Vivaldi finally arrives.

His brother follows close on his heels. A shiver runs down my spine as Narciso Vivaldi’s eyes trail over me, but I flex my fingers into Giorgio’s thigh and offer the older man a polite smile.

He settles in the seat across from me. The servers fill the table with tray after tray of food. My unease grows. Giorgio’s frustration becomes more apparent as his parents show a despicable lack of concern for his sister.

Mio Dio, I’m tired. I should have stayed in his arms all night, but my curiosity pulled me to my computer.

My mother didn’t bother us this morning. Or last night.

I pause as I realize I skipped two doses. It shouldn’t affect me too badly, but life has not been easy lately, so I excuse myself and swing my purse over my shoulder.

I don’t stop Giorgio from coming with me, but I ask him to wait in the hall for a few minutes. He glances between my purse and my face a few times before nodding and kissing me.

“Be quick,mia topolina, or we’ll have a repeat of the last time I followed you into this bathroom.Capisci?”

Heat thrums low in my belly. I nod. He opens the door, flicks on the light, and pushes me inside.

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