Page 66 of Mafia Shade's Reluctant Bride
I zipped up the small overnight bag and exhaled.
One night.
That was all this was.
A night of putting on a dress, smiling for cameras, and pretending I wasn’t thinking about a kiss that should never have happened. One night of being alone with Lorenzo and pretending that I didn’t like the way he pinned me against my car and kissed me like I was all that mattered in the world to him.
One night of wanting him to do it again.
I shook the thought away and checked my reflection in the mirror. Hair—fine. Makeup—natural but polished. Dress—still in the closet, waiting for its moment. Everything was set.
Almost.
A knock on my bedroom door made me turn just as Kayla strolled in, her phone in hand and a wicked grin on her face.
“You’re trending,” she announced, waving the screen at me.
I frowned. “Trending?”
“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know. “I’m just acting.’” She plopped onto my bed. “Maria Russo and Lorenzo Bianchi—the talk of the internet.”
My stomach dipped, but I grabbed the phone anyway.
The article on the screen had a giant photo of Lorenzo and me from some of our recent public outings: the school event and, of course, the restaurant. His arm was around me. I was staring at him like he was all I wanted. Both of us looked like we belonged to each other.
I skimmed the text and the comment section to read what people were saying about it. The more people we got talking about us, the more believable our relationship appeared.
“The city’s hottest couple?”
“A match written in the stars,” one user wrote.
“A modern-day love story full of passion. Romeo and Juliet reborn.”
I rolled my eyes. “They make it sound like we’re some kind of romance novel.” I turned away from Kayla so she didn’t see the pink that was already flustering my cheeks.
“Keep scrolling,” Kayla snorted.
I did. And there they were—the comments.
Some gushing over us. Some skeptical. And then the ones that made my throat tighten.
“Isn’t that the daughter of that criminal Russo? Can’t believe Bianchi is getting mixed up with her.”
“Leopards don’t change their spots. She’s dangerous.” My chest tightened. I knew my dad had a bad reputation, but getting to read about it felt strange.
“Bet she’s just like her father.”
I clicked the phone off and tossed it onto the bed. “Exactly what we wanted. A fake relationship convincing enough to get people talking.”
Kayla’s grin faded slightly. “That’s all it is?”
“Of course,” I said, reassuring myself.
“Really?”
I turned away, busying myself with folding a scarf that didn’t even need folding, a scarf I was sure I wouldn’t need. “What else would it be?”
She watched me for a long moment. “I don’t know. Maybe something real?”
