He’d hired nurses and extra staff during the first week of my recovery. Considering my shoulder only suffered a little tenderness now, the nurses were no longer needed. But he’d kept Lisandra. She spoke fluent English, and we were the same age. I smiled, recognizing his real motive. He kept her on thepayroll because he didn’t have the heart to part me from my new friend.
“Aren’t you due at the office now?” I arched a brow.
He chuckled and eased back in the armchair by my bed. “Are you eager to get rid of me?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged and sipped my juice.
He glimpsed his watch, frowned, and stood. “I should go.” He bent forward and kissed my forehead. “I’ll see you this afternoon for our walk.”
We walked every day in the garden for fresh air and exercise, then lounged in the library for some quiet reading. Neither of us ever did any reading; too much time spent stealing glances. Flutters erupted in my belly whenever he looked my way. Deep down, I lived for those delicious flutters, craved them. The more time spent with Enzo, the more I wished his vow to his mother disappeared from above our heads. I imagined us as a real couple with a real chance at happiness.
A few weeks ago, when I felt like a complete invalid but refused to bother anyone, I fetched my own glass of water downstairs. Carina and Enzo were arguing in the living area. His mother belittled him for his attentiveness at my bedside. He’d snapped at the woman, told her to cut it out, but otherwise didn’t deny nor undermine his hovering. Afterward, Carina had burst into my bedroom. Her sole purpose for dropping in centered on goading me, reminding me I’d forever be the enemy, regardless of Enzo’s care. A small part of me had hoped she’d come to wish me well, but instead she stole the opportunity to shove her son’s vow in my face.
“And what happens once you succeed in this plan, huh? Will you become a doting mother? Have you ever cared for Enzo, or is he no more than a pawn to avenge you? Instead of destroying my life, you’ve robbed yourself of life, of happiness, of a relationship with your sons.”
Her eyes blazed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, girl!”
“I know you have Vito’s ring. The same ring Nicolo De Luca wants. You could end this war, keep your family safe, but your stubborn pride is in the way. Give back the ring, Carina.”
She poked her own chest. “Once I hand it over, I’m as good as dead.”
“You’re wrong.” I slammed both fists into the mattress beneath me. “Nicolo doesn’t care to avenge his father. It sounds to me like he had no real affection for the man. He just wants the ring, nothing more.”
“Oh, Gemma, how naive you are about our world.” She raised a pointed finger, her eyes flickering with a chilling glint. “That ring is an insurance policy, a safety net I plan to pass onto my sons and protect the next generation. I won’t give it up for anything, you hear me?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, determined to get through to her. “Nicolo won’t stop. He’ll hunt down everyone you love until he has what’s rightfully his.”
Her sharp gaze snapped to me, sending a chill down my spine. “Have you told Enzo about this?”
I shook my head, the guilt a heavy weight in my chest.
“Good. Keep it that way. I’ve taken care of my sons their entire lives… I’m not about to quit now.” She stalked out of the room. The scent of her expensive floral perfume lingered, a sweet contradiction to the woman who wore it, a suffocating reminder of everything standing between Enzo and me.
I didn’t give up even after she’d stormed out. A few times now, I snuck into Carina’s room in search of the ring, but had no such luck. In her walk-in closet, behind the array of clothes, sat a safe. I bet she kept the ring hidden there. Without the code, I held no chance of attaining it. If I influenced Carina to like me—at least behave civilly toward me—perhaps she’d give up on hervendetta. She might make peace with the De Lucas, giving Enzo and me a real chance at happiness.
“Buongiorno, Gemma.” The young maid greeted, cheery as usual. “What shall we do today? Play cards?”
I removed the tray and flung back the covers. “Lisandra. Did you see Carina downstairs, or has she left for the morning?”
Lisandra paused from gathering my clothes off the floor and dropping them into the small hamper at her hip. “She’s in the parlor.”
Perfect. “I need your help.”
???
“Come on.” I sailed into the parlor, cheery on the outside, but my heart hammered against my ribs. “We’re having pedicures, and I’m painting our toenails.”
Carina looked up from a stack of documents, lowering her reading glasses down her nose. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” I towed her by the hand toward the kitchen.
She glanced around for… Enzo? A maid?Anyone to save her?“I’m in no mood for games.”
“This isn’t a game. I’m bored. All the staff are busy. So, you’re up.” A lie, and a bad one at that. Carina wasn’t stupid. Inside the kitchen, I led her to the two basins Lisandra prepared. A variety of nail polish perched on a small stool between our basins. “Shoes off.”
She scrutinized the area as if a prankster lurked, her gaze lingering on the exit. “This isn’t a joke?”
I kicked off my flats. “Not a joke, I swear.” I plonked onto my seat and immersed my feet in the tepid water. “Leave, and I’ll chase you. My feet are wet, so if I run, I might fall and break my neck. Then you can kiss your revenge goodbye.”
