Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“Is now the time?” Marcello looks between Robert and Luca.
“Yes.” Luca nods firmly.
“What’s going on?” I ask, the bacon turning sour in my stomach.
“Come sit down. I just need you to sign some papers. We’re moving some of our assets into your name, like we spoke about.”
I don’t argue. He’s having a rough day and it can only be a good thing that I’m becoming a business owner with a flick of my wrist. “Remember to sign in your new name.”
My eyes trace over the paper, seeing Mrs. Alyssa Leto for the first time.
Thud.
I sign where Robert points to, a sticker in place to guide me to the next page. When he moves onto a second document, I look up at him. “Really?”
“I want it in paper, Alyssa, I need to know you’ll be taken care of,” Luca urges. I look over to Marcello. He raises his brows to make light of the moment.
I scribble my name and watch Marcello sign where his is printed. Agreeing to marry me if anything should happen to Luca is morbid and unfair.
What happens if Marcello meets the love of his life and can’t marry her on the off-chance Luca dies and he has to marry me?
Cupping my cheeks, Luca brings his lips to mine, tasting, biting, sending my pulse racing. “I’m not going anywhere, but thank you for indulging me.”
A knock on the door breaks our moment. Marcello opens it to one of the workers announcing Hannah’s here to see me.
“Take my office. I need to get some food and deal with some things. Promise me you won’t leave this house, Alyssa.”
I don’t like having to promise him that, but I can’t bring myself to piss him off or make him worry on the day his father died. “Promise me,” he says again, his voice firmer.
“I promise.”
His eyes close briefly. “Good girl.”
Hannah is shown in. She doesn’t look like her usual well-put-together self, which is understandable with what she’s been through.
She closes the door once we’re alone, her movements awkward, nervous.
“It’s not a good time to be telling me I shouldn’t marry Luca, Hannah,” I warn her, holding up my hand, his ring firmly in place.
“I know.” She swallows. “But I need you to know if something happens to me…”
“What?” I go to her, taking her arms in my hands. “Why would something happen to you?” She’s unstable, a crazed look in her eyes, bags sitting beneath them.
“Can we sit down?” she asks, her lips trembling.
“Sure,” I guide her to the big leather armchairs, allowing her to sit down while I crouch next to her.
“A while back, we had a peeping Tom in my area. I got scared when one of my neighbors said this man broke into someone’s house and stole their underwear.” She sniffles, playing with the cuff of her sweater.
“Did something happen?” If that pervert did something to her…
“No,” she shakes her head. “But because of that, I got some cameras. Just ones you link to your cell phone. Inexpensive, but effective.”
“Okay…”
“I captured the baby’s father putting pills in my drink the day of the miscarriage.” Her voice breaks, sweat beading her forehead.
“Hannah,” I breathe, “can’t you take it to the police or Luca?” I say before thinking it through.
Maybe it’s something I can bring up to him. Scum who could do that to her don’t deserve to be walking the earth. Maybe I should deal with him for her.
I could do it.
She springs forward, startling me. Her small hands grab my face. “You can’t tell Luca any of this, what I’m going to show you…”
“Okay, okay. It’s okay.” I pull her hands free and place them in her lap.
“That wasn’t the first time I got him on film.” She panics, her skin paling. “The night of Serena’s murder…”
Her body begins to shake, fear silencing her for a moment before she continues. “He asked to use my car. Not my main car, the one I inherited from my father a few years back. It’s old. The plates aren’t even real. It was used for a movie. I drove it over here to show you.”
This is crazy. She’s terrified, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this information.
“Hannah,” I stand when she moves to pull something from her purse. Her phone.
“Who is this man?” I ask her. The tension has given me a stomach-ache.
The office door opens with a loud bang, crashing against the wall. Antonio waltzes in like he owns the place.
Hannah startles, almost dropping her phone. “I have to go,” she announces, ducking her head and rushing past him.
What the hell?
“Was it something I said?” he calls after her, kicking the door closed. “Where’s Luca?” He stalks toward me, and I back behind Luca’s desk, remembering the gun he keeps there.
I won’t use it, but it’s comforting knowing it’s there.