*Bianca*
How dare he?! Turn the boat around and haul us right on to a plane without even having ti to pack our own things? I scoffed to myself as I threw my suitcase onto my bed. The nerve of that man sotis, I swear!
I unzipped my suitcase with fury and began grabbing fistfuls of clothes out.
I an, all this urgency for a real estate job? Leo didn’t seem like he was lying, but still. None of it made sense.
Why wouldn’t we have ti to go back to pack up our things? And how does he have so many people on speed dial to do his bidding? He just happened to know soone who would be willing to go to his penthouse and pack our clothes? It all seems like too much for a man in real estate.
Unless, he had to get back to LA quickly because there was soone else who needed him. Maybe he had a real girlfriend living sowhere around here and I was just sothing on the side for him to play with.
Or it could be possible that he was sothing on the side for another woman and he’d go to her whenever she called for him.
Ugh! The thought of him being with another woman drove incredibly mad. I imagined him driving to another woman’s house right now and it made steam burst from my ears.
It’s not like we t in passing and he had had the opportunity to approach . Alessandro arranged for to live here, in Leo’s ho. Maybe I had just been convenient this entire ti.
I could be overthinking, I thought to myself. Or I could be thinking just the right amount. I grabbed my cell phone and decided to call Anna. I couldn’t take it any longer, I needed to talk to soone about all of this madness because I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was cheating.
“Hello?” Anna answered on the second ring.
“Anna,” I groaned. “I need to talk to you.”
“What’s wrong?” She asked, sounding concerned.
“Stuff with Leo. It’s driving crazy,” I confessed.
“What did he do? Do I need to hop on a plane and kick his ass?” Anna replied, jokingly.
“Maybe,” I sighed. “I think he’s cheating on .”
“Cheating? On you?” She scoffed. “No way. That man adores you.”
“I don’t know, Anna. He’s always leaving abruptly and coming ho in the middle of the night. He blas it on business etings and shit,” I groaned. “It feels like cheating to .”
“I an, business etings have been known to last into the evening hours for so people, right? The whole wine and dine thing,” she offered casually.
I shrugged my shoulders. “That’s kind of exactly what he said.”
“Oh. So, you already talked to him about your suspicions?” she asked, curiously.
“A couple of tis, yeah, but this ti really set off,” I admitted, feeling the heat of anger rise back up.
“What happened this ti?” She asked.
“Well, we were in Portland and supposed to be there for a few days, right? He did so many romantic things and even called his girlfriend, officially. Then, this morning we woke up and he had breakfast delivered and booked this gorgeous private boat tour,” I went on.
“Then, right in the middle of us being on the boat, he got a phone call and all of a sudden, he’s having the captain turn the boat around. He told so excuse about there being a problem with one of their sites and he had to be present for it or sothing.”
“All right,” she dragged out the last word. “That does seem a little dramatic, I’ll give you that.”
“Anna, he wouldn’t even let us pack up our own things! He literally had so stranger go to his house, pack our things, and et us by the plane,” I said in an irritated voice.
“An actual stranger?” she asked.
“Well, a stranger to !” I exclaid.
“All right. All right. Don’t get angry with ,” she replied calmly. “Let’s think.”
“What is there to think about?” I scoffed. “He’s cheating on . He has to be.”
“Bianca, I really doubt that he’s cheating on you. Truly. I saw the way he looked at you when I stayed with you guys and that was before you even had an actual thing going with each other,” she replied cooly. “Maybe he’s in the mafia or so crazy shit.”
I sighed. “The mafia. Really?”
“Relax, girl,” she chuckled. “Leo is the owner of a huge side of that real estate business. Everything he’s telling you, could actually be legit. He is a really important man. Is it possible you’re just not used to that?”
“I an, I guess that could be true,” I confessed.
She was right. I wasn’t used to being with a man who held such an important figure head. Being an owner of a company and working for one was a huge difference, I supposed. Still though, a nagging of doubt still pulled on my chest.
“It’ll all be all right, honey. I’m sure of it,” Anna reassured before we said our goodbyes.
I threw my phone onto the bed before falling backwards onto my pillows. I sighed heavily and thought about everything Anna had said.
Did Leo really look at a certain way without my realizing it back then? A small feeling of warmth had been felt in my chest before disappearing just as quickly as it had arrived.
The thing she had said about the mafia could be an interesting take on things, though. I an, the idea of Leo actually being in the mafia was batshit crazy, but didn’t have to be completely out of the realm of possibilities. It would explain the sense of urgency around everything.
I sighed, shaking my head. Get real, I thought to myself as I sat up. I picked up the now empty suitcase and placed it inside of the giant walk-in closet. If Anna had been right about anything, it would have been the need for to relax.
Before I left the closet, I grabbed my lounge clothes, which consisted of a pair of leopard print sweatpants and a plain black tank top. I tossed them onto one of the counters in the bathroom and turned the faucet to the bathtub on.
Quickly, I ran down the hallway towards the staircase and bolted into the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and a wine glass. I hurried back up the staircase and grabbed a book from off the bookshelf before returning to my private bathroom. Just as I walked in, the water had filled to the perfect amount. If I had taken any longer, however, I would’ve walked into a bathroom with water on the floor.
I turned the faucet to stop the water from flowing and poured the dark red liquid into the wine glass. Carefully, I dipped my big toe in the water before slipping my whole body underneath the blanket of warmth. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a mont as I laid the back of my head on the plush cushion that acted as a headrest.
My thoughts couldn’t help themselves as they stirred around inside my head. The pit of my stomach held the feeling of doubt. In the cage where my heart was held, however, held the desire to let everything go and just be happy with Leo.
That was all I really wanted, if I had to be honest with myself. I didn’t want to fight with him. I didn’t want to be suspicious of him or feel this incredibly heavy weight of doubt. I didn’t want to truly believe that he was capable of cheating on .
Then, all the tis he had to leave abruptly or all the tis he ca ho late swam into view, reminding there was a reason why my heart was kept inside a cage. Why I didn’t trust people so easily. A reason why I couldn’t just let everything go and be happy with Leo.
I needed to know he was telling the truth. I needed proof. But how was I ant to get that on my own?
It didn’t take long for the water to grow cold. I hadn’t read a word of my book. The bottle of wine on the other hand had been thoroughly emptied.
Careful not to drip water onto the floor, I stepped out of the bathtub and stood on the bathmat. I took note of just how soft the fabric was beneath my feet while I pulled the plug out of the drain.
I remained on the soft fabric while I dried myself off with an equally soft towel. Once all the water had been transferred to the towel, I tossed it into the hamper. I got dressed quietly and stared at myself in the mirror for a mont.
What was I to make of all this, I had thought to myself while staring into the reflection of my own eyes.
I shook off the bad feelings that had been attempting to creep their way in. Instead, I focused on grabbing a cloth and a bottle of cleanser to wipe all the makeup off my face. My hair was tied up into a ssy bun.
My feet slipped easily into my slippers as I picked up the book from the counter and walked into my room. I climbed into bed and leaned my back against the velvet cushioned headboard.
The room was mostly dark with a soft glow breaking through the darkness from the lamp sitting on the nightstand. I took a deep breath, relaxed my shoulders, and unclenched my jaw before opening my book.
There was no point in overthinking right now. I needed a break from thinking of it all. After a few monts, I lost myself within the pages of the book. Living soone else’s life for a while seed like a better idea for the mont.
I was so subrged within my book, I almost didn’t hear a knock on my door. My eyes sought out the ti from the clock and beca irritated when it displayed the late hour.
“Are you up?” I heard Leo’s voice through the wooden door.
I remained silent.
I watched as the crystal door knob turned, followed by the door opening slowly.
“Bianca?” He spoke a little above a whisper.
He peeked his head in, eting my eyes. Still, I remained silent.
“I know you are upset with , but can we talk? Please?” Leo asked, walking further into my room.
“I’m not ready to talk yet, Leo,” I told him, closing my book.
“Why?” he asked, sitting down on the edge of my bed.
“I just need more ti. It’s only been a few hours,” I replied coldly.
“I understand, Bianca. I do,” he began. “But I don’t know why you are this angry with . I have responsibilities. I can’t just ignore them.”
“You can’t just ignore them,” I repeated, suddenly heated. “Tell sothing, Leo. Am I in love with a liar? Because it sure as hell feels like I am!”
Leo paused and I realized the words I had just spoken. I felt my cheeks burn red as he stared at .
“You love ?” he asked, ignoring the question.
I felt angry with myself for letting that slip out of my mouth in the heat of the mont.
“Yes,” I said simply. “Answer my question.”
“No, Bianca. I’m not lying. I promise you,” he spoke gently, gazing into my eyes. “I wouldn’t lie to the woman I love.”
I stared in shock. “You love ?”
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