Costantino

31 - You Have A Reputation

My heart rate soared, my grip on his hand tightening ever so slightly as he neared.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Costa."

Our lips were millimetres from touching when Tristano's voice cut through the thickest tension I'd ever experienced.

"There's a problem. Luca needs you." Tristano knew what he just interrupted, but his seriousness and professionalism showed in the way he addressed Costa.

Costa immediately froze, taking a second to blink, processing our third interruption of the night. It was like fate had other plans every single time.

Costa might have frozen, but I didn't need a second.

I pulled myself out of his grasp like his touch burned me. I'm sure my cheeks were flaming red as I stepped away from him, rushing out my next sentence.

"Go. I'm going to get a drink." I stumbled away in my heels before anyone could say another word.

I ordered my drink, gripping the counter under a tight grip while my heart pounded away in my chest. I was on the edge of a fucking breakdown. One more close call with him and I'd just combust. I couldn't handle it anymore.

"You okay?" Just as the bartender set my martini down in front of me, the two most annoying idiots appeared either side of me.

"Go away." I picked up my drink, taking a rather large gulp to quell the emotions simmering inside me.

"Why?" Aidan - being the clueless nuisance he is - frowned at me with those puppy dog eyes.

"She's all worked up because she almost kissed Costa." Giovanni grinned, earning exactly the reaction he would have expected.

"I did not almost kiss him and I'm not worked up about it." I clarified, signalling for the bartender to bring me another martini.

I might need a steady stream of them coming if I have to deal with the twins.

"Which is it, Millie?" This time it was Rocco who appeared next to Gio with a smirk. "It didn't happen or you're not worked up over it?"

These Accardi idiots keep popping up out of nowhere.

"It..." Judging by their expressions, I knew they saw the whole thing. The hall was empty enough by now that you could see the dance floor from every angle.

"Just leave me alone." I finally huffed, turning to lean against the bar. I kept my eyes on the room, watching the last few guests who'd stuck around.

"But this is the best place to stand if you want to get food. It's right by the kitchen." Gio grinned, grabbing a prawn cocktail glass from a waitress passing by at the perfect time.

"Well, you're not wanted here." I muttered, taking a more civilised sip of my martini instead of a gulp.

"Oh, come on. Tell us what happened." Aidan gave me a friendly smile to encourage me. He's been nice to me ever since I helped him kiss Bianca - who is now his girlfriend.

"Nothing happened. We were just dancing and then Tristano came over to tell him Luca needed help with a problem." I shrugged, missing out all the juicy details of what actually happened.

"But he almost kissed you. If Tristano didn't interrupt, would you have done it?"

"Aidan." I sighed, finishing the last of my martini. "Have you ever heard of boundaries?"

"No." He shook his head with the most serious expression I'd seen on him. I would have believed him if he didn't crack a grin, one that had me involuntarily smiling back.

"So, answer the question then." Giovanni nudged me, the three of them listening intently like a bunch of gossiping Sicilian aunties.

"I...I don't know, okay? And I don't need to tell you three anything. It's private."

The twins huffed in frustration while Rocco only rolled his eyes, downing his glass of whiskey.

A minute later Costa and Tristano approached us at the bar.

"Let's go." Costa seemed completely at ease as he gestured for us to follow him out.

"Is everything okay?" Giovanni questioned.

"Sì, there's just some things I need to sort out at the penthouse. Nothing too serious." He replied, beginning the walk through the ballroom towards the exit.

He walked ahead with his brothers while the twins hung back, leaving me somewhere in the middle - alone.

"I just need to say goodbye to my family. I'll meet you at the car."

"Don't be long." That was his only acknowledgment as he glanced back at me.

So I guess he's pretending nothing happened.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I rushed over to where Damian and Julius were also getting ready to leave. I chose to leave our discussion about their behaviour tonight for another time, giving them each a quick hug.

If I started fighting with Julius about my place in the Darmos family, we'd be there all night.

By the time I reached the front door, Costa was already waiting in his car. His security were ready to leave and I'm guessing the rest of his family had already left separately.

That meant we could finally have an uninterrupted conversation in the car during the twenty minute drive back to the city.

At least, I thought that until I got in the car only to find the idiot twins in the back fucking seat.

"What...?" I turned around, staring at their grinning faces in confusion.

"They wanted to come with us." Costa spoke through gritted teeth, flashing his headlights at his security ahead of us.

They took the hint and started the drive back to the penthouse - which we spent in complete and utter silence. Well, apart from the two idiots who wouldn't stop talking behind us.

At least I got to sit back and relax, watching Costa become increasingly agitated as the minutes passed.

There's something undeniably captivating about watching Costa behind the wheel. The way he lazily gripped the steering wheel with effortless control, exuding both dominance and authority.

Clad in a tailored suit that accentuated his muscular upper body, his gaze constantly shifted between the road and the mirrors while he drove. His arm muscles subtly flexed every time he shifted gears or flashed his headlights at his security to get them to go faster.

For most of the drive, he had his elbow resting on the window ledge. Occasionally he'd rub his jaw, suggesting he was tired. Or he'd rub his lip with his thumb if he was concentrating.

His lips would part whenever he got annoyed, a soft frown forming on his face. A couple of times, he sat up a little straighter from his relaxed position when he was able to pick up the speed for a minute or two.

It was such a mundane task, yet so damn sexy.

By the time we reached the penthouse, I was a happy girl after watching him drive for twenty minutes. But, it's safe to say Costa was ready to murder someone after having to drive the twins home too.

He was the first one out of the car, barely glancing back as he stormed to the elevator.

"See what you did?" I turned to look at the twins who'd been busy watching something on Giovanni's phone.

"What?" The two of them looked up, utterly clueless to their cousin's sour mood. Or the fact they could have ruined the rest of my night with Costa.

I might not get my kiss now.

With a scoff, I got out of the car, heading to the elevator. I made it just as the doors pinged open, so I got to step inside beside my irate husband.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." He muttered, stabbing the button to the penthouse with a lot more force than necessary.

"What happened with Luca?" I tried again to make conversation, only to test him out.

If he was too moody I already knew I'd be sleeping in the guest room tonight. There's no way I could face him in this mood after our three almost kisses.

"Nothing, just an upset at one of our clubs."

"An upset?"

"Someone was selling drugs. They're being dealt with." He muttered ominously, spinning his car key around his finger. I also noticed how he kept his eyes down, refusing to look at me the entire time.

Unfortunately for him, it was a long journey to the top floor of his residential building.

"So...are we not going to talk about what-"

"Not now." He cut me off before I could even try to broach the subject. As if it didn't take every ounce of courage I had.

"But-"

"We keep getting interrupted and we have about...six floors left. Just..." He sighed, still fiddling with his car key. "Just wait until I get back to our room. I have some shit that needs handling first."

"Well, actually, I wasn't sure if I was staying in our room tonight."

"Why?" I thought he'd be concerned by my confession, maybe even annoyed. But I was surprised by his amused smile instead. "Are you nervous?"

"No. Why do you keep asking me that? All night everyone has been commenting and-" Before I could get even half way through my rant, the stupid elevator doors pinged.

I'm going to murder someone if I get interrupted one more fucking time.

The small confines of the elevator were suddenly filled with that husky laugh as Costa stepped forward.

So apparently I said that out loud.

"Just give me half an hour. You won't need to murder anyone, baby." He spoke as he stepped out of the elevator, placing a fleeting hand on my lower back.

He called me baby. And the contact was enough to send my mind and body into a panicked frenzy.

Why is he making this happen to me? I'm a virgin. We virgins can't handle this kind of stress.

"Che cazzo è successo? " (What the fuck happened?)

"I don't know, Costa. I tried to find out but it's kind of...hectic." Luca cringed at the word he used to describe the chaos that went down at one of our clubs.

"Six dead bodies and a dead cop. I think it's a bit more than hectic, no?" I scoffed, storming past Luca as I went into my office.

So it might have been a little more than just a drug deal like I told Millie in the elevator.

Everyone else, apart from the twin idiots in the car, were already waiting for me like I'd asked.

"How did it happen?"

"We're still trying to figure that out."

"They were Russian?" Tristano asked, coming to stand next to me by my desk.

"Sì. So far we haven't found any ties to the Bratva, but they were Russian. Most likely paid by the Bratva but not directly associated."

"Kozlov is..." I shook my head, feeling my rage grow. "Sta chiedendo una fottuta guerra. I'm going to rain down hell on him." (He's asking for a fucking war.)

"Costa, before Aidan and Gio get here." Luca stepped forward, lowering his voice a little. "We found some new information on their father's death."

"What is it?"

"He...he had an affair with a Russian woman. Her name is Daria."

"An affair?" Rocco jumped in, a deep frown on his face.

"After their mother died, he was alone." The twins' mother died a long time ago. They were young children then, so they don't really remember much about her. Their father was the one who raised them, which is why his death impacted them more - not that they show it often.

It's been ten months and they barely mention him. I think it's their way of coping.

"He met this woman a few years ago. She's the daughter of a Bratva soldier - not high up, but her link is there.

They'd been having an affair when he found out she was pregnant.

He came to New York to convince her to come and live in Sicily where it would be safe for her.

But since she was part of the Bratva, she wasn't sure about it. "

"How do you know all of this?" I questioned Luca, trying to piece it all together.

We couldn't figure out why he died - only that he was shot in New York by the Bratva. We assumed it was only because of his position as my father's Consigliere. But there was never any concrete proof we could use against Kozlov. We've been searching ever since.

"After we found his phone, we've been working on it for the last few months to recover deleted information. We found the texts which painted the picture pretty quickly."

"Wait, so what happened to that woman? And the baby?" Tristano asked.

"After he was killed, she ran. They'll kill her for breaking their code of silence. Even if she never told him anything, it doesn't matter. He's their rival, so they'll kill her. She must have had the baby by now - it's been ten months since your uncle was killed. She was pregnant then."

"Find her." I demanded.

"Costa, we don't know where to begin. She could be anywhere by now."

"Non mi interessa. Quel bambino è un Accardi. Lo voglio ritrovare." (I don't care. That baby is an Accardi. I want it found.)

"What baby?" The sound of the familiar voice caused me to sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.

This is the last fucking thing I needed tonight.

"Go, Luca. I'll call you later to check in with you." I dismissed him, waiting until it was only family left in the room before I finally told them what happened.

"Sedere." (Sit down) I nodded towards the couch in my office, trying not to overthink what I was about to tell them.

"Bro, before we talk, let me show you this funny shit on Tik Tok. It was-"

"Giovanni." Rocco cut him off, letting his serious expression convey the gravity of the situation.

Giovanni's excitement faltered and he obediently sat down with Aidan. They looked at each other, curiosity and a bit of concern on their faces

"What's up?" Aidan frowned, watching the three of us as we stood across from them.

"There's something we need to tell you."

"You got Millie pregnant?" Giovanni grinned. "That's the baby you were talking about, right?"

"What?" I frowned at his suggestion. "No. That's not it."

"Then who got Millie pregnant?" Aidan questioned, now looking at Tristano and Rocco as if they had something to do with it.

"What the fuck?" Rocco looked disgusted at the thought, taking a step back. "I didn't get her pregnant."

"Millie's not pregnant." I clarified, feeling my irritation spike. "No one even mentioned her."

"Then who did you get pregnant?" Giovanni frowned at me.

"No one. I didn't-"

"Millie isn't going to be happy, Costa." Aidan shook his head, standing to his feet as if he was trying to intimidate me. "You need to tell her. We're close now. I know you're my cousin but I can't keep it from her for too long."

"I'm going to kill you, you little-" I took a threatening step towards Aidan when Tristano put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"No one here got anyone pregnant." My brother spoke with finality. "Now shut up, sit down, and let us talk."

"Fine, geez. Why's Costa so touchy?" Aidan muttered, dropping down on the couch next to Giovanni.

"He didn't get to kiss his wife." Gio smirked, stupidly having the balls to look in my direction.

Someone please tell me why they're still fucking breathing? I've had enough of them.

"Stop riling him up." Rocco sighed, very much aware I was murdering them in my head. "Let him talk to you first. You can do it afterwards."

Rocco is next on my hit list.

"What's going on, Costa?" Aidan asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. I guess he was finally ready to take the conversation seriously.

I glanced over at Rocco and Tristano, who nodded encouragingly. They knew what I was about to say and they knew how the twins would take it.

"There's no easy way to say this so just...please don't interrupt me. Riguarda tuo padre. Dobbiamo dirvi la verità su quello che gli è successo." (It's about your dad. We need to tell you the truth about what happened to him.)

Aidan's face hardened almost immediately - the same reaction we always got when their father was mentioned. "Cosa intendi? We know how he was killed, you said it was a random attack." (What do you mean?)

Giovanni's expression mirrored his brother's. "Yeah, you told us it was a confrontation gone wrong."

I sighed, taking on all the responsibility of our collective decision. My father decided it and my brothers and I supported him without hesitation.

Now it's coming back to bite me in the ass.

"I know, and I'm sorry for not being honest with you before. The truth is...it wasn't random. Your dad was killed by the Russian Bratva."

Aidan's eyes widened in shock. The room plunged into a short silence until he spluttered out his questions. "Kozlov? What? Why would they kill him?"

"This doesn't make any sense, Costa." Giovanni said, his voice rising. "If he killed our father why didn't you declare war on him immediately?"

"It's complicated." I defended our decision. "Luca only just told us what happened. We didn't know why they did it and Kozlov never admitted to it. You were mourning, we didn't want to-"

"Just tell us what happened, Costa." Giovanni cut me off, his attitude causing me to grit my teeth.

Our tempers were too similar. It wasn't the time to let mine get out of control when they were being reminded of everything that happened with their father only ten months ago.

I took a moment, knowing I had to choose my words carefully.

"Your dad...he got involved with a woman who was connected to the Bratva. She was lower down in their organisation, but she was still connected through her father. He got her pregnant so he came here to New York to try and get her to move to Sicily. The Bratva found out and killed him for it."

Aidan's face went pale as the reality hit him. "Wait, are you saying our dad got a Russian mobster's daughter pregnant?"

"Sì." I confirmed, feeling the gravity of the situation settle over us. "The Bratva don't tolerate things like that. They came after him, and that's why he was killed in New York. It's mostly neutral territory making it the easiest place to get it done."

Giovanni's fists clenched, as he leaned forward in his seat. "And what happened to the woman?"

"She ran away. She knew her life was in danger too. She went into hiding, and as far as we know, she hasn't been seen since." I explained what Luca had just finished telling us when they came in.

Aidan's voice was barely a whisper. "So, our dad died because of this...this affair?"

"Sì."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner that it was Kozlov?" Giovanni demanded, anger and betrayal in his eyes.

"We wanted to protect you." I said, my voice softening. "You were still grieving and we didn't have the answers to give you closure. Back then, we were all struggling to stay afloat. Dad blamed himself for his brother's death and you lost your father. At least now we know exactly what happened."

"This is... I don't even know what to say," Aidan said, his voice breaking. "Abbiamo un altro fratello? " (We have another sibling?)

All their lives it's only been the two of them. We're their cousins, but as siblings, they only had each other.

Now they have another sibling out there somewhere - granted it's probably still in a diaper but it counts.

"We're going to find him...or her." Rocco added, heading over to sit next to the twins on the couch now that I'd done all the fucking hard work of telling them.

"In the mean time, I'm here for you. We're all in this together. Rocco and Tristano are here too. We're family, and we'll get through this." I assured them.

Giovanni nodded slowly, tears brimming in his eyes. He quickly blinked them back, rubbing a hand over his face. "Thanks, Costa. We just need some time to process all of this."

"Take all the time you need." I nodded, heading over to the liquor cabinet in my office. "If you have any questions or just need to talk, erano qui." (We're here.)

"Why are you being so fucking nice today?" Rocco decided to kill the moment, narrowing his eyes at me accusingly.

"What are you talking about? I'm always nice."

"Right." He scoffed. "And I only kill people on Sundays." His awful attempt at sarcasm had the twins chuckling to themselves while Tristano only rolled his eyes.

"He's being nice because he's on cloud nine now that Millie is putty in his hands." Tristano spoke like the wise fucking wizard he is, dropping down across from the twins on an arm chair.

That left one arm chair for me. I took off my suit jacket and loosened my tie. Then I took my seat, pouring myself a glass of whiskey.

"Non è pasta nelle mie mani, idiota." (She's not putty in my hands, idiot) I rolled my eyes at the term, sliding the bottle over to him so he could pour the rest of their drinks.

Those fuckers don't deserve me pouring their drinks.

"Bro, she was practically on her knees for you all night." Rocco laughed, taking out a cigar.

"Don't talk about her like that." I muttered, leaning forward to snatch the Cuban cigar from him.

"Hey!" He complained but it was drowned out by Tristano's next question.

"So what changed? You hated her when you first got married. Now you're infatuated with her."

"I'm not infatuated with her." I was kind of lying. How could anyone not be infatuated with her? "We're just getting on a lot better now. After we spent time in the Middle East away from you idiots, it got a little easier."

Or, I just stopped letting my anger towards this whole marriage cloud my judgement of how I felt about her.

Don't get me wrong, she's still infuriating, annoying, bratty and outspoken.

She's shamelessly scared of spiders and has an unhealthy relationship with milkshakes.

And she still leaves her fucking hair everywhere she fucking goes.

But she's also smart, understanding, kind and cute as fuck. And she makes my bed smell good.

"So she's warming your black heart?" Giovanni laughed, handing me a lighter for my cigar.

"You could say that." I murmured, lighting the cigar just as someone knocked on the door.

"Who the fuck is that?" Rocco snapped at the interruption, snatching the lighter from my hand to light the second cigar he pulled out.

"It's for us." Aidan grinned, jumping up excitedly to open the door.

"Really?" I scoffed, releasing a cloud of smoke as my private chef carried in a tray holding two ice cream sundaes.

"We ordered them when we got back. Put them on the coffee table." My cousin grinned excitedly, waiting for my chef to serve them.

"I don't pay her to serve you your fucking diabetes like a maid." I muttered, giving her a nod of gratitude when she laid their stupid ice cream bowls in front of them.

Treat your staff with respect and they stay loyal to you. It's not rocket science.

"Puoi finire per stasera, Marie." (You can finish early for the night, Marie.)

"Grazie, Signore." (Thank you, sir) She bowed her head towards me out of respect before leaving my office.

"You seriously need to start eating better." Rocco shook his head, watching the idiots shovel the sundaes down. The bowls were piled high with ice cream, chocolate sauce, marshmallows and a bunch of other shit.

"It's just a treat." Aidan defended their moronic decision to order so much sugar this late at night.

"You know you're our responsibility, right?" Tristano used a tentative tone, knowing the topic could upset them.

"So?"

"So, we're the ones who are supposed to make sure you take care of yourselves."

"We do, bro." Giovanni spoke through a mouthful of ice cream. "But we like to eat nice things too."

"Just...try to cut it down." Rocco sighed, relaxing back into the couch. "It's important for your health."

He does care about them, in his own stupid way.

"Fine. We'll try. Can we just go back to making fun of Costa, please?" Giovanni grumbled, grinning when I shook my head at him.

He's a dead boy.

I could be with her right now instead of these idiots.

"Sure." Rocco laughed, patting him on the back. "Anything you want. So, Costa–"

Someone kill me now.

"–now that you've fallen in love, you don't think she's a spoiled brat anymore?" He was referring back to a comment I made a long time ago when I first encountered the Greek spitfire who is now my wife.

"People can surprise you." I sighed, inhaling another hit of smoke. "She's not what I expected."

"You really like her." Tristano stated it like a fact, sipping on his whiskey.

"I..."

"You can tell us, Costa. Like how I told you about Bianca." Aidan smiled softly, unaware that his mouth was covered with chocolate sauce.

Did I really want to admit it to these idiots? I'll probably regret this later.

"Yeah, I like her." I sighed, suddenly aching for something stronger than just a cigar. I'd need a fucking blunt or ten after this conversation.

"Have you told her?" Tristano asked.

"No. It might be too soon for her." I relaxed back in my chair, thinking back to the all the arguments we had at the beginning of our relationship. "She might not respond well."

"Seriously?" Rocco scoffed, tapping the ash off his cigar. "That girl is ready to have your name tattooed on her ass."

"If you want to keep your fucking tongue, I suggest you-" My sentence was drowned out by their laughter, much to my annoyance.

"Okay, okay. Sorry. But seriously, she's not good at hiding it. She's crushing hard on you." Rocco laughed, loosening the tie around his neck.

"Yeah, but it's Millie we're talking about. Half the time I can never tell what she's thinking. She keeps things bottled away."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." I sighed, thinking back through the last few months of our marriage for an example.

"When we were in Dubai she told me she wasn't happy. She said something about how she hides her feelings behind all the smiles and laughs but inside she's not happy."

I didn't know how to respond then and I still wouldn't know what to say now.

I want to make her happy, but I don't know how.

"I asked her if she wanted to go home if she wasn't happy, but she told me she doesn't have a home anymore."

"She's homesick." Aidan frowned, his softer side coming out when it came to Millie and her complicated feelings. The two of them got especially close over the last month or two.

"Maybe. But she doesn't get on with her father. When we were at her house, I got this feeling she felt like she didn't belong there anymore either."

"So you have to make her feel at home." Rocco surprised me with his mature suggestion considering his dislike towards my wife.

"How am I supposed to do that? We're constantly moving between New York and Sicily. And I've already given her permission to stay here for three weeks every month. What else can I do?"

"She won't want to stay in a place that doesn't feel like her home." Tristano replied. "She needs to feel settled somewhere, Costa."

"So what, you're saying I need to buy her a fucking house? Like that will solve everything." I scoffed at the absurdity.

But the four of them stayed quiet, letting the suggestion linger in the air.

A house?

A house.

A penthouse?

Or an actual house?

"You think she'd really want a place of her own?" I frowned, exhaling the smoke from my lungs. "But she'd be all alone. Aren't we supposed to be toget-"

"No, idiota." Rocco sighed, leaning forward to tap the ash off his cigar. "She's living in a fucking bachelor pad right now. You'll still live with her, but just let her make it her home."

"And us." Aidan jumped in with a shy smile. "I like living with her."

His confession had me smiling as I mulled over their suggestion.

"What about redoing this penthouse? It's safer to stay in this building." We owned every floor and had security watching every corner of the building.

It was the most secure building we had access to in New York.

"That's a good idea. Let her choose all the decor and shit. Girls like that." Tristano nodded.

"She needs to become the woman of the house. That will make her feel like she has a place in the family." Giovanni's words showed just how far we'd come since Millie came into our lives.

At first they were dropping water condoms on her, now they're trying to help her feel at home and cement her place in the family.

"You can tell her about this when you finally grow some balls and tell her you like her." Rocco nudged my knee with his to catch my attention.

"Then maybe you'll finally ease up on us when you're getting some." Giovanni grinned, apparently deciding he wanted to die.

Before I could answer, Rocco jumped in. "After throwing this party for her, I bet he's just happy he finally gets to fuck her. Isn't that right, Costa? You've been waiting months for this."

I glared at Rocco, about to give him a piece of my mind, but then Tristano chimed in with a smirk. "Sì, all that patience is finally paying off, huh? All it took was a fucking diamond trophy."

The four of them laughed which I probably deserved since I had the best jeweller in New York stay up all night to make that trophy for her last night. I would have done anything to make up for the trophy that got smashed.

"Just make sure you don't ruin the poor girl on her first time. We all know what you're like when you're full of pent up tension." Rocco flashed me a playful wink, inhaling his cigar again.

Despite my irritation, I let out a small laugh, shaking my head at their teasing. "Non scherzarci nemmeno. She wouldn't be able to handle that on her first time." (Don't even joke about it)

That's when I heard a soft gasp.

Turning in my chair, I saw Millie standing in the shadows of the doorway, her eyes wide with hurt and disbelief.

She overheard everything.

"Millie." I immediately stood up, but she shook her head, stepping back.

"Is that what this has been about, Costa?" She asked, her usually strong voice trembling. "Have you just been nice to me because you wanted to sleep with me? To take my virginity?"

"No." I took a step towards her, seeing the flurry of emotions pass through her eyes.

Disbelief. Hurt. Shock. Disappointment. Anger.

"That's what it sounded like to me."

She scoffed, stepping into my office. quoting Tristano's words. "All it took was a diamond trophy?"

"Millie, you misheard wh-"

"I don't think I did." She cut me off, her eyes narrowed in my direction.

"You did, Millie." This time it was Aidan who spoke, also standing up. "That part was just a joke. Costa...Costa really does like you."

"Sure he does." She scoffed again in disbelief, her eyes barely shifting towards my cousin. They were firmly focused on me and I just knew she was going to blow.

"Get out." My words were directed at my brothers and the twins who did as I said without a single word.

As soon as the door was closed, I stepped towards her.

"Just let me explai-"

"Explain? Explain what, Costa? That everything you've done to be nice was all part of your plan to sleep with me?"

"No. Fuck no. You know I'm not like that." I would never do that to her, or to any woman.

"Do I? Because I think you're exactly like that. You have a reputation, remember?" She stepped closer to me, that fiery anger quickly masking her hurt - for now at least.

"You sleep around. Everyone knows that about you. Let me guess, you've been sleeping around all this time just waiting until you could finally get a crack at me too, right?"

"No." I didn't even hesitate to deny it, trying not to let her assumptions fuel my own temper. "I know about my reputation, but it-"

"I can't believe I even trusted you." She shook her head, lowering the volume of her voice. "How could I have been so stupid?"

She was speaking more to herself now, the anger being overtaken by hurt again.

"Millie, please just let me talk." She'd been cutting me off every time I tried to explain - something I didn't tolerate from anyone.

Somehow I hadn't lost my own fucking temper yet which only showed how much she actually meant to me.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say." She shook her head, continuing with her words. "Get this into your head, Costa."

She took a step forward, her beautiful brown eyes blazing with a ferocity I'd never seen on her before.

"I will never fall for it. I'll never like you, I'll never kiss you, I'll never sleep with you and I'll never love you." She spat every word at me, coming in even closer to show just how much she meant it.

"I hate you."

She meant every fucking word she said.

Those three words had a sardonic laugh escaping my lips as she turned, ready to leave the room.

"You will." She frowned at my statement as I gently grabbed her wrist, pulling her in closer to me. She didn't make any attempts to pull out of my hold when I took her hands in mine.

In the middle of the room, I brushed some hair away from her face, feeling my own anger begin to simmer. Although, I was barely able to feel an ounce of anger towards her.

I was just angry. But not at her.

"I know you mean it now, but mark my words, principessa. One day you will wake up in my arms, you will smile at me when I tell you that you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

The softness of my voice seemed to spike her emotions and the first tears welled up in her eyes although she didn't move a muscle. Her expression became more vulnerable, causing my heart to fucking ache like hell when I saw how hurt she really was.

"You'll let me kiss you. You'll be happy. You'll feel at home...at peace." I murmured, wiping away her tears with my thumbs.

"E poi ti dirò che ti amo e tu lo dirai a mia volta." (And then I'll tell you I love you and you'll say it back.)

She stayed, but only for a few more seconds as my words lingered in the air.

Then just like that, she was gone.