26. Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
Elise
Luca is in a good mood, which is rare for him these days. With my suicide attempt, his tracking down my family, cleaning up my father’s mess, and trying to run his empire, catching Luca in a good mood is a rare occurrence. Nonetheless, he has joined me for breakfast for the first time in a week, playing the role of a sweet and attentive husband as proof of his change in temperament.
“What are your plans for today?” he asks, breaking the silence.
I almost choke on my coffee. This version of Luca throws me as it always does. I know the truth behind his words.
Where will you be so that I know how to avoid you should my business become too gruesome for the day?
“I was going to practice for a bit,” I say, focusing on my cup.
“Practice? For what?” he asks.
“Even if I don’t have a recital, I still need to practice,” I say.
Luca laughs, shaking his head. “Mark of a true violinist,” he murmurs, sipping his drink.
Silence passes between us, and I find the courage to speak to him.
“You know you can leave for work, Luca. I know what is at stake. You don’t have to worry about me,” I say.
Luca completely disregards what I say, standing.
“Try not to wander today. I have important guests arriving. Wouldn’t want you stumbling in on something you can’t stomach,” he chuckles as he places a kiss on my forehead.
I don’t bother pointing out that I wouldn’t have to avoid anything if he just left to do his work. He may be in a better mood, but he still doesn’t trust me. Whether it be what I decide to do with myself or the possibility of learning more of his secrets, he won’t allow it to come to fruition.
But as I watch him leave the kitchen, I note he seems distracted by whatever is on his phone. I can’t help but wonder if one of the guests arriving today could possibly be my brother. I haven’t seen him since the day Luca chewed him out in the backyard.
Once I finish my coffee, I quickly head to our bedroom to prepare for the day. I head back into the kitchen to get a glass of water, pausing when I notice lawn maintenance replanting the backyard. I wonder if Luca somehow found out I can see the annex from there.
I slowly make my way to the door, studying them. These can’t be the guests he was speaking of having today. I shift my attention to the direction of Luca’s office. No one has entered since he disappeared this morning. When I look back at the backyard, I notice a new worker. He’s much younger than the men who usually tend to our yard, I notice as he wheels a cart filled with plants in it.
My heart beats a little faster when I recognize the dark locks he pushes grudgingly away from his face, and as he turns his head slightly, I finally see his face.
It’s him—my brother.
I thought Luca had him working in close quarters to prove himself part of the family, but it looks like he’s been moved far from the action, and Luca has him doing physical labor. I look one last time around the kitchen, ensuring Luca isn’t secretly watching me and this is a trap before I pull open the sliding glass door, making my way into the backyard.
I make sure to stand by the pool as I watch him, tears forming in my eyes. He looks flustered as he goes about his work, but it’s better than seeing him the way I did the other day for the first time. The other day, he was getting fussed at by his Capo and threatened. But today, he is here safely doing yard work. I wonder if he already did strike three or if Luca suddenly had a change of heart.
“Enzo, take those near the pool. Re-pot the vases,” the man who heads the yard service says, finally revealing my brother’s name after all this time.
Enzo.
I release a shaky laugh as he makes his way to where I am, quickly wiping my eyes. I look back once again to see if Luca is somewhere watching, waiting to rip this moment from me, but he isn’t. So, I stand where I am, waiting for him to notice me.
His eyes lift as he steps onto the patio, and his entire being tenses when he sees me. The plants fall from his hand, and he steps back, fear clouding his eyes.
“Shit,” he says.
He quickly looks around, his panic increasing.
“You weren’t supposed to be here,” he says.
I raise a brow, taking a step.
“You know who I am?” I ask.
I know there’s more than one meaning behind my words, and Enzo doesn’t seem inclined to answer me. Nor does he look excited to discover he has a sibling. If anything, he looks horrified.
“I’m sorry… Mr. Pasquino—”
“Is my husband. And you are?” I ask.
He’s silent for a moment, studying me as if thinking of the consequences of speaking to me. And for whatever reason, he fears them. This must be why Luca wasn’t very strict this morning with my whereabouts. He’s already given his orders to my brother.
“You don’t know who I am?” he asks.
I shake my head, feigning innocence. But I see his mind working to come up with a lie— a reason for his reaction.
“Mr. Pasquino just said not to bother you today,” he says softly.
I laugh. “You’re not bothering me,” I say.
I turn away from him to sit on one of the pool chairs, signifying my plan to remain where I am, and I can tell by the expression on his face that he doesn’t like it.
“You’re new, right?” I say.
“Yes. It’s my first day,” he says.
I offer him a smile. “Well, don’t let me keep you,” I say, gesturing to the plants.
He nods hesitantly, watching me before going about his duties. To my shock, Luca doesn’t show the entirety of the afternoon, giving me plenty of time to get to know the kid my father was going to kill me for. Instead of resentment, however, I continue to feel pity the longer I watch him struggle with work he’s obviously never done in his life.
It isn’t until I watch him plant the wrong flowers next to each other that I get up to help.
“You can’t put those there,” I say gently as I kneel beside him.
I bite back my laughter when I see the dirt streaks on his forehead and cheeks.
“I can’t?” he asks.
I shake my head, gesturing to the flowers as I explain.
“These will eat the nutrients from the soil. They must always be planted alone, and these should be planted in the dirt. Not in a pot,” I say, taking the flowers from him.
I move to the empty flower bed, using the trowel to plant the flowers for him.
“How do you know all this?” he asks, standing over me.
I shrug.
“I was raised to be the perfect wife. Knowing which flowers to plant at specific times of the year is one of those things you pick up along the way if you want to keep a beautiful home,” I say absentmindedly.
Enzo kneels beside me, letting silence pass between us before speaking.
“That sounds miserable,” he says softly.
Once again, I laugh. “I guess if you want to look at it that way. For me, it was about being useful to my family. It’s how things work in this world,” I say, watching for his reaction. He’s once again quiet, thinking about what he wants to say to me. I know he wants to ask out of curiosity about his sister. But he’s still frightened of the man who plucked him from his world, placing him in ours.
“Mr. Pasquino said your marriage was arranged,” he says.
I can’t think of a response fast enough as shock washes over me. Just how much has Luca revealed about me? About us?
“Yes, it was,” I say.
“You weren’t…scared? Knowing what you were marrying into?” he asks.
“And what exactly was I marrying into?” I say, hoping he’ll realize his mistake. He’s letting on that he knows more than he should. And when he doesn’t respond, I decide to fill the gap.
“To answer your question, yes. I was scared. But it was what I was born to do. It was my way of earning my father’s love and trust. Of uplifting our family,” I say.
“Too bad it didn’t matter in the end,” I add.
“I’m…so sorry,” he whispers.
I shake my head, looking at him.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault, right?” I ask.
His eyes widen, and he looks away, unable to look me in the eyes. At least I can see what kind of man he is. He feels guilty for something he had no control over. He doesn’t feel robbed of his birthright. And it makes my heart swell. He isn’t a monster. Luca hasn’t gotten to him yet. I can still save him.
I look over to the flowers he has yet to plant, and I notice they’re a mix of my favorite flowers.
“Luca chose these?” I ask, gesturing to the flowers.
“Yes, he said you were feeling under the weather lately and hoped these would cheer you up,” he says.
I scoff, but it’s low enough that Enzo doesn’t hear it. I’ve never known Luca to make these kinds of gestures without it having some underlying meaning, or lesson that needs to be taught. I can’t imagine he actually paid attention to me for something that isn’t for the purpose of inflicting pain.
Enzo clears his throat, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Well, I should probably get to planting before I get in trouble again,” he says.
There’s a tight squeeze in my chest as I lose the chance to continue speaking to him. But I know I can’t push the small bit of luck I’ve been afforded.
“Well, thank you for letting me keep you company,” I say, standing.
“Of course, Mrs. Pasquino—”
“Elise. Please, call me Elise,” I say.
I hate how formal he is with me. As if there is still fear inside of him when it comes to uttering the Pasquino name. Maybe there is. I don’t know what Luca has exposed him to in the time he’s had him under his wing. Luca was quick on making me get used to this world when we got married.
“Okay…Elise,” he says.
He’s about to return to the flowers, but I stop him.
“How do you know Luca so well? You mention him a lot, and he’s never spoken about you,” I say, giving him the opportunity to tell me the truth—to confide in me. But he does the exact opposite. He retreats within himself, fearing my husband more.
“Mr. Pasquino showed up shortly after my dad died. He offered me a way out of the life I was resigned to. And I took it,” he says.
I cringe at the mention of our father, and I’m about to ask him about it when the voice we both fear sounds.
“Elise? I thought you were practicing today.” I tense when I feel Luca come up next to me. He slips his arm around my waist, pulling me in close as he places a kiss on my cheek.
Enzo has visibly paled, his eyes lowering as he submits to Luca’s presence.
“I was. I decided to take a break and noticed my favorite flowers were being planted,” I say, hoping to pull Luca’s attention.
But he isn’t looking at me. He’s watching Enzo with a stoic expression.
“I’m sure,” he says.
“I thought I made the rules very clear,” he adds.
I don’t know if he’s speaking to me or Enzo, but I step around him, feigning innocence as I try to spare my brother his wrath.
“You didn’t say the back was off limits. I was just looking at the flowers,” I say, making sure to add confusion to my tone.
Luca glares at Enzo for a few seconds longer before finally turning his attention to me. He smiles, and it sends a chill up my spine.
“I know you’ve been feeling down lately. I wanted to do something nice for you,” he says, steering me away from Enzo as he speaks.
I give him my best smile, praying he can’t read me. “Thank you.”
I twiddle my fingers, hoping to decrease Luca’s anger further.
“I didn’t get that kid in trouble, did I?” I ask.
Luca eyes me, and I swear he sees right through me. But he doesn’t show it.
“What did you two talk about?” he asks.
“Nothing, really. I asked him why they chose those flowers, and he said You did,” I say.
“Hm,” is all Luca gives me. But I can tell he’s trying to figure out whether he should believe me or not. I am thankful that he doesn’t press the issue, but I do note that he is making sure I leave the area my brother is in. I don’t know what has changed in his plans for my brother to be here doing yard work instead of hunting down our family, but I know it won’t be long before I find out.