Chapter Thirteen Lorenzo
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Lorenzo
O nce Lily disappears inside Dahlia’s car, Julian stalks me back to tonight’s ride—a vintage Jaguar two-seater like the one my dad was always repairing for the Hawthorne family. While my mom managed their wealthy lakefront estate, my father worked odd jobs around town to provide for us.
Mechanic. Italian tutor. Firearms instructor, travel agent, and occasional bartender.
The life he had in Lake Wisteria was a far cry from his extravagant upbringing, but my mom—a military brat who believed in law and order—didn’t want to expose a child to the Vittori lifestyle.
Around the world, our surname is feared as much as it is loathed, so she moved back to the only place that ever felt safe.
Still to this day, I don’t understand how my father managed to go from a billionaire casino heir to a small-town nobody who was fixing luxury cars instead of driving them, but I suppose his hyperfixation with making my mother happy had a way of manipulating his mind.
Then again, I’m running for public office because of my fixation with avenging my parents, so it’s not like I can judge.
“Lorenzo,” Julian says to my back.
I turn and lean against the car. “Yes?”
He retains a few feet of distance. “How much will it cost me?”
“I’m not interested in selling my car,” I say with a detached voice.
“I’m not talking about that, and you know it.” His body is riddled with tension.
I can make an educated guess about what he’s insinuating, but I want to hear him say it aloud so he has to face his own bad idea.
“I’d rather you clarify so I don’t get pissed for no reason.”
He holds my cold stare without looking away. “I want you to leave Lily alone.”
“And you think money is going to do the trick?” I laugh.
“That’s not what I’m offering.”
I tilt my head. “Then what do you possibly have that I could ever want?”
“You wanted my endorsement, right?”
His question makes me pause. “Don’t tell me you’re going to back out of our deal now.”
He shakes his head. “No, but what if I could get you more?”
Okay, I’ll bite for curiosity’s sake. “Like who?”
“A lot of people around here owe me favors. I’m talking about influential, well-connected people who probably have more in common with you than they realize.”
“And you’d call in those favors for me? I’m touched.”
His jaw ticks. “I’m doing this for Lily.”
“Because you want me to stay away.”
He nods.
“In that case, I don’t think she’d be too happy to hear about this conversation.”
If he keeps clenching his jaw, he won’t have any teeth left to grind. “She doesn’t need to find out.”
“Ah. Well, that’s a problem, then, because we don’t keep secrets from one another.”
“But you have no problem keeping them from us?” he snaps.
“Seeing as I’m not in love with you, no, I don’t.” My calculated reply only makes him twitchier.
“You can’t expect me to believe you two fell in love.”
“I mean, whether you choose to believe it or not doesn’t make it any less true.”
His forehead creases with concern. “I know if I loved a woman, I wouldn’t be so quick to hide it from the world.”
My lips curl at the corners. “What if I told you it was all her idea?”
Pushing Julian’s buttons has become one of my favorite pastimes. I bet it eats him up inside to know the pseudo-sister he puts on a pedestal would lie to him because of me .
“There’s no way she would suggest it.” Julian shakes his head.
“Hm.” I give him a quick once-over, noting his rigid body language. “Think about it. What would I stand to gain by keeping our relationship a secret? If anything, I’d get to piss you off in a whole new way.”
His lips press together, their color turning white.
I can practically hear the gears in his head turning as he considers who benefited most from keeping the relationship a secret.
I thought I was done, but I can’t help myself as I say, “And Julian?”
He lifts his chin in silent acknowledgment.
“There is absolutely nothing you can offer me that would convince me to leave Lily—whether it be money, endorsements, or a guaranteed election victory. So bring up the idea again and I’ll show you what it’s like to be my enemy.
” I get into my car and drive away, ignoring Julian glowering in my rearview mirror as I head home.
It takes Manny precisely twenty minutes to find out about my “relationship.”
MANNY
You and Lily are a thing?!
MANNY
WTF man. How could you not tell me? I thought we were close.
MANNY
And she calls you BABY?
MANNY
I’m kind of jealous.
Since I feel slightly bad for keeping my fake secret to myself after he helped me fix Lily’s car the other night, I reply right away instead of leaving him on read.
ME
It was a secret.
MANNY
No shit. I understand why, but to find out the news from my mom?
MANNY
That’s cruel. Even for you.
It’s good to know word is already spreading, but I don’t know how it’s being received, so I throw Manny an invitation in exchange for information.
ME
Come over tomorrow and I’ll explain.
MANNY
Will you make up for the betrayal and let me take the Gullwing out for a ride?
He could mess with your car , the whispering voice replies, my obsession with safety always rearing its ugly head at the most inconvenient times.
You don’t have to worry if you’re inside of it with him , I reply, fighting off the intrusive thought.
But what if he crashes with you in the passenger seat?
A cold, uncomfortable feeling spreads through me.
ME
Only if you’re okay being a passenger.
MANNY
I’ll convince you to let me take it out for a spin one day. Mark my words.
I’m sure he’ll try his best, but my controlling thoughts are stronger than any negotiation skills he has.
ME
Best of luck.
MANNY
See you tomorrow, lover boy.
With Manny placated, I lock my phone and walk inside my house. It’s funny living in one that Julian designed given how much he detests me.
Julian made it nearly impossible to buy a house, either by outbidding me or using his connections to convince the buyer to sell to him instead.
He was motivated to make sure I didn’t own a property within the town’s limits so I’d be ineligible to run for mayor, but I was fueled by more than the need to avenge my parents.
If Lily’s the people’s princess, then I’m the petty prince, living in a house I dislike strictly because it pisses the designer off.
It was so much more satisfying to outsmart him by purchasing the lakefront property through a trust before transferring the title over to myself—even if I loathe everything about the mid-century modern mansion.
All the clean lines, warm wood tones, and floor-to-ceiling windows remind me too much of my uncle’s home in Vegas, but I didn’t have the luxury of being picky. If I did, I would’ve chosen my parents’ older but modest home.
But oh, wait, Julian tore it down before I had a chance.
I’m annoyed when Lily doesn’t text me when she gets home. I don’t have a real reason to be, other than her not listening to me, so I try to rationalize what could’ve happened.
She probably thought I was joking or putting on a show for the crowd, which technically is true.
Or maybe something bad happened to her . That same oily voice comes back, although this time it’s concerned about Lily’s safety, not my own.
Fuck. No.
This is your OCD talking. Lily is fine.
I screw my eyes shut and push the image of her being crushed to death inside Dahlia’s car out of my mind, but once it pops up, I can’t get it out.
Text her to check in. It’s a common courtesy after tonight’s events.
ME
Are you home?
There. Was that so hard?
When she doesn’t answer immediately, the image of her being injured returns, the details far sharper than before. Blood oozes from a head wound, and her breathing is labored, as if her lung has collapsed.
I nearly rip my hair from the roots with how hard I tug on the strands, but no amount of pain will block me from sending Lily another message.
ME
If this is going to work between us, I expect you to answer me when I text you.
Shit. I sound way too controlling, but I can’t send a third text without looking like I care too much, so I sit around and wait for her to answer.
Time passes by slowly, like I’m standing in the middle of an hourglass, counting each individual grain of sand.
Two minutes feel like ten by the time a new text pops up.
LILY
Yes. I’m home.
I want to throw my phone across the room because how can three words have the same effect over me as an emergency Xanax?
ME
Next time do what I say and text me when you get home.
LILY
Sure, baby.
ME
I hate the nickname, by the way.
Only because my heart does this little jolt every damn time she uses it.
LILY
Good. Now I love it even more.
I don’t get ten minutes to myself the next morning before my doorbell goes off. A quick glance at the security app makes me consider ignoring the visitor, but then Willow yells, “Open up, or else I quit!”
I open the door to a red-faced Willow.
“What the hell, Lorenzo?!” she shouts.
I shut the door before any of my neighbors can hear us. “I can explain.”
She barrels into my home like a hellhound, banging into the entryway table and nearly tipping over the vase with one of Lily’s bouquets.
The pink clashes with all the earthy tones in my house, but it reminds me of my mom and all the fond memories I have of my father surprising her with weekly bouquets.
The memory makes my chest tight, and I slip my hand into my front pocket and start counting the numbers on the dice to calm my racing mind.
“Lorenzo?” Willow waves her hands. “Are you even paying attention to me?”
I’m dragged out of the mental fog. “What?”
“How did you ever get Lily to agree to being your fiancée?”
“Girlfriend,” I correct. “At least for the next two months before we begin Phase Two.”
“There are phases now?”
“Apparently so.”
Her lips purse. “You know what? I don’t care what you label it. Just tell me how it all went down and why she would ever agree to being your fiancée after the Eros app incident.”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” She sounds as surprised as she looks. “What do you mean?”
Willow isn’t going to let this go easily, so I lead her to my living room, where we both take a seat on chairs across from each other.
I tap my fingers against my thigh. “She mentioned not liking the Ludlows, but we were interrupted before I had a chance to push for more information.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
Willow’s lips thin. “I don’t know if I believe that.”
What if she’s doing this to get revenge? The worry grows like a virus, making me feel sick in the head.
I can’t think of a better way for her to get back at you about the Eros app.
She’s like a Trojan horse, destined to be the downfall of your campaign. Don’t trust her.
I’m aware there are some pitfalls to having Lily play the role of my fake fiancée, but I will fight to always stay one step ahead of her.
Willow asks the same question I’ve had since I left Last Call: “What else could you have that she possibly wants? It’s obviously not money.”
“No. She didn’t even bring it up.”
“Power?”
I laugh at the idea. “She doesn’t care about politics.”
“Revenge? Because you totally deserve it for the Eros app stuff.”
I sigh.
“What if she’s angry enough to tank your entire campaign?” Willow voices my exact concern.
When I spoke to Ana , she did mention loving spy movies and true crime podcasts, but I highly doubt she’s some mastermind doing this all for revenge.
She isn’t like me, which is something I appreciate about her. Lily always sees the good in people, to the point of it being a liability, while I seek every opportunity to assume the worst.
“I don’t know her reason, but I’ll stop at nothing until I find out,” I say.
She nods. “Okay. So now that you’ve completely gone off the rails, what’s the plan?”
I repeat Lily’s idea back to Willow, and she quietly listens, only interrupting me to ask for further clarification on certain parts, like our two-month waiting period before I propose.
“I mean…” She pauses her pacing to look over at me. “I hate to say it, but this could work.”
I exhale. “That’s the only reason I agreed.”
“But…”
I screw my eyes shut. “What?”
“You both have to be strategic about this. You need to be seen everywhere but also not too much because we don’t want people to be suspicious either.
We can plan public outings, plus we have the Healing Hearts fundraiser dinner coming up.
” Her face lights up. “Oh! And imagine going on double dates with her sister and Julian—”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“There’s no other option but for you to play nice with Julian, so beg for his and everyone else’s forgiveness if you have to.”
My reply is nothing but a blank look.
She continues, “The best part about this plan is Lily’s family, so do whatever it takes to get them on your side. Julian’s endorsement speech will be a perfect full-circle moment for your relationship.”
“If he doesn’t use the opportunity to publicly roast me, that is.”
She shakes her head. “He cares too much about Lily to embarrass her like that.”
“He didn’t seem to have a problem reaming into me last night. He even tried to offer his connections in exchange for me ending my relationship with Lily.”
“Okay, clearly he’s going to be angry, but I’m sure he’ll come around in no time.”
“Lily won’t give him a choice.”
“Exactly. And while we’re on the topic of Lily, I think it’s important to keep her in the loop.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?”
“Let’s invite her over for lunch and get to work.”
Great. More time with Lily. Exactly what the psychiatrist ordered.