Chapter 16
LORENZO
Her father sits at the head of the table, attempting to glare a hole into my head as he throws back another glass of liquor.
Unfortunately for him, he’s trying that bullshit on the wrong person.
His wife stares at the ridiculous amount of food in front of us, the table ornamented with fresh flowers.
She takes a long sip of her champagne, as if her life depends on it.
I make a point to entwine my fingers with Lily's and bring our hands above the table. She pales as she stares at them, almost disbelieving my boldness.
I’m not a man familiar with affection, but I am someone who takes my missions seriously.
And I’ve observed enough lovesick fools to understand the foundations of public displays of affection.
I don’t know what conversation I’d walked in on, but the room was tense.
Whether Lily was aware of it or not, the moment her gaze landed on me, a spark of relief washed over her before her expression morphed into that scowl she’s adopted lately when dealing with me.
“Perhaps I’ve been too busy internationally, but I’m not familiar with you or your family,” her brother says as a conversation starter.
I’ve done my research on Vince Taylor. He's three years older than Lily, and from what I can gather, the two have a good relationship.
I'm especially interested in his recent business success, though. He doesn’t look like a man who could flip a company's profits overnight. He’s seemingly the most carefree one at the table.
“Lorenzo and his family dabble in a lot of different businesses,” Lily rushes to say, her voice high-pitched. I squeeze her hand reassuringly. Whether Lily believes it or not, I can act the gentleman when it’s required of me.
“I thought you were just a friend of the Armanis,” her father interjects. “Bring an Armani son here, and I might be inclined to offer my approval.”
“Dad!” Lily says with a gasp.
I chuckle, and it seems to unnerve the table. Ignoring their reactions, I take Lily’s plate and fill it with some of her favorites.
“I prefer to keep my dealings private and mostly focus on my portfolio throughout Europe,” I tell them.
“Real estate?” Vince asks, seemingly interested.
“Amongst other things,” I reply, keeping things vague.
“I don’t trust a man who hides things,” Henrith says.
“Henrith,” Lily’s mother says under her breath, but avoids his gaze.
It’s obvious she fears her own husband, and I briefly study Lily, her body language giving away more than she’ll ever realize.
She fears for her mother, because she continuously looks between her parents like a well-trained child, noticing the subtle shifts when something is about to go awry.
I place Lily’s plate in front of her, knowing she often doesn’t eat when stressed, which has basically been the entire time I’ve been staying with her. I usually have to force her to sit and have a meal.
“I agree entirely,” I say matter-of-factly, and I can see from the tiny shift in Lily's posture that she’s trying not to overtly react.
I don’t like pretending to be something I’m not, but for the sake of the mission, and at my boss's demand, I’ll get in their good fucking graces. Whether Henrith likes me or not.
Men like Henrith Taylor are used to people kissing their ass and giving them anything they ask for, if only for the chance to be offered a favor.
“I’ve recently gotten into real estate myself,” Vince declares. “I’d be interested to hear about your investments after dinner.”
“We’ll be leaving after dinner, unfortunately,” Lily is quick to say.
I offer a small smile and slide my hand onto her knee. Her body jerks ever so slightly, but she doesn’t push away my hand. “I’ve promised Lily an evening for just us. Work has been busy lately, so I hope you don’t hold it against me for prioritizing my time with her.”
Henrith glares scathingly across the table. Although Vince seems like the welcoming party of the family, I can read the underlying tension that skirts amongst the table. It isn’t only to do with my presence; there's something that runs deeper. I watch as her father takes another gulp of his drink.
I have no doubt that it has something to do with that.
The next thirty minutes are underwhelming as I probe about their own business dealings. Lily and Isabella remain quiet, which is concerning. I didn’t come from a happy eat-at-the-table type of family, but even I know this is uncomfortable at best, and I’m far from welcome.
Staff begin clearing the table before I’ve even finished my meal, certainly prompted by her father, who only has to shoot a few malicious glares to get them in motion—such a self-important man.
Her mother is the first to leave the dining room, and Lily is quick to shake my hand off her knee to follow her. I stand to go after her, but Vince asks me about my properties in Italy. I entertain him only for a few more minutes before tracking down my woman.
It makes me uneasy when she’s out of my sight.
A female staff member offers me a small smile and simply points to a set of open French doors.
I follow her direction and come to a stop at the threshold.
Rows of flowers are highlighted under soft lighting.
Beyond that is what appears to be a rose field that’s swallowed into the night.
Lily and Isabella look deep in conversation. Lily seems tense, and her mother waves her off and points to a few of the flowers, as if brushing off the conversation. It dawns on me then that perhaps Lily’s interest in the florist shop isn’t due to her own love of flowers.
“Oh, yeah, Mom’s hobby got a bit out of control,” Vince says as he comes to stand beside me and lights a cigar. He offers me one, but I decline.
“Has your mother always been this way?” I ask curiously.
It doesn’t serve me any purpose to have this knowledge.
There’s nothing about it that could really offer me any help in bringing Henrith Taylor's business to its knees. But it’s the way I watch Lily with her mother, both of their admiration for the flowers as they’re deep in discussion about something.
I can tell from the way Lily’s eyebrows dip and she touches Isabella’s elbow that she’s now comforting her in some way.
“For as long as I can remember,” Vince replies. “Most likely how Lily got her name.” Vince chuckles. “Not that I think my father really cared what she was called since she wasn’t a boy.”
I slice a glare in his direction, and Vince casually shrugs his shoulder. “Come on, everyone knows my father’s a dick.”
“Yet you still work for him,” I state.
“Better the devil you know than the one you don’t, right? Besides, it’s not like I don’t like the lifestyle it provides me. So maybe I’m a bastard for it, but if all I have to do is run a few companies, then so be it. At least I’m not stuck here in New York anymore.”
It’s not news to me that Vince works internationally, but there’s something he's leaving unsaid. Now I’m even more interested in the dynamic between Vince and Henrith and their business dealings.
“I said I didn’t like this scotch anymore!
” Henrith’s voice explodes from the dining room.
A woman screams, followed by the sound of something smashing.
Vince and I stride toward the chaos. The woman who only moments ago pointed me in Lily’s direction is on her knees, picking up pieces of glass from what once was a bottle.
“Why is everyone so useless around here?” Henrith demands as he slicks back his hair.
The moment he sees us, his eyes narrow on me, and he adjusts his suit jacket. “You’re still here.”
“Henrith.” Isabella's voice sounds small as she pushes past me and into the room. “Let’s take this to our rooms. You’re obviously not feeling well.”
“Not feeling well?”
Lily’s hand grabs my wrist, as if to hold me back. I hadn't even noticed she was next to me.
This little display has me realizing with startling clarity that Henrith isn’t only an asshole, but he clearly has violent outbursts after drinking.
My fingers curl into my palm, memories coming back of my own father. I might not have been able to stop him then, but men like this…
Observe, I remind myself.
Find his weakness. Take down his business.
That was the mission I was given.
Me beating the shit out of this man wouldn’t even feed my personal satisfaction, so why was I so quick to move, and Lily just as quick to stop me?
“We have guests,” Isabella reminds him quietly.
Henrith shoots a disgusted glance at me and scoffs. “No guest of mine.”
“Come on, Dad, let’s go get you another drink,” Vince says cheerily as he walks around the mess.
“We should leave,” Lily says quietly, and pulls me away from the scene.
I follow her, scowling and confused as to why she’s in such a rush to leave.
It's as if she's in denial of what just happened. But I know better than anyone what it’s like to live with an alcoholic's outbursts and the monster that it can bring forth.
I let her lead me out to the car before I grab her wrist and spin her toward me.
“Has he ever hurt you?” I growl out. Right now, it’s the only thing I seem to care about. Of all the leads I might’ve gained tonight, the only thing I want to know is if at any point he’s ever laid a hand on her. Because if he has, I’ll burn this fucking mansion to the ground with him inside.
She gapes at me. “How dare you?”
“Answer the question.”
“How dare you come into my home, uninvited, and accuse my family of what… violence?”
“I only care about your safety.”
She scoffs, tears brimming in her eyes, and I don’t entirely believe her act. Suddenly, I’m realizing that the woman I thought was so sweet might be harboring her own dark secrets and demons.
“I loathe you so fucking much. You stepped over a line tonight.”
“There’s no line that I won't cross to remain by your side.”
She shakes her head furiously. “You’re such a tyrant! I hate you so much!”
“I never asked to be friends,” I deadpan. Lily is gravely mistaken if she thinks I’m anything close to friendly. In a matter of weeks, this arrangement will feel as if it never happened. She’ll forget about me, and I’ll continue with my work.
Doesn’t mean I won’t do everything I can for her now.
And she still hasn’t answered my fucking question, and the deflection eats me alive.
There’s so much unknown to me about this family, and the closer I get to answers, the farther she pushes me away. I’m not entirely sure if it’s self-preservation or to protect her family.
She’s already storming toward the car, ignoring me as I call out for her.
For fuck's sake. This woman is so painful to deal with, and somehow those little legs pick up speed whenever I’m asking her for an honest answer.
I wonder if Lily’s ever really taken the time to thoroughly dissect her family dynamic and look at it through an honest lens. Or if, much like tonight, she’s used to running.