6. Aria
Chapter six
Aria
I dab underneath my eyes with a powder brush for the umpteenth time, trying to cover up the blackened bags that have formed there within the past few days. Shutting my eyes tightly, I release a pent-up breath to relax my grating nerves, especially because I’m still livid about Elio Donatelli’s unthinkable offer.
Why the hell did he think I was going to accept becoming his wife? A criminal’s wife? How did he even come up with such an outrageous idea?
I rub at my temples to alleviate the dull throbbing that has begun there, careful not to smear the layer of makeup I’ve just added to my face.
With a frustrated breath, I open my eyes to give myself a distraction because Elio Donatelli’s face would not stop surfacing in my mind. He was probably thinking his fancy three-piece suit and alpha male charisma were enough to have me tripping to the extent of saying, “I do.”
Shaking my head, I release a loud scoff at the thought.
There’s so much productive stuff for me to do and Elio Donatelli is not on the list. I already have a few case files to work on, so I head towards my desk to run through one of the older case files once again. That would serve as a worthy distraction from the abominable mafia lord.
Sliding my blue-light-blocking glasses onto my eyes, I peer into my laptop screen to make out the words in my email when my phone vibrates. I usually just silence my phone at work and turn the screen over to avoid distractions, but since this call reads Mount Pleasant Healthcare , I decide to bend my rules and take the call. That’s the general hospital where my dad is being treated, so it has to be important.
“Aria Abruzzi speaking.” My voice is steady as I still scan through the email my client sent to me earlier in the day.
“Miss Abruzzi, I’m afraid we need your attention at the hospital immediately,” a voice tells me.
“Why? Is there a problem? Oh my God! Did something happen to my dad?”
“Miss Abruzzi, we need you to be calm. Just get here as soon as you can.”
I don’t realize my hands are trembling until the phone clatters to the floor.
“Oh my God...oh my God...” Tears burn the back of my eyes. I quickly grab every important item on my desk, the case files and my work bag, then I slip my feet into my black stiletto heels, grab my jacket, and hurry out of my office.
“Miss Abruzzi, I have extra assignments...” the intern supervisor, Joan, calls out as I dash past her.
“I’m sorry, Joan, family emergency,” I croak, then hurry outside the building and stop the first taxi I can find. “Take me to the Mount Pleasant Medical Center as fast as you can.”
Hastily climbing into the backseat, I dump all of my items and yell at the man. “Go!”
***
The door to the cab slams shut.
I stuff every item in my arms into my work bag, except for the documents, and run all the way to the front desk of the medical center.
The brunette at the counter directs me to the doctor’s office, and as I make my way there, I’m tempted to sneak myself upstairs and just head straight to Dad’s room, but before I can implement the thought, the doctor finds me.
“Miss Abruzzi, I’m glad you could make it. Come on in,” he says, guiding me to his office.
“Please, have a seat.” He gestures to a chair on the other side of his desk when we enter. I’m not patient enough for his politeness though. In fact, I cannot help but think that he is this nice to me because something terrible has happened to Dad.
“What’s wrong with my father?” I blurt out, without even accepting the seat the doctor has offered.
“Miss Abruzzi…” he seems to hesitate for a moment before releasing his next words in a slow, controlled breath, “someone tried to kill your father.”
“What?!” My heart strikes against my chest as I stare in horror at him.
My knees suddenly feel weak, and I lower myself humbly into the chair closest to me and hold my head in my hands. I can’t control the streams of tears that begin to cloud my vision or the unbearable pain seizing my chest at the moment.
“...someone disguised as one of our nurses went to his room at about 1 p.m. to tamper with his medication...”
I bite my lip to restrain my sob and snap my head up at him. He says nothing more but stares at me with a look of stupid sympathy.
No! Dad has cops protecting him…how could they have fucking missed the culprit?
Tears continue to trickle down my face, but I don’t care. “How’s Dad? I want to see him.” I shoot up from my seat, pinning the doctor with an angry gaze. “I want to fucking see my father.”
He takes another deep breath along with a step that brings him to me. With a solemn look, he places a hand on my shoulder. “Of course, but you need to know your father is in a coma.”
The words echo around my head. I stagger backward, my body starting to feel numb as I slowly start to dissociate from reality.
The rest of the doctor’s words are a blur. He’s saying something about acetaminophen being replaced with an overdose of opioids and them trying to trace the person who was caught on the CCTV, but I can’t comprehend it. The only thing that fills my mind at this moment is Elio.
Still with staggering feet, I find my items, which I’d placed on the chair earlier, and wobble out of the office.
***
“I hear you’ve been blowing up my phones trying to reach me.” Elio’s voice is filled with pride.
My lips lift in a reflex sneer as the unmistakable arrogance in his voice crawls its way into my ears. I would have hung up that instant if it wasn’t a matter of life and death.
I’m too weak to snap at him, so I just say, “I need to see you,” and leave it at that.
“I have a reservation at an Italian restaurant on Madison Avenue. Be there at 4.” With that, the line clicks dead.
It’s just twenty minutes to 4 p.m. I take one look at my phone screen and decide that I will not be going to a meeting with Elio Donatelli looking like a princess in distress. So, walking out of the hospital building, I grab my makeup gear from my bag and walk into the first restaurant I see, right across the street, to fix my face.
I arrive at the meeting spot?an elegant restaurant of his choice of course? at about five minutes past 4 p.m. and let the breathtaking view distract me from my internal turmoil. The floor-to-ceiling windows present fascinating views of New York buildings, and the white and gold ambiance of the restaurant does a tad bit to soothe my worries.
There are crisp, white linens adorning the small, round tables, fine China, and crystal glasses twinkling with the reflection from the chandeliers. The entire hall is adorned with lavish floral decorations and candle lights flickering on every table.
I’m in awe at the sophisticated ambiance of this place when one of the waiters walks up to direct me to where Elio is seated, releasing smoke from his lips into the air.
“You’re late.”
My eyes run over his black, striped suit, settling on his muscular biceps first before glancing at the document he has on the table in front of him. Swallowing thickly, I lower myself into the seat across from him.
“What do you want?” He quirks a brow at me, tilting his lips to the side to release smoke from the cigar in between his fingers.
It’s difficult to bring myself to have this conversation, but it is the only way I think my father can remain alive. It’s obvious the cops can’t protect him.
I press my lips into a thin line. “I want to talk about the marriage offer. What do you want in exchange?”
He drops the stub of his cigar into an ashtray and pops a mint candy into his mouth. For a moment, there’s a ghost of a smile on his lips as his gaze lands on my exposed cleavage. “So you’re here to agree to my offer.”
I release a deep breath of frustration. I’d always thought that I would eventually get married to someone who was my age. Kind. Cute.
But even if we did get married, it would only be make believe, right?
I suppress the shiver that pricks my nape and say, “That’s very unlikely, seeing that I barely know the conditions for this...” I lift my fingers to draw quotation marks in the air, “...offer.”
“My terms are simple. Get me intel on whoever blew the whistle on my warehouse…”
“That’s it?” My eyes are double their normal size from disbelief. His gaze darkens and there’s an amused smile on his lips. I don’t know about his warehouse, but if it’s that simple, then–.
“You would have to protect my real identity and move in with me, of course.” There’s a smug smile on his lips as his gaze runs over me.
“That is definitely never happening.”
He adjusts himself casually. “I’m an influential man, and the minute we get married, the media will be all over us.”
“I don’t care!” My voice goes up a notch, attracting stares from the waiters. “Listen,” my tone drops to a whisper, “If we have to make this work, we have to be realistic…”
“And moving into my house is not realistic?” He arches a brow at me.
“No. No, the fuck it isn’t,” I sigh. “Listen, I need you to protect my dad and maybe me. In return, I’ll get you intel on whoever is messing around with your business stuff. That’s it, understood?”
A scoff escapes his lips, and for the few seconds he glares at me, I’m tapping my feet incessantly on the tiled floor, praying silently that he doesn’t refuse.
“How do you explain that we are married and living apart?” He leans in slowly until his face is a breath away from mine.
I hold my breath rapidly, feeling very hot.
None of the ideas in my mind amount to anything reasonable, so with my jaw clenched, I bob my head up and down in agreement, “Fine. I’ll move in.”
“Immediately.” A little smirk dances around his lips.
“What? No! What happened to waiting till after the wedding?” My hands flare in exaggerated movements to support the words easing from my lips.
“I don’t think you want to wait till then, Princess. Your father just got attacked. Do you believe there’s any chance that you’ll be miraculously left out of all this drama?”
My heart stops, then slowly begins to thud in fright. He’s right. If whoever’s attacking my dad finds out that they didn’t succeed for the second time, they could come for me this time.
“Alright, fine! F...fine...Goddammit!”
Elio sucks in a sharp breath through his nostrils. “That’s what I thought. I’ll meet up with my lawyer, Patrick Howard, so we can have a certificate arranged. As soon as we have that and a quick ceremony, it’ll be legal.”
God! I can’t believe I have to move in with a criminal. I always considered myself a strong advocate of the law and look at me now.
I wish I could go back to the time when I was oblivious to his true identity and just remain ignorant because carrying this deep burden of knowledge is like stabbing myself in the heart.
There’s an irritating, lopsided grin on his face as he pulls back and rises. He holds my gaze, clearing his throat before slowly walking over to me. Before I know it, he goes down on one knee and brings out a large, round-cut diamond ring, stretching it towards me.
“That being settled, Aria Abruzzi, will you marry me?”
I’m still in shock as I stare at him. I knew what I was signing up for, but I didn’t expect this. Though I can’t deny the oddly pleasant feeling that erupts in my chest at the sight.
Color flushes my cheeks as the ladies and gentlemen in the restaurant are gawking, gasping, and clapping around us.
“Say yes!” a blonde haired lady cries enthusiastically, wiping tears from her eyes.
The more I look at them, the more overwhelming the whole scenario becomes.
“Say yes, darling, and smile. My knees are hurting,” he announces through a smile.
I bite my lips, taking in how his biceps thicken before me. Out of all the decisions I’ve had to make in my entire life, this is the hardest. This is a deal with the devil…a bait, and I’m taking it. I have to.
“Yes,” I force a smile to my lips, and he wastes no time in slipping the ring onto my finger.
Before I can tell him how much I hate this deal, he yanks me closer to him with an arm around my waist and smashes his lips against mine hungrily. I’m angry at myself for how I melt into the kiss, submitting to the warm embrace of his tongue.
I close my eyes, and my stomach flips when he groans.
“Fuck,” he whispers against my lips. “I’ve been waiting too long to do this again.”