“The mortgage has been paid off.”
My alarm bells went off, and Luca sat up straight in the seat in front of me, his eyes widening. My brain worked fast. “Oh, yes. You see, the… Pasquale! Pasquale has a friend who’s the owner of a company. He hired me, and since he knew I had that loan, we made a deal and he paid off the debt. In exchange, I get to work for him.”
“Daisy… That was a fortune,” Aunt Lizzie whispered.
I shrugged, knowing how absurd that story sounded and how little I could do to make it more believable. “Italians are generous, and my boss wanted to return a favor to… Pasquale.”
My aunt didn’t seem convinced. “I’m so happy to see you happy, I swear I am. All I’ve wanted all these years was for you to find love again. But it was all so sudden, Daisy. So strange. One day you were with us, the next you were on your way to Italy with some Italian guy. Are you sure everything’s okay? You didn’t get mixed up in anything shady, did you…?”
“Of course not, Aunt Lizzie! When I go back to Mississippi, I’ll bring Pasquale with me so you can meet him. I promise!” That seemed to reassure her a little, and I took a deep breath. It wasn’t about me; it wasn’t about her finding out. If I could,I’d tell her the whole truth. But I feared what Camillo might do to them. I took a deep breath, and my gaze met Luca’s over the screen at that moment, and things became clear in my mind. My aunt was pregnant, and I would never leave Italy alive. “Speaking of which, since I’ll be staying with Pasquale, I… would like to transfer my share of the house to your name.”
“Daisy! No.”
“Seriously, Aunt Lizzie. There’s no point in keeping the property in my name, and besides, I know you’ll take good care of Papa’s house.” I murmured with a resigned smile. “Think of it as a gift from me to the little cousin on the way.”
Aunt Lizzie whined a bit, but she eventually accepted it.
After hanging up with her, I called Olivia. My best friend didn’t take the news that I was staying in Italy very well.
“Hoe! I’m getting tired of your stupid ideas.” She growled and I could hear shocked reactions in the background, which meant she was probably at work. Which also meant she was really pissed off, since she would never use that language in formal settings. “Bring that flat ass back to Mississippi.”
I sighed loudly. “Liv, as much as I love you, I’m staying.”
“Oh my fucking— LISTEN HERE, you dumbass! I don’t know what kind of demon possessed you, but try to use your brain. You barely know that man!”
“I know him enough.”
“Daisy Peonia Mary Parker. No dick is worth the risks you’re taking.” She kept going on about how insane the situation was and how stupid I was being, and I couldn’t help but shiver at theidea of her discovering the truth. Only the Lord knew what Olivia would be capable of. “ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?”
“Yes! And I ain’t changing my mind. Sorry, Liv. I have my reasons.”
She then raised a few more questions similar to my aunt’s, but eventually became frustrated and came to terms with it. And that was when I found out that Camillo’s plan had worked.
“Lord, I just hope you’re not involved in anything shady.” I heard her whine. “Senator Jones passed away.”
“Oh… Wow. Really?”
“Yes, Daisy. And it happened the night you disappeared.”
I swallowed hard. “Oh, come on, Liv! Are we seriously doing this right now? Are you really implying I had anything to do with that?”
“I don’t know! You tell me! The police have ruled Senator Jones’s death a suicide, and the case is already being closed. But I can’t ignore the coincidence.”
I exchanged a quick look with Luca Condello, who had been way too serious since the subject came up. Olivia couldn’t connect the dots, couldn’t start looking into it. They would kill her.
“What coincidence? Me sucking a dick dry that same night? How is that even related?” Saying Luca Condello was mortified by hearing me saying such things was an understatement, but I would do anything in my power to stop Olivia from sticking her nose in the wrong business. “No, seriously, Liv. Do you really think I would be capable of hurting Lester’s mom?”
Olivia huffed. “Of course not. I just… I just want you to come back.”
I rolled my eyes. “And your plan was to frame me for murder?” Couldn’t ignore the irony in all of that conversation.
If she only knew…
“Well, it would probably work.”
“How touching.”
“Anyway.” She sighed. “Really, babe. Are you staying with that man? Are you sure?”