His Discarded Bride: Lied to from birth. Manipulated into marriage. Does love stand a chance? (5 page)

She was like a puzzle, and it was time he figured her out. Getting her here was one thing; he now needed to convince her to marry him. Undecided still as to whether she would receive a business proposal well he decided to try the old fashioned way first. He would romance her for a week, whirlwind style should do the trick. He would need to hurry before Vittorio got wind that she was here and started meddling.

“Tomorrow I will take you on a tour of the city,” he stated.

“Oh, thank you but no that is fine I don’t need you to play tour guide. You have helped me more than enough.”

“I insist. You are new to my country, and I would like to take you around and show you the local area. I have cleared my calendar to do this so no arguing,” he smiled at her.

“Oh, um, actually I have plans for tomorrow. I hope that is okay.”

Renato was dumbfounded. She had only landed and hadn’t even managed to organise accommodation. It seemed highly unlikely that she would have anything else booked. He wondered what she was up to.

“May I ask what you will be doing?”

“Oh,” she looked around avoiding eye contact, “It’s just that I had already booked some things in that I wouldn’t mind seeing on my own. You know at my pace,” she prevaricated.

Renato let her off the hook. “No problem at all. Maybe the next day we can do something?”

“Sure, that would be great,” she looked relieved to be off the hook.

After dinner he suggested a walk and they strolled around the local area. “It’s so beautiful here. I love this place,” she waved her arm at the lovely local gardens and trickling fountains.

“It’s a beautiful country one that you should enjoy with a companion.”

“Yes, but we are not all looking for companionship,” she bristled slightly.

He raised his brows at her and took on a look of mock hurt. “You do not wish for my company?” he laughed.

Leilani had not done much playful interacting of late, and it took her a moment to take in that he was just mucking around with her. The shock and hurt of the recent event had left her feeling emotionally wounded and not in touch with her usual joyful self. She had been trying to lift herself out of the funk and knew this trip was possibly the only way to accomplish her goal. Only at what cost she was still yet to discover.

“I’m sorry I guess I haven’t felt like a lot of companionship of late. To be honest on this trip, I was looking forward to some peace and quiet from everyday life. Hopefully, a relaxing holiday will help sort me out and please I do want to say that I am thankful for your hospitality.”

He gave her a quizzical look. Some things were simply not adding up, and he would get to the bottom of it. First she mentioned some business to attend to, and now it was a peaceful trip that she was here for, not to mention her complete discomfort of him ruining whatever plans she had set for tomorrow. He would lay odds on her meeting up with a reporter for a quick financial gain. He was an astute judge of character not to mention perceptive.  The store bought clothing and old suitcases were an obvious indicator that she would benefit from the cash. “Rome is an odd destination for peace. You did not think of a regional area perhaps, the mountains or maybe the sea?”

“Yes, you are right. I wanted to see the main city first, and then I will most likely make plans to see Capri or something like that.”

She was not doing a good job of convincing him. Capri while peaceful to look at was a busy tourist destination and unless she had a decent wad of cash she would not be finding much peace out there. He’d have someone follow her tomorrow. It was looking more and more like a business transaction was going to be their only option. Romance was for the trustworthy, and he didn’t believe a word coming out of her mouth. 

CHAPTER FIVE

Renato as always was up at the crack of dawn, coffee in hand, staring at his weekly business reports. He saw Leilani scurry past his doorway looking to make a stealthy escape. He was not going to stop her; he’d only end up hearing more of her lies. Instead, he let her leave knowing that his head of security would be following her every move. By the end of the day, he would know what she was up to and how to approach the proposal. Given her lack of sex appeal a straight out business transaction would be most logical. She didn’t turn him on, and he didn’t doubt that he would need a mistress. However, he would never publicly embarrass his wife. He would be discreet. As the mother of his children, she would need to be faithful. Having some semblance of a plan he felt himself relax and concentrated on his work while he waited for updates on Leilani’s whereabouts.

Leilani breathed a sigh of relief. While thankful for Renato’s hospitality she didn’t want to feel as though she needed to report her whereabouts to him. Her situation was complicated. She was feeling at an all-time low, and she needed to follow through on her plans and not be distracted or dissuaded by anyone, no matter what others thought.  One of her friends emphatically believed that she was entering into homewrecker status. She’d mulled that over, but it took two to tango right and why was she the one being labelled a home-wrecker. Surely he had to have some accountability for his actions.

She checked her paperwork and followed the maps she had with her to her first destination. With her mind filled with fleeting emotions all chasing one another from dread and fear to anticipation and hope she didn’t notice the sights around her. She must have been walking at a reasonable pace because before she knew it she was facing a large wooden door that she was to knock on. It was time to set the ball in motion, and it was too late to turn back now. She knocked on the door and entered.

An hour or so later Leilani came out of the building hoping that she had made the right decision. She decided that she would spend the rest of the day exploring the city. She didn’t have much spending money, but window shopping was free, and it would be a nice way to take her mind off things.

Wandering the streets of Rome, she finally started to relax and take in the culture, everything was so different to what she was used to. The streets were amazing filled with old stone buildings with tiny little balconies or windows, most had red, white or pink flowers in hanging baskets. Some windows had a few clothes out hanging to dry. The streets were narrow and very picturesque. She found a set of shops and walked in to see what was for sale. The first store she walked into had handmade writing books. Apparently the paper was of the finest quality and, in fact, some of it was made from material such as cotton. There were also lovely old fashioned ink calligraphy sets though a glance at the price indicated they were well outside of her affordability.

Handling the ink pot carefully, she gently put it back on the shelf, while the shopkeeper tried to push her into a sale. “Oh no, I’m sorry, I’m just window shopping at this stage.” The shopkeeper looked put out, so Leilani thought it best to take her leave. The next shop had local delicacies and the largest lemons she had ever seen. She couldn’t resist, she took a selfie with the lemon in front of her face to give perspective to its size. It was almost the size of her face. She was tempted to buy it but really what would she do with it. The shop attendant was giving her a look, and she buckled in and bought some red, white and green dried novelty pasta at a well and truly over inflated for tourists’ price.

Even though she’d opted for comfy shorts, T-shirt and joggers she started to feel the heat, was working up a sweat and thought it best to head back to the apartment. Her early morning visit was also weighing on her mind making it difficult to enjoy the city.

“I want to know exactly who she met up with in Rome and what she was doing in there for over an hour,” he slammed down the phone frustrated. Leilani was turning into somewhat of a mystery, and he didn’t like the disadvantage. He continued to work waiting for the callback. His head of security Savino would be prompt, he always was. Renato only hired the most competent staff in their area of expertise which is why he had brought the business to the success it currently was. If you wanted a quality product and business then you had to pay for the best the whole way through. Too many companies cut corners, and it was their ultimate undoing.

Within fifteen minutes, Renato got the call. “The man she saw today runs a few different businesses; his prime income is from freelancing for magazines.”

“What else does he do?”

“He spent a few years as a Polizia ufiziali and now does temporary security roles. He married a Sicilian woman ten years ago, and they have three sons together. He has had several discreet affairs, his wife completely unaware.”

Renato was fuming that Leilani was consorting with this scum. When she got home, he would put an end to their relationship. It was time to put the business proposition forward.

Leilani froze in her tracks as a man rushed towards her and took her photograph firing off rapid Italian questions at her. “I don’t understand, no Italian,” she regretted not learning a few key phrases and couldn’t comprehend why he was taking her photo. Renato’s words of not all areas being safe came rushing back to her. She tried to get around the man as politely as possible, but he kept putting himself in her way, and she started to panic.

“Please move,” she pleaded uselessly. He clearly had no grasp of English and even if he did she doubted he would budge. To her consternation, another man approached her also with camera in hand. However, this one knew English. “Is it true you are Renato Favalli’s new lover?”

“No, absolutely not,” she stated emphatically.

“As unlikely as it would seem,” he sneered, “We have all seen the photos of you sneaking from his apartments early this morning. How do you comment?”

“I have nothing to say. Please step out of my way,” she insisted her voice rising with the increasing anxiety she was feeling.

The reporters wouldn’t budge so she turned around and started to run. She was no athlete but somehow in the crowd of people she managed to lose them and herself. Leilani had no idea where she was so she grabbed her phone to see if she could use the navigation system. Unfortunately, she had no service in Italy, darn she was supposed to put the global roaming on, why was she always so disorganised. She found a quiet step to sit on and pulled out her maps. It was much easier to follow the directions on a map when she’d had plenty of time to study the route first. The most difficult part was trying to find a location on a huge map when she didn’t know where she was.

She walked around looking for a few street signs to try to pinpoint her location. All the streets had via something or other which was obviously the word for street or road. Finally, she found her location on the map and realised that she had gone quite a distance from the apartment. She roughly mapped out the direction she would need to walk, the long way, to avoid those insistent reporters. Leilani didn’t think the day could get much worse when a dark luxury sedan screeched up beside her, and the door flung open.

Leilani felt real fear, “Get in the car, now,” demanded a familiar but lethally angry voice.

She jumped back and looked into the car and the seething face of Renato. “Oh, um, I’d rather walk if you don’t mind,” she stuttered.

He tossed a couple of magazines and papers out onto the road. There were photos of Leilani leaving the airport with Renato and a more damaging one of her scurrying out of his house this morning. There were captions that were all in Italian and probably a good thing as she could only imagine them referring to what looked like an early morning walk of shame.

“You are not safe walking; the press will continue to find you and hound you. Something you should have thought about before you tipped them off. Now get in the car before I get out and drag you in here myself.”

On the basis of self-preservation Leilani quickly got into the front passenger seat of the car shrinking as close to the door as possibly. They drove on in silence for a period before she finally plucked up the courage to try and clear up the misunderstanding. “Renato, I’m sorry that those photos made the paper…”

“Did they pay you well?” he cut her off.

“No, I…”

“You should have asked for more then. You obviously undersold the information you have.”

“No, I mean I didn’t…”

“Enough. I’m not interested in anything else you have to say on this topic. The damage is done.”

“Where are we going?” Leilani asked as assertively as she could. They were not heading back to the apartment.

“We are going to my village near Naples.”

“N, Naples,” God she hated that she sounded like a scared rabbit. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with her. Then again she was sitting in a car with an angry Italian that she did not know from a bar of soap, and he was taking her to Naples. “Please let me out of the car.”

He glanced her way and snorted derisively, “Do not flatter yourself Leilani. I’m not abducting you to have my wicked way with you. You have put us both in an untenable situation, and it is now not possible for us to stay in Rome. The public have taken a great interest in the story that has come out, and we will not be left alone. I’m taking you to my refuge; it is a press proof property, and we can lay low until the story dies down.”

“How long will that take?”

“Until the next newsworthy story takes precedence. Besides, you said you wanted some relaxation time. If you weren’t lying about that, then you should find this place a good enough retreat.”

Leilani wasn’t quite sure what she’d done to earn his distrust so rapidly. However, he certainly wasn’t open to hearing the truth. She would explain herself when he had time to calm down. Given his supposed notoriety she would have thought that he should have been the one prepared for this situation. Surely running off to the country wasn't t the only solution. She needed to be in the city; she didn’t have time to spare lazing around the countryside no matter how peaceful or idyllic that sounded.

Renato glanced at Leilani while she chewed on her plump bottom lip, a metallic taste in her mouth no doubt. He pictured running his tongue across that full, moist bottom lip and tasting her mouth. He’d explore softly, lure her into him and then imprison her face with his hands to take full possession of the kiss. Renato pulled himself up short, for god sake he wasn’t even attracted to the woman, she was untrustworthy, difficult to get through to and nothing like the sexy, svelte women he normally dated. He’d apparently gone too long without a woman, an unusual occurrence but one he’d have no problem rectifying.

He thought about his slight deception in getting her to his hometown. The article indeed painted Leilani in a negative light. The reporter had mentioned details of a sordid night and the lowering of Renato’s standards by the look of his latest mistress who had slunk out to do her walk of shame early in the morning. He could only imagine her embarrassment if she were literate in Italian, a mild punishment for consorting with the reporter in the first place. The clincher though was that the article came complete with several photos from inside the apartment. Renato rarely brought guests to the apartment and only those that he could count on to be discreet. Aside from his in-house staff, head of security and Camilla the only other person with the ability to take photos of the inside was Leilani. She was also the only one that had not earned her trust with him.

The reality was that the newsworthiness of their supposedly sordid night would have already died down. However, the situation with a little further manipulation would work perfectly to suit his needs, and he was not above doing so to get his way.

They had driven a couple of hours before they got to his hometown of Pontelandolfo. It wasn’t a suburb of the rich and famous or a well-known retreat area. It was where Vittorio had grown up, and for Renato it was where the only roots he knew stood. Renato wasn’t one for sentimentality, but he felt pride when he thought of the village that withstood the harshness of the snowy winter weather and then produced quality garden produce in the warmer months. The mountain flowed all year with fresh spring water. As a boy, he’d trek up the hill and fill a bottle or cup it in his hands to drink water that was fresher than any expensive designer bottles on the supermarket shelves. Most importantly Pontelandolfo was the birthplace of the man he admired most in the world so by default it had a strong hold over him.

His phone rang, and he picked it up through the car stereo, “Pronto.”

“Ciao Renato.”

It was Camilla; he shot off a few rapid-fire questions in Italian to check on the status of his most recent requests.

“Of course, the rooms have been aired, the staff alerted and everything is prepared for your arrival. Surely though you don’t need to take her with you?”

“It’s none of your concern,” he snapped back irritated, thankful that Leilani had no grasp of the language. She kept her eyes averted looking at the scenery through the passenger window.

“Ren, I think it will give people the wrong impression, particularly the locals. You know how small town gossip is. Why don’t we just set her up in town and give her some security detail.”