Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 86325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
"Fine, I'll tell you what I know," she mutters. "First you need to understand what happened after our wedding."
"Go on," I mutter.
"After you tried to get rid of me," Liv goes on ruthlessly. "My body was tossed outside. That's where the Giordanis found me."
"The Giordanis?" I scoff at the name. "They're not part of our famiglia. In fact, they're one step away from being our enemies."
"I know," Livia shrugs. "But they saved me, so I owe them. I was taken in by them on the verge of death. They nursed me back to health and gave me the medical attention I needed. They made sure I was in one piece. The Giordanis were kind to me."
"Why?" I hiss.
"Because I had some useful information," she goes on. "I used to go to a boarding school with Nicoletta Carlucci."
"The real one?" I demand.
"Certainly." She smiles, enjoying this. "So, I was perhaps the only person who could tell them apart. One of the rare people who knew Nicoletta before her father took her out of the school in a hurry. Her mother was killed, Nicoletta's. Her father, Gustavo, was eager to protect her. So, he took her to some secluded mansion in Italy. Nobody knew their location. Rumor had it he hired a man to take care of the grounds, a man who had a daughter Nicoletta's age. She served as a companion to his little girl, and the man was the groundskeeper."
"I already know all this," I remind her icily. "You got any new information or are you only going to serve up old bullshit?"
"Fuck, Ryder, would you relax..." She innocently bats her lashes. "I'm only just getting to the good part."
"Which is?"
"When they were little, the girls came here."
"Here?" I knit my brows together, remembering my meeting with the two blonde girls. "The mansion? Yes, I remember. Gustavo was with them. That's why I was confused."
"It wasn't Gustavo," she shakes her head. "The real Gustavo asked the groundskeeper and his daughter to switch places. The real Nicoletta was there, too. It was a test to see whether they were safe. They weren't. The trio was followed that night, and after that, Gustavo and Nicoletta became even more sheltered. But I'm sure the groundskeeper got his idea from that event."
"To take their place," I nod. "To kill Gustavo."
"And Nicoletta."
"He wouldn't kill a little girl," I mutter. I remember the other girl and our conversation so clearly. She was innocent and young. "Nobody would."
"He would," Livia cuts in. "He was a monster. I'm sure if you ask your darling girl, she will tell you all the gory details. Either way, he killed Gustavo and his daughter, and with that, their scam began."
"You're saying Nicoletta... whatever her name is... knew all about this?"
"Yes," she nods. "And she went along with it, too. Perhaps even assisted in the murders."
This new information is almost too much for me to handle. To know that Nicoletta – my almost-wife – assisted in killing two people, is un-fucking-bearable. But at the same time, it makes sense. Gustavo – the fake Gustavo – may have roped her into this, but she still took part willingly.
With a crash, I bring my fist down on the table. "Fuck. She truly tricked me."
"She did." Livia bats her lashes again. "And you trusted her."
"Just like I trusted you," I remind her bitterly, but she merely smiles.
"Seems like you have a thing for liars."
"That ends here and now." I pick myself up from my chair and button my suit. "Leave, Livia."
"Already?" She gets up, putting her palms on the desk and leaning forward so I get a good view of her exposed decolletage. "I thought we could spend some time together. After all, you are a free man now..."
"I still don't trust you," I bark. "Why did you want to kill my father in the first place?"
"You still don't know?" She throws her head back and laughs. "I really thought you'd gotten to the bottom of that, Ryder. I guess your detective skills aren't as good as mine."
"Shut up," I snarl. "Tell me the truth for once, Livia. Why do you want my father dead?"
Suddenly, she's overtaken by passion, or anger – or maybe both. She slams her fist down too, and hisses, "Because my parents died because of him. Didn't you know that? Thought you did your research, Ryder."
"What the fuck do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said," she bites out, clearly frustrated as she paces the room before me, avoiding my gaze. "My parents both worked for your famiglia. But they were killed in the line of duty, when somebody tried to shoot your father. My papa tried to stop him, and Mama saw it, and tried to save him. Instead, the bullet went through both of their bodies, killing them on the spot."
I stare at her, unsure whether I should believe her or not. But the passion in her voice tells me there's got to be some truth to what she's just told me.