Chapter 5 - A True Threat Emerges
Two weeks had passed since the gala, and a strange new routine had settled over the Fierro estate. Lily had started her new private school, and to my relief, she loved it. Giovanni had kept his promise; he was gentle with her, often spending his evenings sitting on the floor of the sunroom, helping her build elaborate Lego castles while discussing his "logistics" business in terms a five-year-old could understand.
Watching him with her made my heart ache in ways I didn't want to admit. He was a ruthless syndicate boss to the world, but to my daughter, he was a protector.
And to me, he was becoming a dangerous temptation. We shared dinners every night, talking about everything from my past medical cases to his childhood in Italy. The boundaries of our "contract" were blurring, at least in my mind.
That peace shattered on a chilly Thursday afternoon.
I was in the kitchen, helping the chef prepare dinner, when the heavy oak front doors of the mansion burst open. I heard Marco’s raised voice, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps.
I hurried into the foyer to find Giovanni marching in, his jacket torn, his shirt stained with dark crimson blood. His face was a mask of absolute, terrifying fury. Marco and two other guards were flanking him, their guns drawn.
"Giovanni!" I shrieked, running down the stairs. "You're hurt!"
"Jessica, go back upstairs," Giovanni ordered sharply, his voice tight with pain. "Marco, lock down the perimeter. No one goes in or out."
"I am a nurse, Giovanni, don't you dare tell me to go upstairs!" I yelled back, my medical instincts overriding my fear. I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. He winced, his hand clutching his left side.
I looked at the blood. "It's a gunshot wound. Sit down right now."
He looked at me, seeing the stubborn fire in my eyes, and finally relented, letting out a ragged sigh as he sat on a leather sofa in the study. I immediately ran to fetch the medical kit I kept in my room.
When I returned, I cut open his expensive shirt. A bullet had grazed his ribs—a deep, nasty laceration that was bleeding heavily, but fortunately, it hadn't penetrated the chest cavity.
"Hold still," I commanded, cleaning the wound with antiseptic.
Giovanni gripped the edge of the sofa, the muscles in his jaw working as he endured the sting. He didn't make a sound. His eyes were fixed on my face, watching the intense concentration with which I worked.
"Who did this?" I asked quietly as I began to stitch the wound with steady hands.
"An ambush," Giovanni grunted. "Aunt Francesca is getting desperate. She hired a mercenary crew from the East Coast to take me out on my way back from the warehouse. They knew my route."
My hands trembled for a split second, but I forced them to remain steady. "She tried to kill you? Your own aunt?"
"In my world, blood doesn't guarantee loyalty; it just guarantees a closer target," he said coldly. "She knows that if I die without an heir, the leadership defaults to her branch of the family. Our marriage threw a wrench in her plans, but if I'm eliminated before the six months are up, the marriage contract can be legally contested by the board."
I finished the last stitch and tied it off, applying a clean bandage over his ribs. I stood back, wiping my hands, my heart sinking into my stomach.
"This isn't just a corporate game anymore," I whispered, the reality of his dangerous life crashing down on me. "Lily is here. She could have been in that car."
Giovanni stood up, ignoring the pain in his side. He stepped close to me, trapping me between his massive body and the desk. He reached out, his large hands cupping my face, forcing me to look into his intense, fiercely protective amber eyes.
"Listen to me, Jessica," he said, his voice raw and thick with emotion. "I swear on my life, no harm will ever come to you or Lily while I draw breath. My men have already tracked down the shooters. By tomorrow morning, Francesca will have no allies left in this city."
"And what about you?" I asked, a tear slipping down my cheek. "What happens if she succeeds next time? What happens to us?"
Giovanni stared at me, his gaze dropping to my lips. The tension between us, building for weeks, finally snapped.
He bent his head and kissed me.
It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was desperate, possessive, and filled with a fierce, burning passion that lit a fire in my veins. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, pouring all my hidden fears and desires into the kiss. He groaned against my mouth, his hands moving down to grip my waist, lifting me slightly against him.
For that moment, the blood, the danger, and the fake contract disappeared. There was only him.
May you like
When he finally broke the kiss, both of us breathless, he rested his forehead against mine.
"I didn't intend for this to happen, Jessica," he whispered, his voice rough. "But I cannot let you go. You are no longer just my fake wife. You are my reality."
