"Millie?"
Alessio's impatient voice bled through my musings.
I blinked a few times, realising too late that he'd been speaking. "I'm sorry, what?"
A dark look flashed across him, his jaw clenching in restrained annoyance. "Millie. I know we both don't want this marriage."
I rolled my lips in to restrain my retort.
"But that's no excuse for me ignoring you these past few months. I should not have taken my…frustration out on you."
I shrugged. "I admit, I was pissed for a while, but I ended up loving it. You have a beautiful property, and I adore the animals. I was considering transferring my horse to Devon. It's at my family's estate right now, but I—"
"We won't be going back to my country home for a while," he interjected.
I raised a brow. "Ahh…we?"
"My main home in the UK is in London. We can reside there."
There was that “we” again.
"Um, can I not stay at Keating? I like it there. In fact, I—"
"Yes, I'm sure you're having the time of your life flirting with the local help."
I huffed, placing my hands on my hips. "You know, I was joking when I accused you of being a snob, but now Iactuallythink you might be."
"I amnota snob, I—" He took a deep breath, his eyes closing briefly before he sent me a tight smile.
"I did not come here to argue with you. I actually wanted to ask you out to dinner tonight."
My eyes narrowed. "Why?" I slowly asked. We'd been here almost two days, and he'd all but ignored me. I had no idea why I was even here. There was no pretence with his family, no facade to put on that we had a love marriage.
"Because…because I want to get to know you better. Despite how this started, you're my wife now. I realise that I've only been thinking of myself in this situation. You did not ask for this, either, and I can admit when I've been—"
"Sulky? Pouty? Sour? Having a strop? A massive arse?"
I was unprepared for the ripple of mirth that burst out of him. It completely changed his features, making him even more devastating. His straight white teeth peeked out from behind his full lips, and his molten brown eyes crinkled in amusement.
"I've been called worse things."
My lips twitched. "I bet."
He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well? Shall we try to get to know each other? Give this marriage a chance?"
It was on the tip of my tongue to negotiate. To tell him that I didn't want to be stuck in a loveless marriage at such a young age. I wanted to lay out to him plans that I had for myself; plansmy dad had asked me to delay so that I could sink into my role as Mrs Ferrante—the supportive wife who networked with his business contacts' wives and girlfriends while Alessio took over my family legacy, as well as stepping fully into the role Cesare Ferrante was leaving for him. Marriage in my world was for my husband's benefit—to complement him, to be the perfect, cultured arm candy with her own high standing in social circles.
Instead, I took a leap of faith and agreed to dinner. It was a start—the beginning of a truce between us—a way to make the best out of a shitty situation.
But, sitting across from him at dinner and listening to his world views, his amusing anecdotes, and the way he listened intently when I spoke, it sure as hell didn't feel like a chore to be married to him.
He was far from a snob, I soon found. He supported a homeless charity in Sicily and was a patron for a children's charity back in London. He'd done six months in Asia when he was nineteen, backpacking and supporting himself by teaching English. There, he met his close friend, Damon, who was from a working-class family just outside Birmingham. Damon now worked for Alessio as one of his lawyers.
"I like working with animals," I slowly confided. He had opened up a lot to me, and I felt comfortable in his presence. There were butterflies, of course. He was a handsome man, but more than that, I found myself being attracted to him. To his personality and world views, which were similar to mine. "It's something I'm extremely passionate about."
He nodded thoughtfully, his fingers running along the rim of his whisky glass. "A close friend of mine is a patron for a wildlife charity. He and his wife. I'm sure they would love to have you join them. They host a yearly gala and are always seeking extra sponsorship."
It wasn’t Alessio's fault for assuming I had no further aspirations beyond serving on charity boards. After all, I was only nineteen and hadn't applied to university yet. Although, in hindsight, he could've asked me. I also could've volunteered the information, but I decided to keep that part of my dreams to myself. After all, who knew what curveball life would throw me? When I'd taken my A levels, I never would've dreamed that I'd be married.
