The blonde narrowed her eyes, studying him for a moment before her lips curled into a sly smile.“Who are you?”
“George Thermopolis,” he replied smoothly, extending a hand.“And you?”
The blonde hesitated before crossing her arms, ignoring his greeting.“DeeDee,” she said flatly.“Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Well, DeeDee,” George continued, letting his hand drop, “what exactly are you doing here?”
DeeDee glanced back at the house, her expression hardening.“Looking for someone.”
“Lexie Stacias?”George guessed.
DeeDee’s eyes snapped back to him, narrowing with suspicion.“How do you know her?”
George smiled faintly.“Let’s just say I have my reasons.And I’m guessing that your reasons for being here aren’t particularly friendly.”
DeeDee crossed her arms tighter.“She’s messing with my man,” she snapped.“Enzo.He didn’t come home last night, and I know it’s because of her.”
George tilted his head, intrigued.“Interesting,” he said slowly.“And what do you plan to do about it?”
“I’m going to make sure she knows to stay away from my man,” DeeDee said, her voice dripping with venom.“She’s got no business getting involved with a guy like Enzo.”
George chuckled softly, his mind already working.This could be useful.
“You know,” he said, stepping closer, “it sounds like we might have a common goal.”
DeeDee blinked, clearly caught off guard.“What are you talking about?”
“Lexie Stacias,” George explained smoothly.“She’s...let’s say, complicating things for me as well.But I’m not interested in scaring her off.I’d rather have her...cooperation.”
DeeDee eyed him warily.“Cooperation?For what?”
There was no risk in speaking so plainly; if DeeDee repeated it, no one would take her seriously.She was the walking cliché of a mafia mistress, right down to the cheap perfume and all flash and drama with not a lot of intelligence to back it up.
DeeDee’s laugh was short and sharp, tinged with disbelief and mockery.She shifted her weight onto one hip, crossing her arms tightly as her lips curled into a half-smirk.“And how do you thinkshe’sgoing to do that?”
“Lexie has Max’s ear,” George replied carefully, glancing at the house before returning to her.“If she believes in my campaign, she can sway him.And if Max is on my side, the rest of the dominoes fall into place.”
DeeDee’s frown deepened, her expression a mix of skepticism and curiosity.Her nails tapped a restless rhythm against her arm as she considered his words, her gaze narrowing as though trying to decipher what he wasn’t saying.“What’s in it for me?”
George’s smile widened, but there was a deliberate vagueness in it, as though he was testing the waters.“Why don’t we talk?”he offered, leaving her to fill in the blanks.
DeeDee tilted her head, studying him with open suspicion.She took a small step back, creating a deliberate distance between them.“Talk, huh?”she echoed, her voice laced with suspicion.“Sounds like you’re hiding something.”
George’s brows lifted slightly, feigning surprise at her wariness.“And here I thought you wanted Lexie out of the picture,” he countered calmly, his smile unwavering.But the faint clench of his jaw betrayed a flicker of irritation.“Or am I wrong about that?”
DeeDee’s lips tightened into a thin line, and her eyes darted to the house before snapping back to him.“I don’t trust you,” she stated bluntly, her body tensing as if preparing to bolt if his tone shifted even slightly.
“The feeling’s mutual,” George replied, his voice dropping an octave.His easy demeanor slipped for just a moment, replaced by a sharper edge.He stepped closer, deliberately closing the gap she’d created.“But we don’t have to trust each other, DeeDee.We just have to want the same thing.”
DeeDee’s jaw worked as she chewed over his words, her eyes narrowing further.She uncrossed her arms but kept her hands on her hips, a defensive posture that didn’t go unnoticed by George.
“Fine,” she agreed begrudgingly.“We talk.But don’t think I’m doing this for you.I want Lexie away from my man.That’s it.”
George inclined his head, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.“That’s all I need to hear.”But as they shook hands, the tension between them lingered, a silent acknowledgment that this uneasy alliance was built on mutual distrust and ulterior motives.
Chapter 24
Juliannegrippedthesteeringwheel tightly as she slowly drove past Lexie Stacias’s modest house, her lips pressed into a thin line.The events of the previous night still burned in her mind—Tony’s rejection, his flat refusal to marry her because Max Diatras had disapproved.It wasn’t just humiliating; it was infuriating.No one says no to me,she thought, her knuckles whitening as she tightened her grip.
