They each nod, and Izzy’s eyes are shining bright again with excitement as she leans in over the table.
“You guys know Massimo Bonetti?” I say, addressing Lux and Amalia.
“Yes?” Lux says at the same time Amalia says, “Not really.”
“He’s just the heir to the Bonetti family. He left right before you guys showed up,” I say.
“And?” Izzy urges.
I let out another sigh, knowing this conversation won’t make any sense without a little bit of context, so I rewind it back to the beginning.
“Massimo and I met at CU. This club was throwing its end-of-year masquerade party right before finals. We were dancing for a while, then he brought me down one of the halls, and we ended up…”
I glance up at the girls who all seem to be on the edge of their seats, wide-eyed and waiting for me to continue.
“We ended up… kissing.”
“Iknewthere was something between the two of you!” Izzy exclaims. “Also, I’m pretty offended you never told me about this.”
“It only happened once, and it was before I knew who he was,” I rush out. “Had I known it was Massimo underneath that mask, I would’ve run in the opposite direction. I neversaid anything because I had zero intention of iteverhappening again.”
“Uhh, hold on… I’m confused,” Amalia says, a furrow in her brow. “Did something happen between you and Massimo that makes you not like him?”
“Liana’s never had much of an interest in dating any of the guys in our world,” Izzy says.
“But it sounds like you were into him before you found out who he was,” Lux says.
“I was… I guess. The chemistry between us was off the charts, but that doesn’t negate the fact that he’s the heir to the Bonetti family, and an asshole.”
“Umm… sorry, still confused over here,” Amalia says, holding up her pointer finger.
“Yeah, I have to admit, I’m a little lost here too,” Lux says. “What happened between you and Massimo that makes you hate him so much?”
Izzy is the only one who knows why I swore off dating made men. It’s not something I talk about often, but I know none of this is going to make sense to Lux and Amalia without telling them.
Dropping my hands in my lap, I say, “I know this is the world I’ve grown up in, but seeing the destruction it’s brought—especially when it comes to family—I told myself I’d find a nice, normal guy outside of this world.” I drop my gaze to my hands. “Not to mention, I refuse to be controlled byanyman, especially Massimo Bonetti.”
“That’s completely valid, but what’s with the sudden disdain for him? He really doesn’t seem like that bad of a guy,” Izzy says.
I scoff. “That’s because you don’t know him.”
“I don’t know. He was a gentleman when I went on that date with him a while back. Which, by the way, that’s when Iknewthere was something between you two. I could sense it from yourreaction when he asked me on the date, and then he confirmed those suspicions while we were on the date. I’m quite certain he only asked me to go on it to get under your skin.”
“Trust me, Izzy, that man is a walking bag of dicks, and he just solidified my opinion of him today when he came into my boutique and propositioned me.”
“What do you mean he propositioned you?” Amalia asks.
I let out a long sigh. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you both this, but you guys know Alessia, our intern?”
Amalia and Lux nod.
“Well, she confided in Izzy and me about her boyfriend’s dad owing her dada lotof money. I tried to talk to him about it in hopes that I could help Alessia and her boyfriend, but he refused to take my money. Then Massimo showed up today saying if I want to help Alessia and her boyfriend get out of debt with her dad, then I have to…”
“You’re really killing me with these cliffhangers, Liana,” Izzy says.
“Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever been so captivated by a story before,” Amalia says, brushing a dark strand behind her ear.
“Have to…?” Lux asks, leaning over the table with wide eyes, eager to hear more.
