She tilts her head at me, a crinkle forming in her brow. “You truly do not care, do you?”
“Why would I?”
I’m running out of time when it comes to finding a wife. I have zero plans of making anyone else mine, so if I need to target this weakness of hers, I fucking will.
She shakes her head. “Wow, you really are a selfish son-of-a-bitch.”
I let out a deep chuckle. “You have to be sometimes to get the best things in life.”
“Do you hear yourself?Best things in life?Extorting me tomarry you? How is this possibly the best thing in life?”
“I told you years ago that you were going to be mine.”
“And I told you I wasn’t interested.”
A smirk tugs at my lips. “It’s a good thing we’ll have forever to change your mind, then.”
“I haven’t said yes.”
“But you will.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because why else would you be here?”
“To convince you of how much of a piece of shit you’re being.”
I press my hand against my chest. “Your words wound me, Liana.”
Ignoring me, she says, “There must be something else I can do to convince you to speak to Tomasso and end this game you’re playing.”
“There isn’t. It’s either marriage or nothing.”
“You don’t know me, Massimo. I assure you, a marriage between the two of us would not end well.”
I cock a brow. “And why do you think that?”
She gawks at me. “You don’t know anything about me, and from what I know about you, I don’tlikeyou.”
“If I made my money from some strait-laced job, would that change things?”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
“If I was some doctor or financial douche bag off The New York Stock Exchange, would that change your feelings toward me?”
“N-no,” she says, shaking her head.
“You sure about that? Your answer didn’t seem too confident.”
“I said,no,” she repeats, this time with more force, as if she’s trying to convinceherselfof those words.
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“Your belief in me doesn’t matter. I came here to figure out another way to get you to talk to Tomasso. I came here to get you to see what you’re doing to Alessia and Colton. To talk some sense into you.”
“Liana, I couldn’t care less about Alessia Caruso and her boyfriend. To be honest, I think it’s pathetic her dad is using his career in football against them?—”
Liana’s eyes widen, and a twinkle takes over them. “See, exactly! So help me help them.”
