In Love With The Heir Who Should Kill Me

“s**t, s**t, s**t!” Lana muttered under her breath as she scrubbed the coffee spilled on the plush rug she was sure could buy her twice. Everyone was looking at her! So much for keeping it lowkey. The brown stain only got worse, spreading out like ink the more she scrubbed on the white rug. “You’re making it worse, girl! Get someone better to do it!” Lana gritted her teeth, her cheeks red with embarrassment as she met the angry, disapproving gaze of an older woman, Mrs. Valenti, the matriarch of the house. “I…I’m sorry,” she stammered, lowering her eyes and reaching for the serving tray she’d brought with her. “Sorry for yourself!” the woman said dismissively. She needed to disappear. If the family matriarch started paying too much attention to her, she could be exposed. She couldn’t get fired. It would ruin everything, and she was in too deep to back out now. Lana was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the person standing right behind her. As she spun around to leave, she collided with something very solid. A very muscled chest. She gasped softly as she stumbled and tried to hold on to her tray. A large hand firmly closed around her arm to steady her. Her head went up immediately. And then she saw him. Stefano Valenti. Her breath caught. OH NO. Up close, he looked exactly like the rumors she had heard. No. Even worse. Broad shoulders. Sharp cheekbones. Tattoos creeping up his neck like shadows. Handsome as f**k. Lana couldn’t look away. He stared back too, but he wasn’t just looking at her, he was sizing her up like a predator. Stefano’s grip was still on her arm. His thumb gently brushed against her exposed arm, and her skin heated up. She should’ve pulled back. But she couldn’t. Her breath hitched and her eyes locked on his. For a second, just one crazy second, everything else faded. His gaze dropped slowly to her lips. Then to the neckline of her uniform. To her cleavage. When his eyes returned to hers, they were even darker. Lana felt her throat tighten as she watched him assess her. i***t. Why was she acting like a damn fool? She hated this man. Hated what he stood for. And yet her knees felt weak from a single brush of his fingers. Make that make sense. Lana’s pulse fluttered. He was way too close to her. Right in her face. And he wasn’t moving. She felt something in her chest. In her stomach. And then lower. Stefano’s jaw ticked slightly, as if he were irritated. Then suddenly he let her go. Like he was snapping out of a trance. “Who the f**k are you?” he asked in a steely voice, sounding annoyed. “And why are you in my way?” She swallowed hard. “I… I’m new,” she murmured in a soft tone, keeping her lashes low. “Just started last week.” She finally took a step back, her heart still pounding. “Be useful,” he said, his tone low and dismissive, “or get the f**k out of my way.” Lana quickly came back to her senses and nodded before hurrying away. Her heart was beating so hard, and her hands holding the tray shook with nerves. She could still feel his touch on her skin as she walked away. And for a man she was supposed to really hate, Lana couldn’t stop the heat between her thighs. She rushed back to the kitchens, her face still burning. This wasn’t going according to plan. She was supposed to stay invisible, not spill coffee in front of everyone and crash into the son of the mafia boss! That was close. Way too close. “Mia?” The name didn't register. Lana blinked, her hands trembling as she dropped the tray at the sink. “Mia!” She turned quickly. Jenna, one of the maids, was watching her with concern. She hadn’t gotten totally used to hearing people call her Mia. She needed to be more careful. Mia Conti instead of Lana Caruso. That was who she was now. “Are you alright?” Jenna asked, pausing her cleaning of the kitchen countertop. “Yup. Totally fine,” Lana said quickly, faking a cheery voice. She tucked her hair behind her ear and forced a smile. How could she explain that Stefano Valenti had just touched her and now her body was on fire? “Well, if you say so…” Jenna replied, clearly unconvinced. She turned back to wiping down the counter. “Oh by the way, Miss Rossi was looking for you.” Lana’s stomach dropped. “Miss Rossi?” Why would Bianca Rossi want to talk to her? Had she seen something? Had she seen her interaction with Stefano? Bianca. The heiress. Everyone knew she was betrothed to Stefano. Ever since they were children. However, they weren’t a real couple or something like that. Very complicated. And she knew that because she had heard of Stefano’s exploits with other women. Everyone knew their engagement wasn’t exactly romantic. But Bianca still walked like she owned him. “Did she say why?” Jenna shook her head. “No, Mia. Just that she wants to see you in the library.” The library? How odd. It was in a secluded part of the house. That didn’t sound good. Lana’s heart started to race. Calm down. Breathe. If Bianca was suspicious… if she thought Lana wasn’t just a maid… Her heart pounded in her chest, and she rubbed her sweaty hands over her apron, trying to compose herself. She was really panicking. She couldn’t afford to get caught. If Bianca was suspicious of her, everything would fall apart before it even started. She had only been working here for a week and she still hadn’t found what she was looking for yet. What the hell was going on today? “Okay, thanks,” she said, resignedly. “Be careful, Mia,” Jenna added quietly. “Bianca’s… kinda crazy.” Lana forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll be fine.” But inside, she was already freaking out. She found her way to the library where the private quarters were located. Lana took a deep breath before knocking. A voice inside called out, “Come in.” Lana stepped in slowly, eyes scanning the large and elegant room full of floor to ceiling shelves of books. Before she could speak, Bianca was suddenly in front of her, looking flushed and wide-eyed. She grabbed Lana’s hands without warning. “You’re Mia, right?” “Yes…” Lana answered, suspicious. Bianca was breathing fast, her fingers trembling as they clutched Lana’s. “Good. I need your help,” she whispered, sounding desperate. Lana narrowed her eyes. “Help… with what?” Bianca Rossi was the typical mean girl, never acknowledging her or any of the other maids and in fact ordered them around like they were servants. Which they technically were, but still. So why was she all of a sudden holding her hand and gazing at her like she was a light at the end of the tunnel or something? Something wasn’t right. Bianca looked around as if afraid someone might be listening, then leaned in. Her grip tightened and Lana winced because it was almost painful. “I need you to do something for me, Mia,” she whispered. Here it comes, Lana thought. She knows. She’s going to confront me. She’s going to blow my cover wide open… “I need you to f**k Stefano.”