Mafia's trap

Chapter 9

When Maria left, Luca took a seat on one of the chairs across from where Mila was sitting. He was far from her but close enough that she could see his eyes clearly and feel his scent.

He waited a few moments to be sure that Maria couldn't hear them and then he looked at Mila with a completely different facial expression and spoke to her with a cool tone in his voice that sent shivers down her spine. She held her breath waiting for him to finally speak and when he did her heart started beating faster. She loved to hear him speak but she also hated it. She finds him attractive, but she is also terrified of him.

"I wanted to talk about Maria."

Mila nodded and remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"She can't work anymore, so I expect from you to not let her interfere in your job anymore."

He heard her. Why was he saying that again? It annoyed her but she tried to sound and look calm.

"That is just what I have been saying to her since I came here."

Unexpectedly, he smiled and stood up without another word. Mila kept looking at the door, confused and annoyed by that man.

Maria was sitting on the bed in her room looking through the family photo album. When Luca came in he saw her smiling while taking a seat next to her.

"Let me see."

He looked at the photo she was smiling at. It was him, smiling with his front tooth missing. He was around six years old there. He laughed and hugged her over her shoulder.

"You are being sentimental today."

Maria shook her head and closed the album, leaving it aside. She was avoiding looking at him and Luca noticed that and he knew exactly why.

"Your sister told me you visited her."

Maria stood up and looked at him, placing the album back on the shelf on the wall.

"Judging by the way you look at me and the way you act, I think you know my reason as well."

Luca just nodded, looking down at his hands. He was ashamed but he had his doubts and, since she was the most important person in his life, he needed to know.

"How long?"

Maria approached the bed and took a seat next to Luca, taking his hand in hers, forcing him to look at her.

"Three months, but I am doing well. The doctor said it is not getting worse or bigger."

Luca wanted to believe her but he knew she was saying that just to comfort him. He nodded not to make it more difficult for her and gave her a hug, placing a kiss on her forehead before he left her room.

His worries followed him even though he tried to chase them away. When he jumped into the warm water in the pool and swam a bit, he felt less convulsed. It was around twelve o'clock and the sun was pretty high in the sky, making him run away in the shadow of the nearby parasol. He got out of the water and took a seat on the sunbed and that is when he saw her.

She was walking out of the garden and when she caught his gaze she looked away pretending like she didn't notice him. But, he called her name.

He noticed that she froze for a moment, but when she turned around to look at him she smiled at him only a few meters away from him.

"Yes, Mr Luca? How can I help you?"

He kept serious while demanding her to bring him a lemonade. He noticed that she didn't expect that, so it took her a few moments before she nodded and walked inside the house.

Mila leaned her palms on the kitchen counter and took a deep breath before she went to the fridge and poured one glass of the lemonade, heading out to the garden.

He was lying in the sunbed when she approached and left the glass on the small table next to it. When she turned around to walk away, he called her name again. She rolled her eyes before she turned to look at him. She tried so hard to look him in the face, not at his perfect body. Even though she tried, she blushed hard and her heart started beating faster when he kept looking at her, observing her from head to toe.

Luca wished to look at her a bit more and much closer, so he took a seat and showed her on the other sunbed. Mila hesitated for a moment but in the end she took a seat. She felt uncomfortable due to the fact that their knees were almost touching now and no matter how much she was trying, she couldn't calm down her heart. How could she be so terrified by him and so attracted to him at the same time? She must be stupid for even thinking about liking him physically.

Luca looked at her for a few seconds before he started talking.

"It is about Maria."

Mila blinked a few times before she nodded.

"Don't worry, I will not let her do any of the work anymore."

Luca shook his head and when he looked at Mila she could clearly see the pain in his eyes when he said what he just did.

"You don't understand. She has cancer, she is dying."