Chapter 5
1219 Words
(Lily)
I swatted his hand away. “Dream on, Kieran.”
“Oh, I have dreamt about you every night ever since.”
“You know what? f**k you!” I spat.
“You wish, baby girl.”
“I’m here for one thing only. And that’s my job. Protecting your daughter. I’d appreciate you keep your hands to yourself or God help me, I’ll cut it.”
He sighed and his tone became one of strict professionalism. “Marco, my right-hand man and best friend will show you the ropes. Giana can be a handful but I have no doubt you’ll be able to handle her.”
I stormed away from his infuriating presence.
“The annoying, arrogant, bastard,” I muttered under my breath.
I had dreamt of getting a huge gig but the way I felt in that moment was distant from anything I’d anticipated. My insides were a chaotic mix of rage, uncertainty and helplessness. I could refuse the job, but I was one more rejection away from going back to dust my certificates or crawling back to my parents.
Neither of those prospects sounded appealing.
I needed the job. But at the cost of living with and being forced to see Kieran Gigante every day? I wasn’t sure if that wasn’t too steep a price to pay.
“He’s just trying to rile you up,” the man who’d ushered me to the terrace said, suddenly falling into step beside me. “But you probably already knew that. The Don said you two go way back.”
He was an attractive man. Tall, sharp jawlines that you could cut on and full lips set in a perfectly symmetrical face. Yet, I found myself comparing him to Kieran.
“I’m Marco Russo,” he said when I didn’t reply him.
“The best friend?”
“And right-hand man,” he confirmed. “I was asked to show you the ropes, although I doubt you need any guidance as such.”
“How so?” I asked with an amused smile.
“You seem to me like someone who has experience and knows her onions, Ms. Payne.”
“Please. Just call me Lily, Mr. Russo.”
He smiled and offered a hand. “Then I must insist you call me Marco.”
“Alright, Marco,” I answered, my face warming at the flirtatious smile on his face.
“Since Gia lost her mom, she’s been a little rascally. But trust me, she’s a good kid and she’s Kieran’s treasure. You’ll be with her at all time. Sometimes, this may necessitate dressing to blend in, posing as a family member, and so on. But the biggest hurdle will be getting the princess to stay under your watch at all times. For a girl her age, she can be pretty evasive and daring.”
“Her father’s daughter,” I mumbled earning a throaty chuckle from Marco.
“You could say that,” he smiled. “I take it you’d like to settle in before yunno… meeting the princess.”
I shook my head. “Nah. She’s the reason I’m here. I might as well get the first impression out of the way. Besides, I still need to grab my stuff, so settling might have to come in much later.”
Marco gave me an amused laugh. “Stuff? Your things are on their way here. They should arrive any minute now.”
“Do I want to know?” I asked.
“Boss’s order.”
“Yay, the almighty Don Gigante. This should be fun,” I muttered sarcastically.
A woman walked out of a room and she and Marco discussed in hushed tones. The woman hurried away without sparing me as much as a glance.
Marco turned to face me. “Giana is in the library. Are you sure you want to do this right now?”
I nodded. “How bad can it be?”
I got the answer to my question just seconds later when I threw the door open and a rain of glitters poured all over me.
“Psst! Hello!” a tiny, mischievous voice echoed from behind the door.
My gaze shifted to find Kieran’s daughter, peeking from behind the door.
“Hey there, Giana.”
Her bright blue eyes, just like her father’s, sparkled. “Who are you? What’s your name and how do you know my name?”
Wary of strangers, smart.
“My name is Lily.”
“Like the flower?”
I offered a warm smile. “Yes.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“What does your name mean?” I asked her in an attempt to keep the conversation going.
“God’s Grace. Like Gracie,” she said. “Lily, who are you?”
“Oh, I’m your new bodyguard.”
She rolled her eyes and walked to a corner of the library. “So, you’re going to follow me everywhere?”
I shrugged. “That’s the plan.”
“But I’m a big girl. Papa doesn’t know.”
I sighed and walked up to her side. “I’m sure your father knows what a smart, amazing big girl he has. He just worries about you.”
“Why?”
“Because he loves you. Now, do you want to tell me what you were up to before I interrupted.”
“I’m on a secret mission.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? What kind of mission?”
Gianna hesitated, then held out a cute pink notebook. “I’m writing a book. It’s called Adventures of Giana and Annabelle.”
I chuckled. “Sounds exciting. Who’s Annabelle?”
“My friend,” she replied, eyes shining. “But she doesn’t talk to me anymore. I even wrote her a letter.”
My eyes fell on the open notebook filled with colorful doodles and scribbles. As I glanced at the pages, I spotted a funny drawing of a man titled Papa.
Stifling a laugh, I asked, “Is that your dad?”
“Yes. But shh. Don’t tell dad. It’s a surprise.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
She grinned and I noticed a sad expression crossing her face.
“What kind of adventures have you gone on with Annabelle?”
“The ice-cream stall and the zoo,” she supplied. “Annabelle wants to go to the park but Papa said I can’t. that it’s too dangerous. And now, Annabelle is angry. She thinks I don’t want to go with her. That I have another friend at home.”
“I’m sorry Gia. You just have to explain to Annabelle that this is all a misunderstanding.”
She pouted and returned to scribbling in her notebook. “I miss her.”
I stared at the cute little girl before me and thought of what to do to fix this situation for her. My eyes lit up as an idea crossed my mind.
“What about I talk to your dad and I take you and Anabelle to the park this weekend?”
Gia’s smile lit up the room. “Really? You would do that?”
I nodded.
“Will Papa agree?”
A mischievous smile graced my face. “Oh, he will. I can be very convincing.”
- Writer
