Page 71 of The Strength Of A Woman

“I need to check something in the house,” she announces and begins to rise.

“You’re not going anywhere until I’m done talking,” I say, my men instantly drawing their guns.

She looks at her husband, who nods his head, and she slides back into her seat.

“I don’t want any funny games with you two,” I say. “I offered you a nice option. Take it. Or not. But don’t try to start something that you can’t finish.”

Giorgio lifts a soft hand, reassuring his wife that things are under control.

“How do you expect this to unfold?” he asks.

“Just as I had said. We all go to Taormina, where I’ll discuss the wedding details with him. He can meet his future bride over there with me in the room, and then we can set a wedding date. The sooner, the better. He’s a motivated buyer. I’m a motivated seller on your behalf. The two of them get hitched. And everything else flows nicely while I say goodbye to all of you.”

The silence is only pierced by the birds' chirping.

“Okay, then. I’ll take that as a yes,” I say, rising to my feet and running a hand over my jacket. “I’ll see you then.”

I step back while my men get ready for anything when Sylvia speaks.

“What about her crush on you?” the woman says, making me stop and shift my eyes to her.

“I think I’ve made it plenty clear that I’m not interested in her. Besides, things will change as she assumes the duties of a married woman.”

With that, I tilt my chin in a cold goodbye and head to the exit, my men covering my back.

12

CALLUM

A woman’sfootsteps follow me in the hallway as I’m about to head out.

“Mr. O’Hara?”

“It’s Nona,” Cosimo says, who slows down behind me.

I turn to them as she hands him a small suitcase.

“A few things for Leilani, if you don’t mind,” she says with a smile, relief glinting in her eyes.

She grins at him and then at me again.

“I’m so happy that she’s all right and stays with you now,” the woman says, as if it’s the best thing that could’ve happened to her. “Take good care of her,” she adds, as if I haven’t made it clear that she’ll get married to someone else soon.

Maybe I let out more than I wanted at the breakfast table, although I doubt it.

The woman must’ve witnessed some of the bad stuff that happened to Leilani, and she’s now relieved she’s in good hands.

“Thank you,” I say in a clipped voice before I turn around and make a beeline for the car waiting for me.

“Give them a moment,” I say to the driver as Cosimo stays behind to talk to the woman.

They shake hands in the end, and he leans toward her while she kisses him on the cheek. Although I can’t tell from here, I could swear she blushes.

She probably won’t be working in that house for long.

Moments later, the cars crawl slowly toward the edge of the property, and before long, the shore and town come into view.

A sense of freedom falls over me, although it’s too early to call it a win. Who knew that things would shift the way they did?