Chapter 2 - The Price of the Lie
The drive away from the Bellmont Grand was silent, save for the rhythmic purr of the custom Maybach’s engine. Outside the tinted glass windows, the city lights of Chicago blurred into long streaks of gold and neon red against the dark rain.
I sat in the plush leather back seat, staring down at the massive diamond ring resting heavy on my left hand.
"You can take it off if it bothers you," Giovanni said quietly from beside me. He had unbuttoned his collar and loosened his black tie, leaning back against the leather headrest. The aura of terrifying authority he had radiated in the ballroom had softened, but the intense, magnetic presence remained.
"I don't think I can take it off," I said, my voice trembling slightly as I rubbed my thumb over the cold platinum band. "Giovanni... what did we just do?"
"We solved two problems with one sentence," he replied smoothly.
"No, you solved a problem with a lie," I corrected, turning to face him. "I just agreed to pretend to be the wife of a man who looks like he owns half of Chicago! Do you have any idea what my mother is going to do tomorrow? She’s already calling my aunt! Tyler looked at me like I had stolen a nuclear code!"
Giovanni let out a short, quiet chuckle. It was a rich, low sound that sent an unexpected warmth through my chest. "Let them talk. Isn't that better than being interrogated about why you came alone?"
I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the seat. "I left my daughter at home tonight. I promised her I’d bring her a slice of wedding cake. Instead, I walked out of my sister's wedding holding hands with a stranger who threatens to bankrupt his own aunt."
"Your daughter," Giovanni said, his tone shifting instantly into something serious and attentive. "Lily, right?"
I opened my eyes, looking at him sharply. "How do you know her name? How do you know my age, my job, my family history? You knew all of it before you even walked up to my chair."
Giovanni looked out the window for a long moment before turning back to me. "I don't leave things to chance, Jessica. When I arrived at the reception, my security detail gave me a brief breakdown of the guests at Table Twelve. I knew my aunt was planning to trap me with Clarissa Thorne tonight. I needed a way out—someone genuine, someone who wasn't part of the Chicago social hierarchy, someone who wouldn't try to turn a fake marriage into a real corporate merger."
"So you picked the miserable girl sitting by the kitchen doors," I said bitterly.
"I picked the woman who stood up to her ex-husband with her head held high, even when her knees were shaking," Giovanni corrected, his amber eyes locking onto mine with absolute seriousness. "I saw how he spoke to you. I saw how his new wife looked at you. You didn't deserve that."
I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking down at my hands. "It doesn't change reality. I live in a one-bedroom apartment in West Chicago. I work seventy hours a week at the children's hospital. I wear twice-repaired shoes, Giovanni. Tomorrow morning, the fairy tale ends, and I go back to my real life."
"It doesn't have to end tomorrow," Giovanni said softly.
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"My aunt Victoria isn't going to let this drop," Giovanni explained, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "She will investigate you. She will look into your bank accounts, your job, your background. If she discovers this was a theater performance to embarrass her, she will use every resource the Fierro family commands to destroy you—and your ex-husband's family will happily help her."
A cold spike of dread shot through my stomach. "Giovanni..."
"Listen to me," he cut in smoothly. "I am offering you a contract, Jessica. A real one."
"A contract?"
"Six months," Giovanni said clearly, as if outlining a business deal. "You pretend to be my wife for six months. You move into my estate on the North Shore with your daughter. I will provide full security for both of you. I will pay off your student loans, cover your apartment lease, and establish a five-million-dollar trust fund for Lily's future."
My jaw dropped. "Five... five million dollars?"
"In exchange, you attend social functions with me, stand by my side when my family tries to push me out of the chairman seat, and play the role of the devoted Mrs. Fierro," he continued, completely unfazed by my shock. "After six months, we quietly announce a irreconcilable separation. You walk away with total financial independence, and I permanently secure my position at the head of the company."
I stared at him, my mind spinning into overdrive. Five million dollars. That meant Lily would never have to worry about college. It meant I wouldn't have to choose between paying the heating bill and buying her new winter boots. It meant no more double shifts at the hospital just to stay afloat.
"Why would you do that for a stranger?" I whispered.
"Because you are the only person in that room tonight who didn't want anything from me," Giovanni said quietly. "And because I need someone I can trust. In my world, Jessica, everyone has a price. Yours just happens to be the safety and future of your child. That makes you the most honest person I’ve met in ten years."
The Maybach pulled to a smooth stop outside a cozy, worn two-story house in a quiet neighborhood. My best friend’s car was parked in the driveway.
"Think about it," Giovanni said, reaching over to hand me a sleek, heavy black card with a phone number embossed in gold. "Take the ring with you tonight. If you agree, my driver will pick you and Lily up tomorrow at noon."
I looked at the card, then at the ring on my finger, and finally up into Giovanni’s amber eyes.
"What happens if I say no?" I asked softly.
Giovanni offered a sad, faint smile. "Then I will have my legal team handle my aunt, and I will make sure Tyler Brooks never bothers you again anyway. The choice is entirely yours, Jessica."
I pulled my hand back, clutching the black card tightly in my palm. I stepped out of the car into the cool night rain, watching as the sleek Maybach glided silently away down the street.
May you like
When I opened the front door, my best friend Sarah was sitting on the couch, watching TV. She took one look at my face, then her eyes dropped to my left hand, and the mug of tea she was holding nearly slipped from her fingers.
"Jessica..." Sarah whispered, her eyes wide as saucers. "What on earth happened at that wedding?"
