But I can’t. Bianca watches me quietly, waiting for me to keep lashing out, trying to get this out of my system. But this is my life now. Full of frustration, and never satisfaction. I can never truly have what I want.
I have to resign myself to unhappiness.
CHAPTER THREE
Lydia
I don’t know who the people Lorenzo is meeting tonight are, but when I see the sleek black cars pulling up in the driveway, I get a flicker of nerves in my stomach that I can’t explain. These people seem like they’re here for sinister reasons, somehow. They step out of their vehicles, dressed in sharp black suits and sunglasses even though the sun is setting. I smooth down my maid’s uniform, feeling anxious. I know that all I have to do is serve drinks, but the thought of being in the same room as those intimidating people is making me regret saying yes to this.
And then there’s the fact that I have to be around Lorenzo too. It’s a good thing in one way, I get to ogle him from across the room. But I also feel a slight pinch of fear in my stomach every time I’m around him. He’s still such a mystery to me and I want to use tonight to try and figure him out.
I open the door for the guests and wait silently for them to file inside. I know it’s my job to blend into the background, simply a staff member, uninvolved with everyone’s business. But the minute the Moretti family comes inside, the handsome older man at the front of the pack looks me up and down like I’m a piece of meat. I turn my eyes away from him, shocked and embarrassed. I’m not used to that kind of attention and I don’t want it. Not from him, at least. The only man I want to look at me like that is Lorenzo.
They head into the dining room and I wait patiently outside the room with a bottle of red wine, waiting to be called inside. When I eventually hear Lorenzo call my name, I scurry into the room, desperate to please him. His cold eyes fixate on me as I enter the room. I can see the fire in his eyes and the fire is catching to me. I feel like my whole body is aflame.
Blushing to myself, I hardly notice how quiet the room is. There’s an unspoken tension between the people here. Bianca sits, straight-backed, right next to Lorenzo, and her cold eyes sweep over the Moretti family. There are five members of the other family here and yet somehow, Lorenzo and his sister seem twice as intimidating. I swallow, pouring wine as red as blood into the empty glasses and try to ignore how awful the silence in the room is. Are they talking business in here? Or are they old friends that are having an uncomfortable catch-up? It’s hard to figure out what’s going on. Once again, Lorenzo is unreadable to me.
I feel eyes on me and I shudder as I look up and see the man from earlier staring at me. He’s got snake eyes, I realize. He looks like he’s always ready to strike...and when he strikes, he strikes to kill.
“You have a very beautiful maid,” he says in a thick Italian accent to Lorenzo, but he’s looking at me. “What a shame to have a pretty thing like her serving drinks. Perhaps I can think of some other use for her, hmm?”
I blush, knowing exactly what he’s insinuating. I’m certain this is his sick way of trying to compliment me, but it just makes my skin crawl. I feel a little nauseous.
Suddenly, Lorenzo is on his feet and striding across the room. He grabs the man by his shirt and pulls him to his feet.
“You disgusting bastard,” he snarls at the man. It’s like an animal has taken over his body and made him forget his cool, calm demeanor. “You will pay for treating Lydia that way.”
Lorenzo’s fist slams into the man’s face and I cry out in shock, backing off. I never expected him to fight for me like this. He barely knows me. Whoever these people are, they’re obviously important, and yet he’s broken whatever bond there is between them with a single punch. The man, now bleeding, snarls at Lorenzo.
“You’re going to regret that,” he hisses. “What is wrong with you? She’s just a maid.”
“She’s not just a maid. She’s a person. One who deserves respect,” Lorenzo growls deeply. “You are no longer welcome in this house. You have made a powerful enemy tonight, Luca.”
“You’re insane,” he hisses. “Your poor maid. I should take her off of your hands. I could take very good care of her…”
Lorenzo swings his fist back again to punch Luca, but Bianca stands up with a furious expression on her face.
“Enough,” she snarls. “Lorenzo, stop. That is enough already.”
Lorenzo finally steps back, but only because he’s looking at me. He moves over to me and cups my face in his hands.
“Are you alright?”
I nod nervously. I was uncomfortable, but he could’ve let that whole thing slide I would’ve been fine. Comments can’t hurt me, after all. And yet he was so desperate to defend me. So desperate to show me that he would protect me. It makes my heart swell. It shows that in some way, he cares about me...maybe even the way I care about him.
“Go to your room while I handle this,” he tells me quietly. I nod, walking out of
