Page 5

Leo

I join Marco in the sitting room. One of the housekeepers pours us both coffee while Marco goes over the distribution restructure now that our little whistle-blower has been erased. We are disturbed from our discussion by the door swinging open.

“Leo. Thank you so much for your hospitality. I will repay you for the flights, but I must go now. It was great to see you again. Goodbye.”

Katherine leaves the room, swinging her hips and pulling her little case behind her.

Marco raises his eyebrow at me, no doubt at the fact that I’m wearing an amused smirk, which he definitely doesn’t see very often. We both sit in silence, listening to her try to open the front door. The annoyed chatter coming from her makes me bark a laugh. Marco shakes his head at me.

“Leo, I can’t seem to open the door. Could you let me out, please? ”

“No,” I calmy reply, intrigued to see how she reacts.

“What do you mean, no? You can’t keep me here! Who the hell do you think you are? Let me go, or I will ring the police!”

Marco stands up, grunting in annoyance. No one would ever disrespect me by speaking to me the way Katherine is. No one would ever dare call me Leo. People have lost their lives for less. She will learn her place in time.

“Take a seat, Katherine.” I point to a chair at my side.

Eventually, she reluctantly sits down.

“I have recently taken over my father’s business,” I begin. “It seems to continue my reign.”

Katherine snorts a laugh. “Sorry, your reign? Seriously Leo, what are you, the King of Italy?”

“Questo è esattamente ciò che è.” That is exactly what he is , Marco states from behind me.

Katherine’s eyes dart towards him.

“Stai zitto!” Be quiet! I glare at Marco for good measure.

“As I was saying. To ensure I fill my role adequately, I need a wife. And seeing as you so kindly offered, I have decided to take you up on it.”

“What offer? When have I ever said I would marry you? You can’t seriously be talking about a letter I wrote to you at fifteen years old?”

“You were actually sixteen at that time, and yes. A handwritten and signed agreement.”

“Well, I have changed my mind. I don’t even know you, Leo.”

Although I knew this would be her reaction, I feel a tingle of annoyance.

“I am afraid you don’t have any other option, Katherine. I have taken the liberty of arranging a lawyer for you to go through the proposal. This lawyer is completely independent; we had not met until yesterday. I have paid his fees, but he works for you.”

I call out, “Agla?!”

Alga, my housekeeper, appears at the sitting-room door.

“Send in Mr. Brooks.”

Katie

This cannot be happening; he cannot be serious. A grey-haired gentleman sheepishly enters the room. He greets Leo and Marco without making eye contact.

“We will leave you to discuss matters in private.” Leo says, he and Marco then leave the room, closing the door behind them.

Mr. Brooks takes a seat beside me and pulls some documents out of his briefcase.

“He can’t be serious, can he?”

“Oh, Miss Harris. I am afraid Mr. Guerra is always serious.”

“Okay, so how do I get out of this?”

“I can assure you, Miss Harris—”

“Please call me Katie.”

“I have been instructed to only address you as Miss Harris and to stay at least four feet away from you at all times.” Mr. Brooks looks at the space between us, obviously calculating the distance. He shuffles his chair further away from mine.

I decide to ignore his comments, keep calm, and encourage him to continue.

“You were saying, Mr. Brooks?”

“Yes, I can assure you I have been through this contract with a fine-tooth comb, and I cannot find a way out. Believe me, Miss, I have tried. I do not agree with what he is doing. Unfortunately, though, in this country, a handwritten signed document written by anyone aged sixteen or over is a law-binding agreement. For any breach of the contract, Mr. Guerra can take legal action. Although considering who Mr. Guerra is, I don’t think ‘legal’ action would be the road he takes. ”

“What do you mean, ‘who’ Mr. Guerra is?”

Mr. Brooks hands me some papers.

“You need to read these. Contact numbers are at the bottom of the page if you have any questions. My advice to you, Miss Harris, is to keep your head down and try to find a way to convince Mr. Guerra to cancel the proposal himself.”

As if Leo has been listening to the conversation, he enters the room.

“I will see you out, Mr. Brooks.”

Left in the room on my own, I look at the papers in my hand. “Marriage Contract” is the title of the first sheet. It has lists of what will be expected of “Mrs. Guerra.”

1. As the wife of Leonardo Guerra, it is not necessary for you to work. All your needs will be provided for.

2. As part of the Guerra family, you will be expected to keep to a healthy diet and exercise regime. Training will be arranged at convenient times by Mr. Guerra.

3. The Guerra has a reputation to uphold; you must always look your uttermost best.

4. You will be expected to be available to Mr. Guerra at all times.

5. You will attend events and must always stay at Mr. Guerra’s side .

6. As his wife you will obey and respect every decision he makes.

And the list goes on and on. At the bottom, it states:

Failure to adhere to any of these points will be a violation of the marriage contract and, therefore, will result in legal action.

I feel like I am being set up. This is a prank; it’s got to be. Someone is going to jump out from behind the curtains with a TV camera, shouting, “Gotcha!”

I stare at the papers in disbelief. Okay, Katie, do not panic. As I flick through the pile, I feel some sheets at the back which are a different size to all the rest. When I pull them out, I recognise the handwritten letters. They're my letters. He kept them all this time.

I need to speak to Leo.

I find him in the hallway speaking in Italian to Marco.

“Lei è una responsabilità!” She is a liability!

“Stai mettendo in discussione il mio giudizio?” Are you questioning my judgement?

Good, so Marco obviously doesn’t think this whole charade is a good idea either.

“Leo? Can I have a moment of your time, please? ”

Leo slowly turns to me, scowling at my interruption.

“My time, Katherine, is a privilege. You have yet to earn your privileges.”

Flabbergasted, I stare at him, open-mouthed. I have no words. So I change the subject. “Does this wonderful house have a swimming pool?”

Both men look at me like I have said something ridiculous.

“Yes.” Leo replies sternly.

“Well, where is it?” I ask, trying to sound unaffected by what has just happened.

Marco looks at me furiously.

“At the back of the house.” Leo gestures down the hallway.

“Good, well, if I am stuck here, I may as well make use of the place. I am on holiday, after all. My tan needs a top-up. Have a good day, boys. If you need me, I’ll be sunning myself by the pool. Arrivederci!” Bye-bye.

Oops, I need to be careful not to use Italian around them. I doubt they will think I know more than that, though. Everyone knows how to say hello and goodbye in different languages, don’t they?

The bedroom I’m staying in is huge. Finding an empty wardrobe and some drawers, I unpack my things.

I decide the best thing to do is stay calm and play dumb about the situation.

I need to carefully find out all I can about Leo, his life, and why he chose me for an arranged marriage.

Marco doesn’t want me here, and Leo seems easy to wind up.

So a little fun along the way won’t go amiss either.

Now that I’ve changed into my bikini, I look at myself in the mirror.

Fitness is what keeps me sane, so I am pretty toned.

I must find out if there’s a gym here; given the size of this house, I bet there is.

My boobs are huge, and this bikini I got last year doesn’t do much to cover them.

Oh well. I throw on a beach dress, then grab my bag, Kindle, towel, and sun cream and go look for the pool.

Walking through the house, I see the kitchen. The smell of fresh bread draws me in. I see a man in a traditional chef uniform mixing something in a bowl; he looks up to greet me.

“Buongiorno!” His bright, smiling face instantly puts me at ease.

“Good morning,” I reply, appreciating the warm welcome.

“Come, come. Let me make you some breakfast.”

“Some coffee would be great, thank you.”

“No, no, no.” He tuts and shakes his head .

I take a seat at the island and watch him arrange pastries and fruit on a tray.

“Alga will serve you in the dining room.” The chef nods to the door where a middle-aged lady stands with a pleasant smile.

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll just sit here?”

The chef looks at Alga, then back at me, a confused look on his face. Alga comes and stands at his side and gently pats his arm.

Alga nods and smiles at me. “Of course.” She pours me some coffee.

“I’m Katie, by the way.”

“Alga, and this is my husband, Sergio.”

I knew it. They both have the same kind and caring aura about them.

I eat my breakfast while making small talk about the weather and how beautiful the house and gardens are.

From my seat at the island, I can see out into the back.

A large stone patio leads out onto a landscaped garden surrounded by Mediterranean flowers.

There are different levels to the gardens, one with a beautiful fountain and another with a pool that has a waterfall.

I’m excited about getting out there. Once I finish my breakfast, I pick up my cup and plate to take it over to the sink. Alga dashes towards me in a panic.

“No, miss. I will take that for you.”

Just as I’m about to protest, I see the pleading look in her eyes. I glance over her shoulder to see Marco standing at the door, watching our every move. I let Alga take them from me and gather up my things.

“Thank you so much for breakfast, both of you; it was lovely to meet you, Alga, Sergio. I’ll see you later on.” I squeeze past Marco in the doorway, making my way outside.

“Katie!” Alga shouts after me, waving a bottle of water in her hand. “Please, take this. It is very hot out there today.”

“Thank you, Alga.” Marco snatches the bottle from her before I can reach for it.

So I snatch it from him in the same way. His eyes bulge in fury. I give him a sarcastic smile and continue outside. The warm air hits me as soon as I open the door. Beautiful smells tingle my nose. Fresh warm air, flowers, trees, the sea? We must be close to the beach. Wonderful.

I find a sun lounger near the pool and set my towel down.

I take off my dress and start applying my sun cream.

A loud smash draws my attention back to the house.

I see Marco in the kitchen, waving his hands about.

He looks angry. What is his problem? Deciding I need to cause a distraction, I take off my bikini top and carry on applying my cream.

“Boss!” I hear Marco bellow through the house, followed by shouted obscenities in Italian .

I put on my sunglasses and sit back on the lounger to watch the situation unfold.

I see a few men start to appear at the windows of the house.

Leo arrives in the kitchen. Marco shouts something and points to me outside.

Leo stands frozen on the spot for a moment until Marco shouts again.

The door to the house swings open with such force, it bangs into a plant to the side of it, breaking the window and shattering the glass across the patio.

“Kat-er-een!”

I remove my sunglasses and put on my most innocent face.