Page 63 of Love Arranged

“I—” Dahlia shakes her head. She looks likeshe’s about to say something else, but she remains quiet as she pulls out of the parking spot instead.

Neither of us plays any music, so I’m left to stew in my unpleasant thoughts during the ride home. I knew Dahlia would be upset, because if the roles were reversed, I’d be just as hurt, if not more, but witnessing her pain gives me a whole new type of sister guilt.

Halfway through the quiet drive, I think about coming clean. I don’t want Dahlia to be upset with me, but when I open my mouth, I slam it shut.

Wait until you speak to Lorenzo.

After she pulls into the driveway of our house and parks the car, she turns to face me. “Tomorrow morning you need to tell Mom about Lorenzo. It’s not right to make her find out the news from someone else.”

I clench my hands into fists. “I know.”

All I can hope is that she doesn’t connect the buyout letter to my relationship with Lorenzo. And even if she questions it, she’d write it off as a coincidence, choosing to believe the more plausible story.

Because who in their right mind agrees to a fake relationship?

Oh, right.

Me.

13

LORENZO

Once Lily disappears inside Dahlia’s car, Julian stalks me back to tonight’s ride—a vintage Jaguar two-seater like the one my dad was always repairing for the Hawthorne family. While my mom managed their wealthy lakefront estate, my father worked odd jobs around town to provide for us.

Mechanic. Italian tutor. Firearms instructor, travel agent, and occasional bartender.

The life he had in Lake Wisteria was a far cry from his extravagant upbringing, but my mom—a military brat who believed in law and order—didn’t want to expose a child to the Vittori lifestyle. Around the world, our surname is feared as much as it is loathed, so she moved back to the only place that ever felt safe.

Still to this day, I don’t understand how myfather managed to go from a billionaire casino heir to a small-town nobody who was fixing luxury cars instead of driving them, but I suppose his hyperfixation with making my mother happy had a way of manipulating his mind.

Then again, I’m running for public office because of my fixation with avenging my parents, so it’s not like I can judge.

“Lorenzo,” Julian says to my back.

I turn and lean against the car. “Yes?”

He retains a few feet of distance. “How much will it cost me?”

“I’m not interested in selling my car,” I say with a detached voice.

“I’m not talking about that, and you know it.” His body is riddled with tension.

I can make an educated guess about what he’s insinuating, but I want to hear him say it aloud so he has to face his own bad idea.

“I’d rather you clarify so I don’t get pissed for no reason.”

He holds my cold stare without looking away. “I want you to leave Lily alone.”

“And you think money is going to do the trick?” I laugh.

“That’s not what I’m offering.”

I tilt my head. “Then what do you possibly have that I could ever want?”

“You wanted my endorsement, right?”

His question makes me pause. “Don’t tell me you’re going to back out of our deal now.”