Page 26 of The Bonventi Rise

"Good night, Liv," I say, but there's no real heat behind it. It's impossible to stay truly angry with Livia.

With that parting shot, they're gone, leaving me alone with Gio. I slump back into my chair, suddenly exhausted. The adrenaline from the press conference, the kiss, the interrogation—it's all catching up to me now.

Gio settles into the chair across from me, his expression unreadable. "You okay?" he asks after a moment.

I sigh and crack my neck. "Yeah, I'm fine," I lie, not meeting his eyes. "Let's just focus on security, okay?"

He nods, pulling out his phone. "Alright. First things first, we need to increase your personal detail. Now that you're officially running, you're going to be in the public eye a lot more."

We spend the next hour going over security protocols, discussing potential threats, and planning for various scenarios.

"And that's a good start," Gio says, finishing up. "I'm going to speak with Alina as well. I want to be CC'd on all yourappointments, schedules, and all that, so my men can take care of things."

I nod. "Okay, that's not a problem."

"You know what could be, though? I'm not a fan of the front doors. Anyone can just walk in off the street."

"Well, Gio, they kind of have to be like that. You know, I can't shut out my constituents."

"No, I know, but?—"

"If you're worried, put a man there."

"That work for you?" he asks.

"Yes."

There's a pause between us.

"Not to change the subject, but to change the subject, speaking of love lives earlier, how's yours? Still seeing?—"

"Stacy? No, she became a bit needy, too dependent. And on social media all the time. Like, how many pictures can you take of your fucking food or coffee?"

I laugh.

"I told her, trust me, Stacy, everyone knows what a latte looks like, and no one cares how green your damn avocado toast is. Anyway," he says, standing, "Seems like Enzo's the only lucky one."

I nod, unsure of what to say.

"Let's just get you elected, then maybe you can introduce me to some of those fine senators," Gio continues.

I lean back in my chair and smile. "You know most are a bit older, but if that's your thing," I say, putting my hands up in the air.

"Alright, wise guy. I'll be seeing you."

Gio leaves, and I think about what he said, about Enzo being the lucky one.

Is he?

Either way, I guess it doesn't matter. It's time I step back and let Alina run things now and keep our interactions to only when needed, both on the campaign front and for our 'couples' events. I can't have my head this confused.

And besides, how often do you see a Senator's fiancée during the campaign run?

I pause and wonder to myself why I even have to do this. Why do I have to think this hard about my interactions with her? What am I, fifteen?

Shit, what the hell am I getting myself into?

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