SWNOVELS Chapter 21
21 A MAN CALLED GIOVANNI
After a while of running in different directions, Anna stopped. “Now that I’ve lost him, where the hell am 1?” she wondered aloud, looking around the empty hall with nothing but paintings, plants and several rooms on both sides.
“This mansion doesn’t look like it from the outside, but it’s huge–way bigger than mine,” she muttered as she wandered around.
“Hello?” she yelled out. “Anybody here?”
There was no response.
“Should I just call Davis?” she muttered, before deciding against it. She doubted he was done being introduced to people and didn’t want to bother him.
“Are you lost?” She turned back to see a man approaching her. He had on a blue corporate jacket with nothing beneath it and so his toned chest was in view for all to ogle.
She remembered Davis’s warnings and held her purse tight. I didn’t bring pepper spray, but I’ll use my heels if it comes to it.
“Yes, please. Could you please show me the way back to the hallway leading to the party?” she asked, with a light smile.
“Not the party itself?” he tilted his head to the side a bit. “You’re Mrs. Solorante, vero?” he asked, a boyish grin on his face.
I don’t like that grin and what is Vero?
Although she didn’t understand the words he said, she knew he wanted to know if she was truly married to Davis. “Yeah. Why do you ask?” she asked.
He raised his hand, shaking his head slightly, “Oh, niente!”
She raised a brow, “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand…” she trailed off, not knowing the language he
was speaking.
“Italian,” he said with a raised brow. “I assumed you’d know a bit since your husband speaks it
rather well.”
“He does?” She was intrigued and didn’t realize when she dropped her guard.
“Si,” he replied and stretched out his hand. “I’m Giovanni by the way.
She stared at his hand for a while before taking it. “I’m-
“Anna,” he completed for her, his hazel eyes boring into hers as though he was searching her very soul
the war
She immediately withdrew her hand. “Could you please show me back?” she asked, her tone
21 A MAN CALLED GIOVANNI
2/3
impatient.
He shrugged, his hands in his pocket. “We’re lost together, Tesoro,” he said with a heavy sigh. “This place is a maze.”
“How relieving,” she said, her shoulders dropping. “And what did you call me? Tesoro?” she inquired.
He burst into laughter. “Your pronunciation is hilarious, but the meaning is a secret,” he said with a wink and she turned away with an eye roll.
“I’ll just try retracing my steps,” she muttered in annoyance.
“I was just pulling your legs, Tesoro,” he chuckled as he walked toward the end of the hall. When he didn’t hear her walking, he turned back, “Are you coming or what?”
“I don’t know why he keeps calling me that,” she mumbled in annoyance. “It’s probably an insult or something.”
“I can’t hear you if you’re trying to talk to me,” he pointed out and continued walking.
“Well, I wasn’t trying to talk to you,” she snapped, following behind him.
After a very short while of walking, they arrived back in the hall she had run from. She could tell from the numerous paintings and plants she saw around.
“Thank you so much, Giovanni,” she said, a look of gratitude on my face.
He stared at her for a while before his lips curved up in a mischievous smile. He took her hand and planted a kiss on her knuckles, “Prego, Tesoro,”
“I’ll take that as you saying I’m welcome,” she smiled, withdrawing her hand immediately. 1
“We’ll see each other around,” he said as he walked towards the exit.
“You aren’t staying for the party?” she asked. Why did I ask?
He raised an inquisitive brow at her. “If you want me to stay, I could spare a few hours.”
“Nah, do you,” she said, picking up a plant on the table. She dropped it on the floor and sat on the table, sighing in relief. Heels are crazy. How do people walk in them for so long?
“You break my heart, Tesoro,” he said in mock sadness, but she closed her eyes. “And I forgot to mention that you look ravishing in that dress of yours.”
“Thank you,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I thought you were leaving.”
He chuckled, “Oh, Tesoro! Tutto di te mi fa venire voglia di fare cose con te.”
“Okay, that’s a long one,” she said, her face curling down in a frown.
“I was saying goodbye,” he grinned as he walked off, “When you see Davis, tell him Giovanni says Hi. He’ll be thrilled.”
“Sure,” she said, watching as he went through the exit. “I thought no one had ever seen Davis, but
21 A MAN CALLED GIOVANNI
why does this Italian guy know him? Are they friends?”
3/3
After a while of sitting on the table, her phone vibrated in her purse. She had put it on silent before the party to avoid any attention, “Finally,” she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw it was Davis. “Are you through? And are we leaving now?”
“Yes, where are you?” he asked.
“The hallway we came through,” she said and he hung up. “Rude,” she muttered as she dialled Lily.
“Send it now, Lily. We’re leaving,” she said as Lily picked up.
“What? It’s not even been an hour,” she said.
“Which is a good thing, since everyone is still here,” she looked at the exit, “Almost everyone.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll send it now,” Lily said and hung up.
Anna closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall, “I miss my bed,” she muttered.
“Should I carry you?” she opened her eyes when she heard Davis’s voice.
She shook her head, a small smile on her face and she cupped his face. “I can walk on my own, love,” she said and with his help, got down from the table and returned the plant to its rightful place.
“You act well,” Davis whispered as he hugged her.
“I could say the same for you,” she said to him before pulling away. “By the way, I got lost a while po. I was walking around for nearly, if not over, thirty minutes. Anyway, I ran into this Italian guy. He said his name is Giovanni and said you
speak Italian-”
Davis’s eyes darkened as he clenched his fist, but Anna was too busy talking to notice his change in expression.
IL
Really though, he made it sound as though I was stupid because I didn’t know you speak Italian and I don’t blame him because I’m supposed to be your wife, yet I don’t know that little detail. Who’ll believe I’m a wife you married out of love?” she said, whispering the question.
He fixed his expression. “I’m sorry, but I’ll let you know a little about me soon,” he told her and took her hand. “Let’s go now.”
“What’s Tesoro?” she asked when they got in the car.
“He called you that?” Davis said, a dark look crossing his eyes.
“Yeah, and said one long ass sentence but I can only remember the ending: di fare,” she paused for a while, “I think curse con te? I might have pronounced it wrong.”
“It’s nothing you should worry about,” he said through gritted teeth. Giovanni, you bastard.
“If you say so,” she shrugged. Her phone buzzed and she picked it up to see a link to an article from Lily. She clicked on it and a smile lit her face, “You’ll want to see this,” she told him with a light chuckle.