Page 100 of The Mafia King's Reign
"Oh, please call me Mia." She touches the bracelet self-consciously. "And it was a gift from Mr. Vitale."
The floor seems to tilt beneath my feet. This conversation is not going in the direction I would like.
"Oh." I keep my voice steady. Professional. "Does he give all of his staff jewelry?"
Her smile is thin. "He's just very generous to those who serve him well," she says softly. "Mr. Vitale and I have a special relationship."
I freeze. A special relationship?
What the hell? What does she mean by a special relationship? Is this woman serious right now?
I think about the door closing the other night when we were sleeping. The soft click that woke me for just a moment before I drifted back off. The way Salvatore's breathing never changed, like he hadn't noticed. Or like he had, and chose not to acknowledge it.
"Can I ask you something else?"
"Sure, ma'am."
"When was the last time you were here?"
"I'm not sure." She won't quite meet my eyes now. "I come so often, I don't remember the exact days."
So often.
The words echo in my head.
I want to write it off as nothing, but I'm not a fool. My intuition has never failed me. The way she stands here, in his bedroom, like she belongs. Like she has every right to be emerging from his bathroom with her hair mussed and her uniform half-unbuttoned.
"Mia, you do know that Salvatore and I are getting married, right? I just don't want anything weird between us."
I don't know why I say it. I can't tell if it's jealousy and I'm letting her know he's mine, or if I'm trying to spare her a heartbreak, but her response is so unexpected I almost don't even know what to say.
"Oh, Mr. Salvatore isn't the settling-down type, ma'am, but yes, I know about your… arrangement. Is that all, ma'am?"
Wait, did she just dismiss me?
I hate to be the type of woman who accuses another woman or attacks her for her man's betrayal, but she is not making it easy on me.
"Mia, the other night, it was you, wasn't it? Were you here the entire time?"
She smiles, but there is so much hidden behind her smile it almost feels like a threat.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but I do have a few more things to do."
"Well." I step aside, clearing a path to the door. "Let me get out of your hair then. I'll head to my room and you can just... do whatever it is that you need to do."
"Oh, I'm finished here, ma'am." She moves toward the door. "Unless Mr. Vitale needs anything else, of course."
Of course.
She pauses at the threshold, looking back at me with an expression I can't quite read. Pity? Triumph? Warning?
Then she's gone, pulling the door closed behind her with a soft click.
I stand there, alone in his room, staring at the space where she'd been standing.
The bathroom door is still open. I walk toward it slowly, like I'm approaching a crime scene.
Everything looks normal. Pristine. The towels are folded. The counters are spotless, but then I see a towel, folded beautifully like a swan near the bathtub, and on the side facing the tub, she left a kiss. The same bright pink shade of lipstick she’s wearing, just there, waiting for him.
