"Miss Jones, what a surprise." Mr Giovanni purrs down at me. My whole body runs cold with a shiver as I stare up at his godly face. He looks at me with his cold eyes, as if he's trying to enter my mind and read my thoughts. "I wouldn't have expected to find you here." A hint of a smile appears on his lips.

"I could say the same." I say jokingly, but he doesn't seem to find it funny.

"Are you with somebody?" He asks, his voice sounding huskier than ever and deep. I nod my head, and his smile is quickly replaced by a frown.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but i wouldn't have thought you could afford to dine at a place like this." He says.

I internally scoff. I only met him this morning and he thinks he has the right to judge me! Who does he think he is?

"I'm here catching up with a family friend." I lie. No one can know I am Roman Marino's daughter. If they did, I would have a hefty price on my head, and I already know that Matteo has one in his collection.

"A family friend?" He questions. "Who? I may know them, I know a lot of people in New York City." He asks.

I took a step back, not realising I was standing in such close proximity to him. My whole body feels like it's overheating, and I unconsciously remove my shawl from my shoulders. As I do, I notice that Matteo's gaze follows my hand movements, his eyes burning marks into my body.

"I um--" I begin but am interrupted.

"Matteo!" My father's voice booms from behind me. I turn to see him approaching us with his hands outstretched. The two men embrace each other as if they are very close friends. I tense, how do they know each other.

"This is Roman, my family friend, but it seems you two already know each other." I say quietly, not sure either of them even hear me. But Dad does, he always does.

"Yes, Mia, she is one of my business partners' daughters. I've known her since she was in diapers." The lie comes so easily from his mouth. I'm not surprised though, we know what to do in these kinds of situations.

I turn looking back at Matteo, only just to realise how well dressed he is, and how sexy he looks in his suit.

Oh my god, did i just think that?

"How do you know Matteo Mia?" Dad asks, and I chew my lip, having completely forgotten to tell him of the interview. Maybe he didn't know about it after all...

"Mia came to my office today for an interview for the position of a translator within my company." Matteo says calmly.

I feel the presence of Dad's hand on my back comforting me. He can tell i'm uncomfortable, which probably means Matteo can too.

"Mia, you didn't tell me you had an interview--"

"And I gave her the job." Matteo smirks.

"That is just wonderful Mia! We must drink this!" Dad says. "Care to join us Matteo, it would be nice to catch up with you, I am only in New York for another day."

I take in a sharp breath. He's leaving so soon? I shouldn't be surprised, but it doesn't make it sting any less. I was hoping we would be able to go out again, and do things that fathers and daughters do, whatever that is.

"I am here with a guest of mine, but i'm sure she wouldn't mind joining us if you are alright with it?" Matteo says.

"The more the merrier!" Dad exclaims, and we make our way back to our table while Matteo gets his guest. And I still haven't gone to the damn bathroom!

"Mia, we will be discussing this later." Dad says, his tone dark, unlike the merry one he had just spoken in seconds ago.

Soon Matteo returns, coming through the curtains with a lady on his side. She's tall and gorgeous beyond comparison. Her long blonde hair cascades down her shoulders like a waterfall and from her ears hang earrings that are worth more than what I've ever earned in my life. She wears a tight red dress with a deep V-neck, exposing her cleavage, which she definitely is not shy about.

"Hey, It's nice to meet you Mia, Matteo was just telling me about how talented you are with languages." She smiles warmly, completely the opposite of how i thought she would be. Alright, i thought she was going to be a bitch, but don't blame me for the stereotype!

"It's nice to meet you too." I say.

The night progresses painfully slowly, and I make sure to have as many glasses of red wine as possible to aid the night in speeding up. After two hours have passed, I can barely think coherent thoughts, let alone speak a proper sentence.

I am listening to the conversation go by, and my attention is only perked when I hear the word 'goodbye'.

"Goodbye Roman, it has been an absolute pleasure seeing you." Matteo says as he links arms with the nice blonde girl who I hadn't bothered to remember her name. "And goodbye Mia, I am looking forward to our lunch in a few days to further get to know you."

I nod at Matteo, scared that if I open my mouth, I'll say something that I will regret.

In the blink of an eye, the couple have left, and it's just Dad and I left.

I feel my eyes begin to get heavy, the alcohol having a bad effect on me. I am not a lightweight, but I think after tonight I might be. Oh gosh, i hate social interactions. This night has certainly reminded me why I am a hermit besides getting drunk at clubs and hooking up with some random strangers.

I don't know what happened over the next few minutes, but all I know is that I fell into a semi-conscious haze and slumped back in my chair. The next thing I know is that I'm in my bed back in my apartment, once again falling into the darkness.

And for some reason, something tells me that I am not going to like what I wake up to.

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