Chapter 68: Fully booked

Based on the weather forecast for our destination, the coastal area of central Italy will be quite sunny with a bit of cloud. For that reason, I decided to wear a pastel yellow sundress and white strappy sandals for the day to fit into the weather. Hopefully, the weather will stay that way when we get there. I don't want to put on a cute sundress for nothing.

In the mirror, my reflection stares back at me. Despite my confidence yesterday in front of my father, anxiety about what might happen in the next few days still haunts me. Nothing crazy will happen, right? I mean, we'll be out in public when celebrating Antonio's birthday. Although Fabio owns the restaurant, we'll still be in public anyway. So, why should I be scared? They didn't do anything to me while I stayed at their house, so why would they do anything to us in a restaurant or the resort? Absolutely nothing.

Taking a deep breath, I put on some lipstick, hiding the paleness of my lips behind a layer of a shade of pink. Once I'm ready, I go to my door and open it. My gaze immediately finds Dante. The way he's dressed today makes it hard for me not to stare. The all-black outfit he usually wears is nowhere in sight. Instead, he's dressed in white shorts, a brown shirt, and white shoes. It's refreshing to see him in something that's not black.

Dante tries to hide it, but he's also staring at me. I hold back my smile and clear my throat. He snaps out of his daze, looking a bit embarrassed. He puts on his neutral expression and raises his eyebrows.

"You're ready?" Dante asks.

"Yes. Help me with my stuff, please? The suitcase is heavy," I say as I pull the suitcase in front of me. Dante nods and grabs the suitcase by the handle.

"Sure. I'll take the lift with it," Dante says.

"Alright. Let's go."

Stepping out of the lift, I see my father already in the living room, waiting for us on the couch with his phone in his hand. Just like Dante, he's already dressed in casual clothing, consisting of shorts and a shirt, only in different colours; beige shorts and a light yellow shirt. And instead of shoes, he uses sandals. Seeing Dante and me approaching him, my father puts his phone into his pocket.

"Let's eat our breakfast before we leave, shall we?" my father says.

Once breakfast is over, we waste no time and leave for the resort. Knowing how my father hates it when Dante is too close to me, I feel like putting Dante and me in the same car is a test from him. Although my father said it's for precaution, and it does sound reasonable, I still feel like it's a test, since he's been suspicious of us being too close. I don't want to give a fuck about his suspicion, but then again, it'll cause trouble for Dante, and I don't want him to get hurt again because of me. However, I'm glad to be in the same car with Dante instead of my father. Having him by my side is better for my mental health than being with my father for the next few hours.

"Gosh, the next few days will be long for us," I say, sighing as I stare out the window.

"Only if your father lets you go on that weekend getaway with Antonio," Dante says.

Ah, yes, that little vacation. I'm not sure how I'll approach Antonio, but one thing is for sure: I should prioritise logic over emotions. I can't let Antonio's actions and words cloud my judgment again. I should also be aware of what I do and say. I can only hope it's just a regular vacation, all casual, just like our dates in the past. I don't want what happened at his house to happen again on the vacation.

"Oh, he will. He won't have any other choice but to say yes," I say. My father needs to let me go. I need to get whatever he wants to say out of him. I'll make him do it. Nothing can stop me from making Antonio tell the truth.

"You still believe that he'll snitch on his own blood, huh?" Dante says, smirking at my determination. I shrug at him. It might sound silly to him, but I'm confident that he'll do it. Maybe it's me being delusional, but I feel like he'll do it. If he likes me enough, I'm sure he won't let me get hurt, even if he has to go against his own family.

"Well, I'd rather take my chances than stay curious," I say.

"Any plan in mind?" Dante asks.

Plan? I have nothing. As always, I'll improvise. That's what I'm good at. Even if I have a plan, if it doesn't work, I still need to improvise. So, no plan it is. I hope I don't have to do the same thing I did at the Ricci's place. I hope he'll talk without me needing to kiss him or worse, have sex with him. I guess what I need to do later is to be extra affectionate without making Antonio think I'm hinting towards something sexual. How could I do it? I'll think of something once I'm with Antonio.

"I'll figure it out along the way," I say.

"Alright. If you say so," Dante says, smiling at me. I roll my eyes at him and continue to stare at the scenery right outside the window. The drive might be long, but hopefully, the view will stay nice and not boring. At least that'll keep my sanity at bay before I have to face the Ricci. If it's still sunny when we get there, maybe lounging by the beach will be a nice way to clear my head and think of my next move for the Ricci.

\-

Hours of driving finally get us to our destination: one of the most prestigious resorts in the area. According to my father, Fabio is one of the resort's investors, so it's no wonder the Ricci brought us here instead of any other place. Other than that reason, Fabio probably would rather have us nearby where he can keep his eyes closely on us.

Walking into the lobby, we're immediately greeted by the staff and their polite smiles. While my father checks us in, Carlo, Dante, and I wait in the lounge area, enjoying the refreshing lemonade the staff has given us. Minutes later, my father approaches us with the keycards in his hand.

"Dante, I trust you with Alessandra," my father says as he hands Dante the keycard. He nods to my father and keeps the keycard in his hand. My father then turns to Carlo and gives him two different keycards. "This one for you and the boys."

"Yes, boss. Thank you," Carlo says.

As I expected, I'll be staying in the same room as Dante again. However, it feels different from the first time. Back then, I was happy to be with Dante, but this time? It's the opposite. I am afraid to be in the same room again, knowing what my father might do to Dante just for standing too close to me. Hopefully, my father won't lay a finger on Dante. If he did, then I won't hesitate to confront him.

The concierge leads the four of us to our rooms. All four rooms are close to each other. Once Dante and I stand right in front of the door to our room, he unlocks the door and opens it. The sight in front of me makes me freeze in my place. I turn to Dante, and we stare at each other nervously.

One bed? The room only has one bed. Oh no. This room feels like it's a trap chosen for Dante. Valeria said we could choose the room type we wanted, so my father definitely did this deliberately. He chose a room with one bed for Dante and me on purpose to test him. If he failed the test, then my father might punish him again. We should exchange rooms and take another one with two beds instead. We can't let my father win.

"Father, our room only has one bed in it. Are you sure this is our room?" I ask.

"What? There must be a mistake. I asked for three rooms with twin beds and one with one bed, not two," my father says.

"My apologies, Mr Benetti. The rooms with twin beds are fully booked at the moment for a grand wedding tomorrow. Didn't the receptionist inform you about it?" the concierge says.

So, it's not my father's plan? Oh no. What should we do now?