Chapter 65: Chapter Sixty Five

*Ivy*

The fish has been hooked and reeled.

Ivy looks down at the text that her mother sent her just moments ago. She doesn’t bother texting back since she already knew what the message meant. Sitting there in her room she looks at herself in the mirror. This past week was a trying one that was for sure.

It wasn’t like the two lovebirds were hiding their romance and making fucking sounds for anyone to listen too nightly. A flare of jealousy rose within her. Now that Benny was gone she didn’t have anyone to lay her sexual frustrations on. Domenico was a definite no go if she planned to bag Enzo for herself. How awkward and insensitive would that be in future events?

She couldn’t have the boy pinning her after all if they ended up having sex first. It wasn’t that he was unattractive, he wasn’t. He just didn’t have the financial stability she was looking for. He wasn’t the next head of the clan. If she was going to go big then she might as well go after the biggest one of them all.

It was also the reason she stopped giving him any of her attention. He served his purpose and now he was just a used pawn that no longer held value. He got her here right where she wanted. The fact that he hadn’t bothered her for the past week was a given. Although, she was slightly curious on why that was. In fact, she just realized that she hardly saw him around the property nowadays. Only during mealtimes does he show his presence.

Not that she cared, but it did make her wonder what he’s been up to lately. She shrugs and pushes him out of her mind. Putting her phone down on the vanity table that she had Domenico place in the room from downstairs when she first arrived, she reaches the tiny drawer it held and opened it.

A few pieces of blank paper were scattered inside. Moving them around a little she takes out a small little bag that was made of cheap fabric. Untying the small rope that was keeping it tightly closed she slips out a tiny brown glass bottle. It didn’t have a label, but she didn’t need one to know what it was.

She had been waiting for this for a few weeks now and it finally came to her the other night. Now she was just bidding her time for the right moment. According to the conversation between Maria and her husband that she had eavesdropped on it was soon to be that old man’s birthday and they planned a grand celebration.

It was the perfect opportunity to use it. As far as she knew no guests were invited because of the Gabriela and Domenico’s situation so it was just to be them and the workers. That was fine since all she needed was for alcohol to be present and for a distraction on Gabriela for her plan to work. Her mother did her part, it was time to do hers. Now that they held Dario in the palm of their hands it was set to begin.

Dario takes Gabriela off her hands while she entraps Enzo. She wasn’t stupid to believe that the man would ever love or accept her, but with what she had in mind she didn’t need that. She just needed the blackmail to make him do what she wanted. And they wouldn’t have to have gone to such measures if her mother hadn’t found out the truth of their situation with Alejandro.

She had been suspicious for some time on their finances. He was acting like everything was alright, that they weren’t just about to hit financial ruin. But it was all a lie, a cover up. Apparently, Alejandro was near to filing bankruptcy and if he did that they would all be the laughingstock of their circle. They would get snubbed, turned away, and what’s worse no one would be willing to help them. The marriage proposals would cease altogether, and they would treat them like they were part of the low common society.

Squeezing the bottle tightly in her palm she knew she couldn’t have that. She couldn’t live like that again. After listening to what her mother found out she had sneaked into his office and checked his financial records to see it was a lot worse then they first anticipated.

She needed to leave before the truth came to light. She needed to distance herself from the Russo’s and change her last name before anyone found out. Her mother would divorce Alejandro, taking what little he had in the proceedings and live like a woman who was betrayed by her own husband, shunning him along the way.

Playing the victims were their best bet, Act like they never knew how bad it had gotten. Sympathy was better than contempt.

And the best option was to marry into the Giordano family. The richest family of them all where she knew she would never have to worry about becoming broke again for the rest of her life. But if she was going to sacrifice herself then she might as well do it without just settling. She wanted Enzo and she planned to have him.

Even if she had to go to drastic measures as threatening the thing he loved most.

His corporations. The Washington and California branches.