Chapter 8 Invisible
The car screeched to a stop, and Giovanni was out before the engine died, not sparing me so much as a glance.
I stayed frozen for a second, staring at the empty seat beside me, half-expecting him to turn back but he didn't.
He was already moving, his world resuming as if I'd never disrupted it.
I slid out after him, my wedding dress snagging on the door frame. The hem was already destroyed, caked with dirt and torn lace. My heels wobbled on the cold concrete, but I forced myself upright.
Nobody cared or even looked at me.
Men in black suits swarmed him the second his shoes hit the tarmac. Their heads were bowed, notebooks and phones at the ready, their eyes never once flickered my way.
I was invisible, much like a ghost trailing behind the storm.
"The shipment docks tonight," one of them said, voice tight and rushed. "Two crates missing from the manifest."
Giovanni didn't slow his stride. "Find whoever touched them. Make sure they don't ever touch anything again."
The words weren't loud, but they were hard enough to rush through my spine.
Another man appeared at his shoulder. "And the debtors?"
"Three still holding out," the first man confirmed.
"Break one." Giovanni's response came without hesitation. "Make sure the others watch. They'll pay after that."
I hugged my arms across my chest, the silk offering no protection from the cold. Just hours ago, my father was ready to give me up for a future I never wanted.
Now I was here, following a man who hadn't even spared me a look since stealing me from my home.
Every part of me screamed to run, but where? Men in black suits flanked the private jet, armed and alert.
My hands shook, curling into fists.
I hated him and the way he made me feel small. But most of all, I hated that even his silence pressed against me harder than my father's commands ever had.
The moment I stepped inside the jet, I instinctively drifted toward the far end of the cabin.
I pressed my palm against the cool glass of tje eindo, letting the hum of engines seep through my skin.
Enzo slid into the seat opposite me with a smirk, sprawling like he owned the plane. Giovanni settled beside him with that same effortless dominance he carried everywhere.
Not long after, the flight attendant appeared. She swept down the aisle with an exaggerated sway of her hips, her perfume arriving before she did.
I knew her type the moment her eyes brushed past me without a flicker of recognition, before landing squarely on Giovanni.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" she purred, and leaned forward just enough to make sure her surgically enhanced chest nearly tumbled out of her blouse. "Or perhaps something... stronger?"
I kept my eyes on the window, pretending the exchange wasn't happening but I noticed that Giovanni's expression didn't budge.
"What I'd like," he said slowly, his voice low and edged with disdain, "is for you to stop dangling your plastic chest in my face." He paused, letting the words sink in. "Tell your surgeon he should've focused more on your jawline.
Maybe then your face would match the rest of your work."
The attendant froze, her smile collapsing as coolor rushed to her cheeks before tears welled up, threatening to ruin her mascara.
She drew herself up quickly, forcing out a hiss under her breath, not at Giovanni, but toward me, as if I were somehow responsible for her humiliation. Then she turned on her heel and disappeared down the aisle, shoes clicking a little too fast.
I blinked, half-shocked, half-amused, not sure whether to laugh or pity her.
Enzo broke the silence first, his grin wicked. "Damn, Gio. You didn't just burn her, you cremated her." He let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head. "Poor girl thought she had a chance."
Giovanni leaned back in his seat, completely unbothered, eyes flicking briefly toward me as if checking my reaction.
Enzo couldn't resist pushing further. He raised an eyebrow at me, smirking. "Bet she's back there crying into the champagne bottles, cursing both of you.”
I rolled my eyes, but the corner of my lips betrayed me, tugging upward. "I didn't even open my mouth yet somehow I'm public enemy number one."
Enzo chuckled, leaning back comfortably. "So," he asked, flashing that mischievous grin, "How are you coping? I didn't even get the chance to ask before you buried yourself by the window. Don't mind Gio, he's allergic to small talk. But me? I'm all ears."
I glanced at him. “Are you seriously asking me how I’m coping? After kidnapping me from my home?”
“Kidnapping is too heavy a word, don’t you think?” He smirked. “If you look at it, we’re doing you a favor. Marrying Alessio would’ve sent you to an early grave, the guy is a primp.”
A quiet scoff slipped out before I could stop it. "You're ridiculous."
"Thank you," Enzo said with mock seriousness, placing a hand over his chest. "Finally, some recognition."
I almost laughed. It surprised me how easy he was to talk to. He wasn't what I expected from someone who'd just helped orchestrate my kidnapping.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Giovanni, his attention was fixed on the laptop propped on his knees and his expression was flat.
Without looking up from the glowing screen, his voice sliced through the space between us.
"Stop it."
My brows shot up. "Stop what?"
His eyes stayed fixed on the laptop, fingers moving with deliberate calm. "Entertaining him."
I let out a short laugh, more disbelief than amusement. "You've got to be kidding me."
Enzo leaned back, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Oh, this is gold. Gio, are you seriously sulking right now?"
The only reply was the quiet tap of keys as Giovanni scrolled through another page, his face unreadable.
I turned toward the window, arms folding across my chest. "Unbelievable," I muttered, more to myself than to either of them.
Enzo leaned closer, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper that still carried perfectly. "Don't mind him. He's just choking on the J-word."
I gave him a puzzled look. "The J-word?"
"Jealous," Enzo said, grinning ear to ear. "But he'll die before he admits it."
I rolled my eyes, but the faintest smile still curved my lips despite everything.
Leaning into the window, I let the cool glass cradle my cheek. My eyes fluttered once, twice, before finally giving in. The last thing I felt was the echo of Enzo's laughter before sleep pulled me under completely.
The next thing I felt was a gentle nudge against my arm.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty. We've landed.”
I blinked against the harsh cabin light, disoriented. My first instinct was to look for Giovanni, but his seat was empty.
Again just like before, he’d left me behind without a word, as though I wasn’t worth the courtesy.
I swallowed down the sting, and ignored the look Enzo was giving me.
I sighed, gathered myself, and stepped off the jet. The air outside was sharp, heavy with the scent of fuel and asphalt.
Sleek black cars lined up at the edge of the runway, doors already open.
Enzo directed me into one and I slid into the far corner of the back seat, putting as much distance as possible between where he'd sit and where I'd suffer.
My pulse quickened when he finally appeared, sliding in with that infuriating calm. He glanced my way, tone flat as ever. "You fell asleep."
I didn’t respond to the accusation in his tone. He was acting like I’d asked to be abandoned on the jet like luggage or as if my existence was some inconvenience to his world.
Instead, I cursed him a thousand different ways inside my head while keeping my expression cool.
Enzo shifted in his seat, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement as though he could feel the storm rolling inside me.
"Wow," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for me to catch. "You really know how to charm a lady, Gio."
Giovanni's eyes flicked toward him for the briefest moment before sliding back to the tablet in his hand. Not a word or even a hint of acknowledgment.
I huffed softly through my nose as the car pulled out of the airport.
Enzo winked at me, his voice was playful. “Don’t mind him. He’d probably tell the sun it was late for rising if it annoyed him enough.”
My lips twitched, and I quickly turned my face toward the window in an effort to hide my smile. It didn’t do anything to ease the sharp ache around my chest.
And for a moment, I couldn't help but wonder. Was this how it was always going to be?
Him keeping me at arm's length, leaving me to stumble after his shadow, while I kept swallowing words I desperately wanted to say?