Chapter 27 Love?
"Are you by chance falling for him?" Dante asks. Even though I know it's true deep inside my heart, there's no way in hell I'm admitting it to him. That will be very, very embarrassing for me. I was the one who was so hell-bent on getting Antonio to fall in love with me, and now, the opposite happens.
"No. Of course not," I deny.
"Then where did this thought come from? It's odd for you to suddenly think Antonio is not the bad guy when the truth hasn't even come up to the surface," Dante asks.
Damn it. No. I'm not going to let Dante catch me again in my lies.
"Just a late-night thought, nothing more, nothing less," I say with a shrug. Despite what I just said, Dante's gaze of suspicion is unwavering. His gaze stays on me, turning even more intense than before. My body burns under his gaze, afraid of getting caught. I ignore the feeling and stare back into his eyes, trying to make him believe my words through my gaze.
"Are you sure?" Dante asks.
"Of course I am," I say.
Dante's gaze softens. However, the hint of suspicion still lingers in his eyes like a dark mist. By the looks of it, I don't think I'm safe just yet. I'm sure he'll be bombarding me with questions or his logical takes after this. Fuck. I'm absolutely cooked. He's going to obliterate me with his words starting from this second.
"You know what? Sometimes I can't figure out if you're acting or actually catching feelings with Antonio," Dante says.
Oh? Does this mean he thinks I'm good at acting? That's great news, right?
"That just means I'm a good actress," I say, shrugging with a smug smile. Dante throws his head back, laughing at my response. The sight causes my smile to falter as I watch him continue to laugh at me.
Dante really caught me, didn't he? Fuck me. I'm fucked. Ugh, I'm so bad at this. I should've known already by now how good an observer Dante is. He's literally my bodyguard. He's skilled at observing every small detail, even the tiniest one, that ordinary people couldn't catch. He absolutely knows I've fallen for Antonio. I shouldn't even bother to lie right onto his face.
"No, you're not that slick, princess. I know you have at least a bit of feelings for him, and you, darling, you didn't hide them as well as you thought," Dante says.
Alright. I give up. I can't hide anything from Dante. Or maybe anyone. I'm just too easy to read. I'm literally an open book that everyone can read, even from the other side of the world.
"How do you know about it?" I ask.
"The way you stare at him. Sometimes, you have this lovey-dovey look in your eyes. You were admiring him openly. When you caught yourself doing it, you immediately avoided his gaze. And then, you became awkward. You even started glancing at me a few times with a mixture of embarrassment and fear. To cover that awkwardness you were feeling, you started to laugh at everything," Dante explains.
Damn it. How does he know me so well? I hate this. This is my fault, though. I should be even more careful with my facial expression, not just because I don't want Dante to know I'm lying, but so I can lie better in front of Antonio and the Ricci, too. I don't want them to be suspicious of me and make me blow my own cover. Not after all the time I've wasted on them so far to dig into their family and their possible connection with the Romanos.
Now that I know Dante can read me and know the truth, I might as well ask him more about how I've been doing so far with Antonio. Maybe that'll help me to improve my shitty acting.
"What else did you notice, Mr Detective?" I ask.
"Time after time, Antonio's gifts seemed to excite you even more. The highlight was the gun he gave you last week. Yes, you were afraid at first when you saw the gun in his hand, but after you understood his intention, your eyes immediately lit up. Despite the look of shock that still stayed on your face after the shocking reveal, a big smile appeared on your face. You absolutely love the pretty, customised weapon he gave you," Dante says.
"Fuck. I am that easy to read, huh?" I say.
"I've told you. Just be careful. Keep reminding yourself of who Antonio might be. You can't let your guard down just yet with how unclear everything is now," Dante says.
He's right. I can't let Antonio get to me. I must resist his charm. I can't fall in love with him yet. Fuck. How did I even fall in love with him this quickly when I've also been crushing on Dante for the longest time? Wait. Why am I even thinking about this? There's no time for love for now. I need to finish my business with the Romanos. No matter how messy it could get with them, I must finish them first and kill them once and for all.
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks. I really need that reminder. If it really turns out that Antonio and his family work with the Romanos, then they're as bad as the Romanos," I say.
"Correct," Dante says, nodding in agreement. "Now, how about the date? Do you want to go see him tomorrow or not? Don't mind my wound. I'm perfectly fine. The more time you spend with him, the more chance you have to get more information out of him," Dante says.
My phone dings. The notification on my phone screen causes a frown to form on my face. It's a message from Antonio. He's definitely asking if I want to go on another date with him. My stomach churns at the thought of going on a date with the man. After what I just discovered today about my feelings towards Antonio, it doesn't feel right for me to meet him tomorrow. I need a rest for a bit, just to clear my mind and set a clear intention on what my actual plan with Antonio is. I'm afraid I'm gonna fall a bit further if I meet him tomorrow, or worse, ruin my own plan by how awkward I might act tomorrow.
"Speaking of the devil," I say.
"Well?" Dante says. I shake my head, adamant in my decision not to go on a date with Antonio tomorrow.
Nope. I'm definitely not going on a date with him tomorrow. Oh no. I feel like I'm gonna throw up from how stressed I am right now. I really need to stop thinking about Antonio and my plan for a moment.
"I feel like I can't focus on Antonio for now. I don't think I'm feeling very well anyway to go on any date with him this weekend," I sigh. My chest tightens a bit as I become overwhelmed by my own thoughts. Dude. I really need to stop thinking of anything right at this second.
"Why? Are you sick? Do you have a fever? Did you catch a cold or something? You're literally turning pale right now," Dante says as he puts his hands over my forehead, cheek, and then neck for my temperature.
"You're definitely sick. You're getting warm," Dante says with a frown. Oh shit. Not like this. How could a damn stress make me catch a damn fever? Ugh, whatever. At least I'll have a reason not to go on a date with Antonio tomorrow.
"Really?" I ask, touching my own forehead and face, and Dante nods for the answer. I can't really feel my face burning, but my hands are definitely as hot as a damn saucepan. I just hope this won't actually last and will disappear in the afternoon. I don't want to actually get sick. I just want to get some rest without feeling sick.
"Do you have paracetamol or anything? You know, to treat your fever? Or would you rather have some warm towel for your forehead?" Dante says.
"No need for all that. I'll just sleep it off right now," I say as I get under my duvet. I tuck it under my chin and feel my body begin to shiver and tremble from the fever.
Oh no. How could I suddenly get a fever like this? I was just fine earlier. What's happening to me?