Emil's POV
"Emil?"
"Emil?!"
The sound of my name had me raising my eyes to look in the direction from which my name had been called. I found both of my brothers watching me with a question mark on their faces. I cleared my throat and said, "Yes? What is it?"
"I have been trying to get your attention for a while now. I was asking about the olive gardens. We were supposed to check on them and see how they are doing. The farm hands had said there were some issues with the plants," Marco said.
I nodded my head and said, "Yes, we can go after breakfast." My brothers nodded their heads slowly before falling back into conversation with one another.
I was having a hard time concentrating on anything this morning. My bride, Andrea Severino, had refused to stop plaguing my mind. After I had left her room—or my room, right now I wasn't very sure whose room it was—I had been unable to sleep. I was not sure why she affected me so much because even now, I could not stop thinking about her. It was hard to get thoughts of her beautiful skin out of my mind.
I had always enjoyed it when people quivered in fear when in my presence or even I spoke to them, but it bothered me when I saw the fear in her eyes when she spoke to me. It was also thrilling that she could stand up to me. Most people would have just bowed their heads and agreed with whatever I wanted, but she still spoke her mind even though I could see that I scared her.
With a scoff, I tossed my spoon to the table. I was suddenly not in the mood for breakfast anymore. The sound of the spoon clattering against the fine china had my brothers turning to look at me quickly.
"Emil, is everything alright? You seem very distracted this morning," Antonio said, his huge eyes peering into my face.
An Italian cuss word escaped my lips before I cleared my throat and said, "I will not be joining you this morning. You two can handle it. I have something I must attend to." Before either Marco or Antonio could say anything, I was already pushing my chair back and heading in the direction of my room. I just had to speak to Andrea Severino.
The room was empty when I got there. I found the maids fixing the bed and putting fresh flowers in the vases. I had never for once seen flowers in my room. The flowers seemed out of place in the dark room filled with dark wood and black leather furniture.
"Don Ferrari, I didn't see you standing there. Did you need something?" Wilma said to me as she rushed to my side. I gave the woman a small smile. Wilma was something of a mother to me and the boys. She practically raised all of us, as Donna Ferrari had been a little too preoccupied to worry about her sons.
"Flowers?" I asked as I nodded my head towards the maid arranging the flowers in the vase. A smile appeared on Wilma's wrinkled face. "Your bride loves flowers. She asks for fresh ones every morning, and she spends all her time in the garden," she said.
"What has she been up to since I left?" I asked, somehow I felt bad that I had abandoned her here.
"The poor child barely speaks to anyone. She sits in the gardens all day. Sometimes she reads her books, and other times, she listens to music. She lives like a ghost in the house. I have tried to get her to speak to me, but she simply keeps to herself," Wilma said.
I wondered why I had agreed to marry the girl. She was really of no use to me. I felt sorry for her, and hearing how she had lived since she got here just made me feel even more uneasy about her.
"Where is she?" I asked Wilma.
"In the east garden. She is always there," Wilma said.
"Thank you, Wilma. I will let you get on with your work," I said before turning in the direction of the east gardens.
************
Andrea's POV
I was not sure what to feel now that Emil Ferrari was back. I did not want to be around him because I wasn't sure how I was supposed to act around him. How did one act around a husband they did not love or even know?
Last night, my heart had refused to stop pounding in my chest when we had been in the same bed. I had never been in bed with a man before, not even with my sweet Lorenzo. I had thought he would be the first man I would lay with, but it turned out to be Emil Ferrari.
The sounds of footsteps behind me had me snapping my head in the direction of the sound. "Who is it?" I asked.
"Why do you sound so startled?" I heard a deep, familiar voice say.
I felt my whole body tense up at once. Why was he here? I had thought he would have forgotten about me by now.
"Don Ferrari," I said, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. I wasn't sure why, but I was terrified of Emil Ferrari. I had no idea what he was capable of.
I knew that I should not be so scared of him since my father and brothers were just like him, but still, there was a presence he commanded that scared me.
"I asked you to call me Emil," I heard him say.
I realized that he had moved closer to where I was sitting because I could feel the heat from his body close to where I was sitting. I could smell his musky and spicy cologne hanging softly in the air.
"And I told you I prefer to address you as Don Ferrari," I answered.
I heard a sigh and then movement. Suddenly, I felt a hand on top of mine, which had been resting in my lap.
My entire body froze, and I quickly drew my hand from his as though his touch had burnt me.
"Don't touch me," I said quickly.
"I am not trying to hurt you, Andrea," I heard him say quietly, but I could tell that he was simply trying to sound calm.
"I would really appreciate it if you stayed away from me. I do not want anything to do with you, and I am well aware that you also want nothing to do with me. So let's both do each other a favor and stay out of each other's way," I said to him.
I heard him take a deep breath before he said, "I am trying to be cordial, Andrea. Do not force me to do otherwise."
A smile pulled at the corners of my lips. "I never asked for a cordial relationship with you, Don Ferrari. I do not want it, and I will not thank you for something I do not want," I said.
"Foolish girl, you will do well not to make an enemy of me. I am the only one who can save you. Your life is in my hands right now. Or perhaps you forget you were bartered off to me like some cheap accessory. Take my hand of friendship while I am offering it, or you will spend the rest of your life in this house in silence and misery. And honestly, I could not really give a damn about you," he snapped.
I felt tears well up in my eyes, but I refused to let him see me cry. I refused to let him think of me as weak. I refused to give him the pleasure of seeing me break down.
"I mean you no harm, Andrea. The sooner you understand this, the better for you," he said. His voice was quieter now, and I felt him move away from me.
I said nothing. I focused on not letting the tears fall from my eyes.
I heard his retreating footsteps, and soon enough, I was once again alone in the garden.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding all this while, and with it came the tears. They slipped out of my eyes freely, and for the first time since I arrived at the Ferrari mansion, I prayed that I could leave here and never return.