“Yes?” Perplexed by her abrupt call, I merely nodded in her direction, curious as to what she would say to me.
Her hand fluttered to her throat and then she pushed a few strands of her hair behind her eyes, her hands slightly trembling with nervousness. I saw her swallow a few times with visible effort, trying to find her voice again. I waited, surprisingly patiently.
“I…want to thank…I mean…” She stumbled over her words, stuttering badly over each one. Ayla quickly snapped her mouth shut, her lips forming a hard line. Her eyebrows furrowed together and she looked somewhat frustrated.
Ayla closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She sighed and then opened her eyes again. “Thank you for the flowers,” she said so quickly that I almost missed it.
Her cheeks colored in a beautiful shade of red and her gaze fell. She wiped her hands on the comforter over and over as she waited.
But I was completely lost.
Flowers?
What the fuck is she talking about?
“Flowers?” I echoed, not at all sure what she’d just said. Why was she thanking me for flowers?
“Yes,” she said, nodding toward her nightstand. I followed her eyes and saw some pink flowers in a vase. They were beautiful.
But they weren’t from me.
“Maddie told me you got them for me. They are so beautiful,” Ayla murmured softly, making me turn toward her again.
Maddie? Fuck. This girl. What the hell was she thinking? My jaw twitched in anger. She had overstepped her boundaries this time.
“Thank you so much,” Ayla whispered again, gazing up at me. Her expression took my breath away. Her green eyes were twinkling and her face had softened, her cheeks flushed.
At her sweet words and soft expression, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth.
“Right. Flowers. I’m glad you like them,” I said.
“I do,” she breathed, looking back at the flowers again, a small smile appearing at the corners of her lips.
Ayla gazed at the flowers, and when she didn’t turn back around, I slowly started to step away. “I should go.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Okay.” After giving her a final look, I tore my gaze away. I swiftly walked out of her room, and as soon as the door was closed behind me, I let the anger take place.
“Maddie,” I hissed.
Quickly walking away from Ayla’s room, I made my way downstairs and straight into the kitchen, where I knew I would find Maddie.
With each step I took, I grew angrier at the lies she fed Ayla. Stepping into the kitchen, I snapped loudly, my voice resonating with my annoyance and fury.
“Maddie!”
She jumped and swiveled around with a gasp, her hand going to her chest in shock. Her eyes went wide, but when she saw me, her shoulders sagged in relief. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Alessio, what’s wrong?” Lena asked, coming to stand beside her daughter.
“I have to speak with Maddie,” I growled.
Lena’s forehead creased in confusion and she faced Maddie. “What did you do now?”
“Me? I didn’t do anything,” she replied, her voice squeaking as she feigned innocence.
Taking a step forward, I grabbed her arm and started pulling her out of the kitchen. I heard Lena sigh behind me and she grumbled, “Here we go again.”
I pushed Maddie into the wall, my fingers still wrapped tightly around her arm. “You are hurting me, Alessio.”
I let go of her and she rubbed her arms, glaring at me. “This is going to bruise tomorrow.”
And I didn’t give a fuck.
“Don’t test me now, Maddie. Why did you lie to Ayla?” I snapped in her face.
“Ahh, that.” She rolled her eyes.
Smiling wide, she placed her hand over my chest and gave me a pat. “I got this. Just leave it to me. I have everything planned out. The wedding. The babies.”
I gaped at her in shock. “Maddie,” I warned.
“Alessio.”
“Enough! I am done with your shit.” Pointing a finger at her, I glared as my body vibrated with the force of my anger.
“No. You stop!” she rebuked, glaring just as fiercely. If she was one of my men, my fingers would already be wrapped around her neck. She was lucky I considered her a sister and not someone who worked for me. Maddie knew she could get away with anything, so she used it as her advantage. Every. Single. Time.
“Why are you so stubborn? What are you trying to hide, huh? Your feelings?” she hissed angrily. “Guess what? It’s too late. You should have thought about that before you let Ayla touch the piano. As soon as she played for you, you gave yourself to her.”
Each word was like a knife to my heart. And it made me furious. I started to interrupt, but she continued, her voice trembling with her anger.
“You think I don’t know? She plays the piano every single night. For you. You care, Alessio, yet you try to hide it. Stop it. Just stop and fucking admit it for once, that you care. Why is that so hard? Stop hiding behind your anger.”