Keeping My Bride by Angela Snyder
Chapter 33
Luca
THE NEXT DAY, Benito walks into my office and stops dead in his tracks. “What in the hell is that?” he asks.
“A Zen Garden,” I muse. The gift is in the center of my desk. Hell, I even moved my laptop to the side so that I could have more room for it.
“Where the hell did you get it?”
“Verona bought it for me.” I never thought in a million years a Zen Garden would make me fucking happy or content, and yet here we are. I have been working on this thing for over two hours now. I started with unpacking the box. Included were several different styles of rakes and miniature Japanese ceramic figurines, along with rocks, moss, and cherry blossom trees.
I raked different patterns in the sand while I was on a phone call with one of my IT guys, and it helped to keep me calm when I learned that Constantine was planning on taking over some new territory on the west side of the city to help with his human trafficking ring. My IT guy was so surprised at my subdued reaction that he actually asked me if I was having a stroke since I had been quiet for so long.
After I was done raking, I set up the miniatures and arranged the trees, rocks and moss.
Benito walks up to my desk and studies the garden. “That’s actually kind of…nice,” he says. He picks up a rake and starts raking through the perfect pattern I had already created, messing it up.
I frown at him and snatch the rake from his hand. “I’ll get you one for Christmas,” I snap at him.
“So, Verona bought you this on her shopping trip yesterday?” he says, his lips tilting up in a grin.
“Yes. And that’s the only thing she bought.” I checked the credit card statement again this morning, and no other charges could be found to my dismay. I so wanted to be right about her, and once again she threw me for a fucking loop.
“Maybe she isn’t the spoiled princess you thought she was,” he suggests.
“I’m never wrong about people,” I tell him.
He nods in agreement. “This is true. But you’re never wrong about your enemies. Verona isn’t your enemy.”
“Yes, she is,” I say pointedly.
“She may be the daughter of your enemy, but she did nothing wrong. She’s innocent in all of this, Luca,” Benito says. “Just like your mother was innocent.”
His words infuriate me. “Whose side are you on anyway?” I snap.
“Yours. Always yours. I’m just trying to open your eyes to new possibilities.”
“Verona isn’t special. She isn’t unique. I just have to figure out why she’s trying to play me for a fool.”
“Maybe she isn’t trying to play you at all,” Benito suggests.
“Just get the fuck out,” I tell him. I’m done listening to him for the day.
“You just want me to leave so you can get back to work on your Zen Garden,” he says with a chuckle.
“Leave!” I yell.
I can hear his big ass laughing the whole way down the hallway after he walks out of my office.
