Once we got in the car, I immediately turned to Dario, who was in the passenger seat.
“Don’t go making up stories just to make Gio angry with me. You might end up telling the boss something, and we’ll end up fighting again because of his unwarranted jealousy.”
I sighed and scowled at Dario, who was looking in the rear-view mirror.
“I’m not making up stories, Ma’am. I’m just relaying what I have seen.”
“Why did you feel the need to mention Rory then? We haven’t done anything wrong! We’re just friends. Is it a crime to talk to a friend nowadays?”
“No, it’s not, Ma’am. It’s only a problem when someone has ulterior motives in talking to you.”
I furrowed my brow at what Dario said. “What’s the matter? Rory is an old friend! I’ve known him for years. What sinister motive are you talking about? Don’t read too much into my conversations with other men. This is getting ridiculous. Why don’t you focus on Sienna instead?” I said, knowing full well that Gio had instructed him to inform him whenever a man approached me. But come on, I had no intention of being unfaithful.
Dario cleared his throat when I mentioned Sienna. I grinned. Caught you!
“Why should I focus on your sister, Ma’am? He’s not my boss.”
My grin widened. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I knew I’d struck a nerve with my previous comment.
“Should I tell Gio to assign you as Sienna’s bodyguard, then?” I teased. I was just poking fun at him because he teased me when he reported to Gio. “That way, you can’t be a tattletale anymore.”
Dario glanced at me, and I raised an eyebrow. He cleared his throat again but didn’t say anything.
That was a joke. I actually appreciated Dario’s services as my bodyguard. If we could just do away with his tattletale tendencies, he’d be perfect.
I attended some meetings and handled office work during the day. When it was time to go home, we returned to the house.
Once we were home, I signaled to Dario to remain silent, and he didn’t reply.
I’m not hiding anything from Gio. I just don’t want him to get jealous again. He’s difficult to appease when he gets jealous.
Gio just greeted me when he got home. I was still gauging whether Dario had told him anything, but it didn’t seem so. I breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like it was going to be a good evening for us.
We’re still trying to have children, following all the doctor’s recommendations. I really hope… I hope it works out next time.
The next day, I went to the office first. There were some documents I needed to sign before heading to the expansion site to facilitate it. My secretary accompanied me, and it would just be a quick visit.
I put on a hard hat when we arrived at the site. They were already starting work, and there were plenty of equipment around.
Many people greeted me, and I reciprocated their greetings. I noticed Architect Shaw approaching me and talking to me. He had something to discuss, and I listened attentively. He also shared some suggestions, which I found acceptable.
“Okay, Mrs. Locatelli!” He smiled at me before leaving to explain the minor changes to another architect.
“You’re really hands-on with your company’s projects, huh?”
I turned to the speaker and immediately saw Rory. He was dressed appropriately for the job, with a white hard hat indicating he was one of the engineers.
“Hi,” I greeted him, and he approached with a smile, returning the greeting.
“Hi, will you stay here longer or just a short visit?” he asked.
“I’ll probably just stay for a short while. I still have some work to do at the office later.” I looked around and observed the workers.
We fell into a momentary silence before Rory spoke again. “I was thinking of inviting you for lunch later. Are you free or do you have other plans?”
My lips parted in surprise. I hadn’t even looked at him yet because I was caught off guard. I was about to respond to Rory when another voice intervened.
“She’s not free and definitely not available for a lunch date, Mr. Green.”
Both Rory and I turned to the speaker. My eyes widened when I saw him, his gaze sharp and intense as he stared directly at Rory.
“You’re inviting a married woman; I am just letting you know just in case you forgot that she has a husband and is not free to go on dates with anyone else.”
A strange sensation churned in my stomach when I saw Gio. Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I couldn’t help but shiver, knowing what might be going through his mind.
I approached Gio swiftly. I didn’t expect to see him here, but somehow, I was happy to. Even though I was worried earlier that his emotions might be overtaken by jealousy, I was still delighted that he was here.
I immediately grabbed his arm, and although he sensed my presence beside him, his gaze remained cool yet sharp, fixed on Rory. I glanced over at Dario, who stood up straight when I looked at him. He shrugged and shook his head, as if to convey that he had nothing to do with Gio being here and that he wasn’t discussing it with his boss. I believed him; Dario was not someone who liked to lie. He would tell you the truth no matter how painful or unpleasant it might be.
“Gio, what are you doing here?” I tried to sound cheerful, hoping to divert my husband Rory’s attention. I had nothing to hide from him. That wasn’t the reason for my nervousness.
“I’m here to invite you for lunch. I was in the nearby area and heard you were here, so I thought I’d come and find you.” Finally, Gio looked at me, but the meaning behind his gaze wasn’t reassuring. “But it looks like you’re already accompanied.”
“No, of course not,” I replied to Gio, pursing my lips. I was about to respond to Rory that I couldn’t go with him when Gio suddenly showed up and butted in! If he had waited for me to answer, he would have known I had no intention of going with Rory.
I looked at Rory and sheepishly smiled. Oh no! He could still see this side of Gio. This was only their first meeting, and I wondered if I should introduce them to each other or not.
“Thank you for the invitation, Rory, but I already have a prior appointment with my husband.” I seized the opportunity to introduce the two to each other. “This is Gio Locatelli, my husband.”
I expected Gio to at least offer a handshake, but he didn’t. His hands remained at his sides.
“This is Rory Green, one of the project’s engineers for our expansion. He was also my college schoolmate.”
I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that, as Gio already knew about it. He knew Rory had courted me, which was why he was so jealous.
Rory simply nodded and didn’t extend his hand either.