Breaking Midnight (Il Paradosso Series Book One)

Chapter forty-three

"Questo e perfetto!"

Giada's eyes twinkled beneath the bright sunlight that was entering through the large windows in my room where I was seated on the bed, watching her beam with jubilation.
"I thought you were over that," I declared, staring at the lemon water in my hand, twirling the mixture around in the glass.

Hyperemesis gravidarum was a bitch, and this was the only thing that was preventing me from hurling my guts out after every meal.

"I was serious the first time I said it, Adriana. And I have no intentions of changing the course of my perspective on a matter that needs to be dealt with." She stopped her pacing and pointed to my stomach. "Now we have the perfect armament."

"My unborn child is not a weapon that you can use for you to prosper in taking down a mad woman, Giada. And plus, Antonio would kill us all but I would surely be the first one to go."

She was clearly losing it if she even thought that I would continue with her previous scheme to get rid of Eleanor. Not when I had another life growing inside of me.

"Oh, relax. He wouldn't hurt a hair on your head; we all know that by now. You don't have to do a single thing more. Your presence alone is the perfect reason for her to go off the rails. And when she does, I'll be there to give her the final shove."
I shook my head in disbelief.

"You're going to be responsible for a mass murder someday, and we're all going to end up in the crossfire."

"That's funny because I didn't think twice when I rescued you from your boss and his wife last year."

I gave her a quizzical look. What did Norman and Ramona have anything to do with the previous year's unfortunate events?

"Giada, I think it's about time you began to elaborate," I said, narrowing my eyes at her and motioning her to take a seat in the sofa across from me.

"Well, if you insist on knowing the actual details, I'm more than ready to tell you the truth about that night when Norman and his beloved wife—as you called her—were taken out."

Oh, so now she wanted to open the chamber of secrets, after almost a year. Better than never, I thought as I watched her lean against the cushions.

"I'm waiting," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Ok. So remember that little antic that you pulled at Antonio's club, the summer before last?"

"How can I forget," I answered with a sarcastic tone, "when it defines some of the greatest moments in my life."

"Well, after you and your friends left Italy, I had assumed with high hopes that you would vanish into thin air and never resurface. But to my surprise, you didn't even change the location of your address. I thought either you had the balls of steel or you were just plain stupida."

I placed the empty glass onto the nightstand and folded my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes at her.

"It was too easy that the entire operation was ridiculous." She let out a short laugh and I shot daggers at her.

"I get the point, Giada, now move along."

"We had you monitored. Every move you made, we were three steps ahead. But everything took a quick turn when someone ordered a hit on you, out of the blue. Someone was paid to finish the job."

I gulped, feeling the blood leave my face.

My mouth went dry.
"Was it…Norman?"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, her lips forming a straight line.