Two Kings

Chapter 22

"Here she is." Nonna announces to the dark-haired female at her side. "Alexis, come meet Clare; she's here to get your measurements."

"Oh, is this for the dinner meeting?" I ask, feeling underdressed in my pink tracksuit compared to Clair in her black dress and heels.

"Yes, dear. And that's been changed to tonight. But you need other outfits as well. Remember, there are several functions to attend."

I nod, "yes, of course. I haven't forgotten." And I haven't, I just wasn't aware Rico would need to work so soon after leaving hospital.

Clare greets me with a smile and hands me an iPad. "Hi, nice to meet you, Mrs Mancini. While you look at the range of outfits on offer, I'll get your measurements, if that's okay."

God, no matter how many times I hear that name, I'm still not used to it.

"Of course." I take the iPad and she pulls out a pink measuring tape from her leather bag.

"Local stock, we can get to you within two hours," Clare informs me. "Otherwise, please allow 24 to 48 hours if coming from interstate."

"Two hours," I say in surprise. "I'm impressed. Do you have accessories on here as well?"

"Of course," she smiles. "We can supple anything and everything."

"Really?"

"Yes, regardless of what you want?"

"Even if it belongs to another company."

She grins. "Even if it's on another planet."

Two hours later, I watch from the front window as two men in a white minivan unload a rack of clothes. Oh, my goodness. Clare wasn't wrong when she said her company could get it here in two hours. The rack is packed even though I only ordered several items on the iPad. Which brings me to my next thought: who the hell ordered the rest and who's paying for this extravagant indulgence?

Security pushes the rack towards the main doors as the van drives away. Once they have it inside, Nonna enters, wiping her fingers on the black apron wrapped around her waist. She pulls the plastic from the rack and then pushes the hangers along, inspecting the outfits. "I hope they fit you, dear?"

"Surely it's not all for me?" I ask.

She turns back to face me. "Of course they are. I'll have security take it up to your room."

"Are you sure Claire didn't make a mistake with the order, Nonna, because I swear to god, I never ordered that much."

She laughs and waves her hand at me. "No, no, of course you didn't. The rest were selected for you."

"By who?"

"Rico. He thought it best to order online than have you leave the house with everything that's happened. Whatever you don't like can be exchanged."

"Wait." I can't help but shake my head in disbelief. "Rico organized this?"

She nods. "Yes, he did. Does that surprise you?"

"Yeah, it does. I mean, what will Gia say?"

Nonna shrugs. "No clue, dear, not that it occurred to me to care."

After trying on the new clothes and swim wear Rico ordered for me, I collapse on my bed on a high and feeling the spoilt princess. Which is ridiculous when it's just an illusion. Surely Rico didn't do this for me, but for the cause, the Rico Mancini cause of having him accepted as Grey's replacement. Once it's done, I'm out. Gone. Back to my old life.

But the prospect of returning to my mother's house doesn't appeal to me now. Which means I need to figure out what I'll do once this comes to an end.

With my smile wiped from my face, I sit up, slide from my bed, ready for a dose of reality. I draw in a breath and head downstairs in search of Gia, hoping the sight of her and Rico together will snap me out of my sudden interest in him. But I can't see them. So, I look for Marco. This time of day he's usually gaming, but I end up finding him in the pool room instead.

"Hey," I say in an upbeat tone. "You mind if I sit with you?"

Marco grins up at me, takes hold of my hand, and pulls me in beside him on the lounge. Since I've shared the same spot with him before, I don't give it a second thought. In fact, it's nice to know I have someone in the house who enjoys spending time with me besides Nonna. I mean, yeah, the rest of Rico's siblings are nice and I'm getting to know them, but Marco's the only one I'm really comfortable with at this point. "You wanna sneak out Friday night and go to a club?" I ask.

"What, with you? And then have Nonna and Rico kill me once I return?" Marco pulls a face. "Not likely."

He draws on his cigarette and then offers it to me. But the foul scent of burning grass has me pushing his hand rolled smoke away. "No thanks. That stuff makes me ill... Do you ever wonder where you'll be in a year?"

He blows out a long trail of smoke and taps his bare, long, bony foot against the other one crossed over his ankle. "Nah, I'll probs be hanging out right here smoking pot. It's too good to leave."

"True. This place is amazing."

Marco draws on his smoke again and then blows rings into the air. "Only thing missing is my parents."

I watch the smoke ring dissipate and say, "What happened to them?"

He grabs the bottle of red wine from the table and takes a swig. "Died in a helicopter accident."

Until this point, I hadn't even wondered how his parents had died, but that shocks me. "That's horrible. I'm so sorry. When did it happen?"

"Seven years ago." He ashes the smoke over the side of the chair. "Nonna's been looking after us ever since."

I rest my head on his upper arm. "Your grandmother is amazing."

"Yeh, she is."

"Speaking of your grandmother," I smile. "She gave me the engagement ring Grey bought for me."

He draws back on the smoke and blows out a big mouthful. "Did she?"

"Yep, she did. She said something else... it shook me, actually." He turns to face me now.

"What was that?"

Suddenly, the idea of saying it seems conceited and strange, but fuck it, this is my life and I'd like to hear what he knows. "She said Grey was in love with me." There, I said it. But to my surprise, Marco does little more than shrug. "Of course, your grandmother tried to make it sound sweet, but it completely contradicts what Rico said."

Marco sighs. "Oh yeah, and what did he say?"

I can't tell if he's interested or just listening to be polite. "He said Grey had a sick fixation for me. Which doesn't sound healthy, does it?" I nibble the inside of my gum, confused and not sure who to believe. "Did Grey ever say anything to you about me?"

He pulls a face and shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe. Can't remember. Why does it even matter, anyway? He's gone, and you're married to Rico."

"I'd still like to know, Marco. I was about to be his wife."

"Yeah, but you're not. Lex, I don't know if Grey had a thing for you, or what his motives were. But if you ask me what sort of person he was, I'd say he was a manipulator who had a fucked-up way of getting what he wanted. So yeah, if he wanted you, he could make it happen."

The sound of the door opening has my eyes connecting with Rico. He glares at us, and a sudden burst of nerviness hits me as his calm expression tenses.

My gut does a concerned flip as he walks towards us, clenching and unclenching his fists.