The Trophy Wife

ELEVEN: Plan

Billie Eilish really has a song for every mood

"Is there something on your mind, darling?" Enzo asked, without looking up from the stack of papers on his desk.

"This cup of tea is disgusting." I stated.

"Then don't drink it." He sounded annoyed.

I sighed, tempted to dump its contents all over the papers on his desk. Bust aside from the tension that wafted through the room, that Saturday afternoon was no different than the rest. It had become a little tradition of ours. Sometimes we'd drink coffee, sometimes we drank tea, and unless we had a late breakfast there'd be some kind of food too. It was the one day a week that we were able to have an actual conversation with no distractions.

Enzo being preoccupied with his papers wasn't what bothered me though, it was the fact that three days had gone by.

"Why did you even call me down? So I could sit here and watch you work?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that spending a few hours with me had become such a burden. I thought you enjoyed Saturday afternoons with me."

"It becomes a burden when you make me sit here in silence and serve me this nauseating cup of brown muck." I was also wracked with anxiety. Three days had gone by since Enzo gave me an ultimatum. I had four days to give him Lucas's name. He had four days to figure it out for himself. In four days Lucas would be dead.

Four days.

Enzo didn't mentioned it though. Not once.

"Well, I guess you are excused then." He sighed, too wrapped up in the closing of his deal to look at me.

Gladly. I stood up from my chair and walked out of his office without looking back.

This is it. I thought to myself. This is it.

I knew what I had to do. I had it all worked out. Enzo would be at a meeting in the hotel at 4:00 pm, giving me a two, maybe three hour window to strike a deal with our sworn enemy.

***

"I'm here to see Alberto Santoro."

"And you are...?" The gourd at the gate of his mansion asked.

"Evelyn. Evelyn Granucci."

His eyes lit up as those words left my lips. "Yes, yes, of course. Right this way."

I followed him around the house and into the backyard which looked more like a meadow than anything else. Sitting in the middle of the huge, breezy field was Alberto. His fingers tapped against the delicate China and his gaze was lost somewhere in the dense vegetation that surrounded him.

"The security around here is truly terrible. They let a Granucci waltz right into the Santoro Estate, no questions asked. You're lucky I'm not here to put a bullet in your brain. It would be so easy. Too easy."

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. To what do I owe the displeasure?" He gave me a closed smile, confusion plaguing his face.

I decided to take the seat beside him, trying my best to appear calm and collected. "You don't get guests often, do you? You see, when someone visits you, it's polite to offer them whatever it is that you're having."

"I can say the same about you and your husband though, can't I? It's not very polite to kill those who took the time out of their day to attend your dinner party."

"Hmmm, if you had such a problem with the way the Granucci's host parties perhaps you should have intervened rather than allow the event to take place. After all, Joseph was your friend."

I expected us to break into a full blown argument but instead Alberto started to laugh. He laughed and laughed and laughed. "Yes, Joseph was a dear friend of mine until he told Anthony about the deal which your husband then stole. I didn't intend for him to die that night but I also didn't see a reason to stop it. Trust is a very important thing to me, Evelyn, so when someone decides to break it well, there must be consequences. You understand, don't you?"

He absolutely sickened me.

"What if I were to tell you that I could get you back the deal that Joseph leaked to Anthony who then told Enzo."

"I would call you a liar."

Before I was able to respond a maid in a little black dress came out with another glass of tea for me. I picked it up and took a sip before saying, "I have a proposition for you."

"Which is? Look, I'm a very busy man and I don't have time for games. If this is some scheme that Enzo put you up to, just know before you go any further, you will not make it out of here in one piece."

"Oh, I don't doubt that. If Enzo were to find out where I am he would rip me to shreds."

Alberto narrowed his deep brown eyes, waiting for me to continue.

"It's really very simple." I began, stirring my tea. "If you provide me and a good friend of mine with protection from my husband, I will give you what you need to destroy him."

"The deal?"

"Yes, and not only will it hurt his ego but it will also save your family."

"And how do I know I can trust you, Evelyn?"

"You don't." I slowly took a sip of the tea which was just as disgusting as the cup that Enzo served me. "But if you want to save yourself and really hurt the man who you hate, it's a risk you have to be willing to take."

Alberto hesitated for a moment, contemplating his options. "Have your lawyer write up a proposal detailing what exactly it is you want and what I will get in return, and then we'll talk.

That was the moment I lost my cool.

I tried to keep it together but it was difficult. "I won't be able to do that without Enzo knowing and if he finds out then this whole thing ends."

"You're desperate."

Yes I was. "I have four days, Alberto. I only have four days to get my friend to safety."

"And who is this friend of yours?"

"Do we have a deal or not?"

"Fine." He liked watching me squirm. "I will call up my lawyer and we will go through it together. If I like it, I will get you and your lover to safety. Deal?"

"Deal."

Were you shocked???