Callista Genovese never wanted to be part of the family business. She enjoyed the anonymity of being a teacher in a land where she was not the killer queen. But like always, family tends to ruin everything.
Callista was dragged back to New York with...
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Surreal. It was the perfect word to fit her situation.
Callista Genovese had never imagined having tea with Franco Castellano. Sure, they both belonged in the upper society and Caly knew him as Castle's CEO. But aside from Castor's inherent hate for him, she knew nothing personal about the Castellano heir.
Caly had remembered inviting him to sit with her at lunch when they were in high school. She had offered an olive branch but he never took it. From then on, she considered Franco a stranger.
"Your clothes are almost dry." He sat in front of her, sipping at his Darjeeling tea. Dark blue eyes flicked over her form that Callista clenched her teeth, pulling the large shirt down her thighs. Not that it helped because the Yankees jersey barely reached her knee.
"Are you ogling me?" she snarled, sitting straight. Caly cussed her predicament. If only she didn't care about her reputation, she could've walked out in soaked clothes. If only people weren't scrutinizing her every move, she could've marched out in this stupid baseball jersey without them making assumptions whether she had sex with Franco or not.
"What else is there to look at?" Franco smirked, lifting his eyes to her disgruntled face. His icy aura began to thaw after that incident in the bathroom and Caly hated it. "I ordered food. Eat something before you go."
Callista loathed this new side to him. She could handle his coldness. Bantering with him was challenging and familiar. But the gentleness, she didn't know what to do with it. "It's okay. I can eat at home."
"With Luciano?" he asked as his mask settled back to his face.
Caly's heart squeezed in pain. "No."
"Then why can't you eat with me? It's almost dinner." Franco continued sipping his tea. His eyebrows rose up. "Afraid?"
She was being baited. She knew that. But the alternative was going home with Castor probably waiting for her. She couldn't face her best friend. Not now. "Fine. As long as you have dinner with us tomorrow."
"You really don't miss an opportunity, huh?" Franco didn't wait for her reply as he disappeared around the corner. He came back after a minute, tossing her dry Balmain sweater and jeans on her lap.
Caly moved to stand up when he noticed Franco surveying her. "What?"
The man ran his fingers through his blond hair, mussing it up in the process. "Ugh... you see..."
Franco sounded unsure that Caly's forehead furrowed. "What?"
He released a heavy sigh and tossed a small paper bag at her. "Here."
"This is..." Callista's cheeks inflamed when she peeked at the contents of the bag. It was a Victoria Secret red lingerie set. She gaped at the man who was focusing on his tea again. "Are you serious?"
Franco met her questioning gaze. The playfulness he exhibited earlier was gone, replaced by his imperturbable confidence. "What? You want to use wet underwear?"
Caly opened her mouth to retort before settling on silence. She reeled around and slammed the bathroom door shut. She took deep breaths, hoping that the burn on her cheeks disappeared. Franco had a point. But the gesture was too sexy, too intimate. And the last thing she wanted with the Castellano heir was closeness.
The girl walked out after a while, she glimpsed around trying to avoid Franco. She hoped she could get away from him.
"What are you doing?"
Callista jumped in shock. She put a hand over her trembling heart, glowering at the man. "Damn it! I'm going now!"
Franco clutched the crook of her elbow, jerking her back to his body. "No dinner with me, no dinner tomorrow."
Caly drew her arm away with vigor. The man had completely played her. "Fine!"
She followed him to his kitchen island where a variety of Chinese cuisine was placed. Her stomach rumbled at the sight. Franco arched an eyebrow but kept his mouth shut. They began eating in silence and Caly was thankful. But the glee was short-lived when Franco initiated conversation.
"So, why did you grimace at Luciano's name?"
Just great.
Caly shook her head. "That's none of your business."
"Is it okay with him that you're with me?"
Callista stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork. She pointed the utensil at the man. "I'm not with you."
The astute smirk he gave her sent frissons of fright over the girl. He had no business knowing the relationship she had with Castor.
Callista let out a deep breath and decided to play his game. If he was fishing out her secrets, then she'd sniff his secrets too. "Why do you hate Castor?"
Franco leaned back. "He didn't tell you?"
Fuck. She asked the wrong question. Caly grabbed her glass of water and took a huge gulp. "I want to hear it from you."
"Is that so?" Franco scratched at his chin, looking thoughtful. "He killed my fianceé."
Callista stifled her gasp but her fist tightened in distress. She had known that the Lucianos would do anything to protect their business and their clients. But Cas would never pull the trigger himself.
"Why would he do that?" she asked with bated breath.
The man shrugged nonchalantly but the crack in his voice was apparent. "That's what I want to know."
"Are you sure?" Callista inquired, her walls collapsing in worry.
Franco narrowed his eyes, blue irises darkening. "You don't believe me? You think I would hate someone over high school squabbles."
"But that's—"
"Don't say it's impossible because you know it isn't!" Franco's cool manner vanished as he yelled. He huffed, his veins bulging over his neck. He licked his lips, regaining some semblance of calm. "Do you really know your best friend, Callista?"
Caly swallowed the knot in her throat. "Stop it."
"Do you know how many persons he killed?"
"I said stop it!"
Caly slammed her palms over the counter. The stool falling on the floor as she bolted upwards. Her grey eyes glimmered with frustration and fury. Nobody was allowed to talk about her best friend like that.
"You like him that much?" Franco raised an eyebrow, disregarding her sudden outburst.
"He's never done anything to hurt me."
Franco scoffed as he stood up and walked towards Callista. Their space was reduced to a centimeter. "You are the person he fights for, his reason to live. For me, that person was Elena. And she's dead."
His arctic gaze seemed to flare up with the vehemence of his argument. "Now, I only have someone to fight against. And it's Castor Luciano."
"Franco..."
"No, Caly. Whether you like it or not, you're at the center of everything." Franco shook his head. He gripped Callista's wrist that the girl flinched in pain. "One of these days, you need to choose a side."
