All discomfort comes from suppressing your true identity.
-Bryant H. McGill
Leila Fiorenza's POV
I was confined inside the limousine on our way to Leandro's villa in Seville with me were my brother-in-law's best buddies. I still don't know what to feel about this sudden trip to Spain when two months ago I left him without notice.
I instinctively placed my hand to my slightly bumped belly. I'm positively sure that he would notice my belly once he laid eyes on me again not that I could blame him I'm already entering the second trimester of my pregnancy of course it will be visible to him by now since he often sees me naked before almost every day when he's in the villa.
Once I see him again and he asked about my pregnancy do I need to tell him the truth? But then again he might just assume that this baby belongs to the man I will marry tomorrow. I slowly stared at the vintage engagement ring in my left hand. Rafe told me that this ring belonged to his late great-grandmother.
"If I were you, Signorina." The man who sat beside me in the back of the limousine broke the painful silence inside the limousine. Nikos briefly introduced him to me a while ago as Marco Orsini. "I will tell the driver to stop this car and buy in one of these designer shops a pretty mourning dress. Because once we reach that Spaniard he is good as dead when that beast wearing suit gets his hands on him."
I gasped at his words while the other man with a pair of grey eyes shot a deadly warning to the man in question. "Don't say such words to the woman, amico."
"Why not? It's the truth." Marco Orsini shrugged, his eyes held devious glint in their depth. "I just want to prepare her for the worst-case scenario."
The man with a pair of beautiful grey eyes looked at me apologetically. My brother-in-law introduced him as Lucca Cavelli, Duke of Caprielle. "Please, don't mind him like I always do. You will get used to his manner eventually, Signorina."
"I'm completely serious with my suggestion, little one," Marco stated with an evil smile playing on his lips. "You don't know your brother-in-law as I do. He's a beast when he was pissed off. The Spanish count sealed his fate when he accidentally abducted his wife."
"Spanish count?" That got my attention. I instantly looked at the man sitting beside me. "Who are you talking about?"
He looked straight into my eyes and said casually. "The man who kidnapped your twin sister, Don Leandro Salazar, Conde de Parama."
My eyes widened about the information. I didn't know that he was a Spanish count during the time of our affair. I thought that he was just a rich businessman. I never realized that he has a title in his name. Now I got why he was so angry when I left him. Because no one walked away from him probably women worshipped him to the ground.
"I wonder who did you managed to get that kind of information, Marco," I asked conversationally, trying to hide my shock from the bomb he just dropped to me.
"Ah, that's because I have sources, princess." He had the nerve to wink at me playfully. I shook my head in resignation. This man was a certified charmer. "It seems that I am destined to search for their missing wife now and then. If you lost someone you can always contact me, Signorina Fiorenza."
"That's a pity." For the first time, Nikos joined the conversation. "Because it seems that you haven't found your brain yet, Marco."
He scowled to his friend darkly. "That's low, Nick."
"Oh, really?" My brother-in-law countered. He fished out something in his suit pocket. "What is Francesca's number? Do you know, Your Excellency?"
"Why do you want my wife's number?" He asked Nikos with a frown on his handsome face as he stared at him straightly.
Laila's husband smirked in his direction. "I will tell her that you are flirting with my sister-in-law. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Yes, do that," Marco said cheerfully as his dark eyes gleamed in the sunlight. "Then, I will tell Laila about your antics when you are still a bachelor. Remember about the time—"
Nikos's eyes went dark and wintry. "Are you threatening me, Orsini?"
The devil merely shrugged and smile cynically in his friend's direction. "If that's what you want to think, Nick. Just remember that we're about to see Laila so go ahead and decide."
"Are you telling me that you are scared of your wife, Marco?" The duke asked, his smoky eyes danced with laughter. "I didn't know that I will see this day."
"Let just say that Francesca was not that friendly when she has a fake smile on her beautiful face while silently interrogating you."
"Poor you," Nikos said without a hint of sincerity in his voice.
The heated argument of my companions stopped abruptly when we finally arrived in front of the villa where I spent two months in my stay here in Spain.
"We're here!" I said brightly as the limousine finally stopped at the beautiful villa. But the car's atmosphere turned grim.
We slowly slid out of the car and knocked at the double door in the foyer of the mansion. The maid greeted us with a warm smile and accommodated us inside. Everything inside hasn't changed a bit since the last time I've been here.
"Laila!" My brother-in-law practically shouted in the receiving room of the villa I called my home during my hiding to my father. "Laila, agápi mou. Where are you? Laila! Oh, my God. If something happened to her I don't know what I will do."
"Decorum, Nick." The duke reminded their friend hopefully, as he pacing the living room looking for my twin. "Decorum."
Marco shot the duke a dry looked. "It's no use to him, Lucca. He doesn't know the meaning of 'decorum' the only way he knew about the word is how to spell it."
The duke only managed to shook his head. Then finally, Leandro came out of the kitchen to greet us. But before he even had a chance to mutter a single word Nikos attacked him with a straight punch that sent him to the floor.
"Goodness!" I gasped as I cover my mouth with my hands from shock. I saw Leandro's lip was cut from the assault. Blood started to drip in the side of his mouth.
"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Marco Orsini said theatrically to the duke. "He's going to a Spanish jail now. He punched the count. What shall we do?"
If wasn't that stunned by the events here I would be laughed at his sarcastic comments. But I am so shocked to move into my place.
"If you are that concern about him when don't you stop him from slugging that man, amico?" The duke asked him in a serious tone.
"Sorry, can't do that." The devil answered arrogantly as he brushed off the invisible fleck in his expensive suit. "I don't want to ruin my suit."
The duke was about to retort when our attention was back to my brother-in-law that is preparing to attack again. "Where is my wife, damn you?"
"Nikos!" My twin sister went out of the kitchen and her eyes widened at the sight of Leandro's bleeding lips. "Oh, goodness! What did you do?" She looked at Leandro concernedly. "Are you all right, Your Excellency? There's blood in your mouth."
"I'm fine," Leandro answered as he wiped the blood on his lips. I want to come to him but my feet were rooted in my place.
"How can you be concern about it when he kidnapped you, Laila?" Her husband asked irritably. Nikos's pale blue eyes filled with anger towards Leandro. "I'm not done with him yet."
"So vengeful, Nick." Marco Orsini commented from the sidelines but no one paid attention to his snide remark.
"I need to apologize for the mistake I made," Leandro said to Laila's husband looking straight at his angry face. "I didn't mean to kidnapped your wife I thought I tracked the right woman, not her twin." He briefly shot a looked in my direction that made my breath caught. The accusation in his eyes was there. He was just waiting to finish the mess he created with my twin sister and her husband before we have our inevitable conversation.
Now that I am here do I have the strength to talk to him? Maybe I should have stayed in Sicily I should not have come here. Maybe I'm not ready to face him after all...
"Do you think I will easily forgive you after you took my wife?" Nikos asked him furiously. "Do you know the hell I've been through searching for her?"
Leandro sighed as he looked straight at my brother-in-law's face. "I'm truly sorry for the error."
Nikos was about to answer back when my twin sister came to him and calmed his raging emotions. "That's enough, darling. You already threw a punch to his face. He was truly sorry for the slip he was a perfect gentleman while we wait for you. In fact, I'm enjoying a cup of coffee while waiting for you, my love."
The sarcastic devil beside me barked a laugh. "See, Nick. I told you that she's having coffee with him."
Laila's husband threw a warning glare at him and continued to look at Leandro with murderous eyes. "Be grateful that you didn't hurt my wife in any way or I will kill you with my bare hands."
"That's enough, Nikos." My twin sister reprimanded her husband sternly. She flashed a smile in my direction briefly. "Let's get moving. I'm sure my twin and Signore Salazar need to have a private conversation."
"We'll wait for you outside." The duke said pulling the reluctantly Marco Orsini with him outside in the garden of Leandro's villa.
"Nikos?" Laila inquired again when her husband remained eye-to-eye with her kidnapper. "What's wrong?"
He suddenly enveloped my twin sister in a tight hug. "I miss you, agápi mou. I think I just lost ten years of my life while looking for you. I can't bear to lose you. My life would be miserable without you."
My twin sister's eyes lit with love for her husband. I looked away seeing their affection for each other. I don't think I like this feeling inside me right at this moment. The emotion of slightly envy I guess. I don't want it.
"Oh, I will never leave you again, Nikos." Laila smiled at her husband brightly as she tiptoed to kiss him on the lips briefly. "I miss you too." She looked in my direction as I watched them silently. "I know you have an overdue talk with him. So we will leave you to have that conversation. My husband and I along with his friends will have lunch in the city for now. We will wait how long it takes. But we need to fly back to Sicily as soon as possible. It's your wedding day tomorrow."
From the corner of my eye, I saw my ex-lover's face darkened about the news. Great, I thought with lack of enthusiasm. Leave it to my twin to spilled it out that I'm about to wed tomorrow. But he learned about it eventually, so what's the problem?
"Is that all right, sis?"
I forced myself to look at my twin and smiled. "Yes, that will be fine."
"Great!" Laila answered enthusiastically. She led her husband hand in hand outside where their friend patiently waiting for them.
Once I was left alone with Leandro I slowly looked straight into his golden eyes. "Well?"
"Well?" He repeated coldly wiping his split lip. He slightly winced when he touch it with his fingers. "Is that all you can say 'well 'after all the trouble you caused?"
I shrugged as if that does not concern me. I need to play the heartless woman here so we can move on with our separate lives. "I didn't think that you will look for me, Leandro. I thought we made it clear that our affair will run its course and will move on with our lives."
He surprised me when he moved to my side lighting fast. He clamped my arm tightly. "Last time I check before I left this damn house that day over two months ago. Our relationship isn't done yet, Leila."
"Well, it is now." I tried to remove his dead gripped but I can't. "You finally know my real identity. Everything is changed now. I'm back with my family as my twin sister had said a while ago it's my wedding day tomorrow I need to fly back to Sicily for the preparation of my wedding. You should move on with your life too Leandro. Our time had already passed. It was fun. I did enjoy it."
"It seems that you don't know me that well, cariño." He smiled callously in my direction, as his strong arms sneaked to my waist seductively and drew me towards him. I was aware that my heart pounded so loudly in my chest. "You are mine. No one can take what's mine..."
My eyes widened when our faces were only inches apart I could already smell his signature aftershave scent. "W-what are you trying to say...?"
His eyes held a dangerous gleam in their depth. "As far as I am concern there will be no wedding tomorrow. You will stay here where you belonged, here in my house, in my bed, and especially in my arms. Welcome home, Leila."
I gasped at his words but before I could utter a single word to respond to him. He already crushed his mouth to mine in a torrid kiss that made me forget everything else except being in his arms again.