Page 105 of The Italian Obsession
“It means I don’t know where I want you to live yet. I want tight security around you. I will organize something for you. I’ll look into what properties of mine are vacant first thing in the morning.”
“This is our first date, what are you talking about?” She rearranges her napkin on her lap. “I don’t want to live in one of your apartments, I’m not.”
I glare at her across the table. “Why are you so difficult?”
“Why are you so domineering?”
“It’s a safety issue, Olivia.”
She rolls her eyes. “You are overdramatic, Mr. Ferrara.” I sip my drink as I try to rein in my temper.
She shakes her head as if shaking off her annoyance. “Anyway,” she continues. “Let’s talk about you, for once. We always talk about me. You know everything about me, and I know nothing about you.”
I feel my chest tighten and I sip my drink. “I think I’m having the linguini,” I say, to change the subject. “What are you having?”
“Tell me about your work,” she asks.
“What do you want to know?”
She frowns as she thinks for a moment. “After the accident, you took over the family businesses, yes?”
“Yes.”
“All of them?”
“I became the CEO of the company, so yes. But there are many staff under me that had worked alongside my father and grandfather, and they continue to do what they did before.”
“It’s a lot of responsibility.”
“It is.”
She puts her hand under her chin and studies me. “It must be terrifying. The thought that you could fuck everything up.”
I stare at her for a moment. “You’re the first person who has ever said that to me.”
“Well, is it?”
“More than you know.”
Her eyes hold mine, and she waits for me to go on.
“The pressure of expectation is suffocating. Some days are better than others. It is what it is.”
“We could always run away,” she offers with a goofy smile.
I laugh out loud. “Don’t tempt me. The prospect of running away with you and being normal would be a dream come true.”
Her face falls. “Do you feel trapped in your life?”
“Yes,” I answer without hesitation.
“Oh.” She thinks about it for a moment. “You don’t have to do this, you know?”
“Yes. I do. My life is already mapped out for me.”
She looks around the restaurant and frowns. “I thought you said this was the best restaurant in Milan.”
“It is.”
