Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 79061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Signor...V?
She asked uncertainly, “Do you mean Angelo?”
“Yup, that’s the boss, but I like calling him Signor V to annoy him.” At Lane’s bemused look, Julieta explained with a grin, “We share the same hometown in Italy, so he’s also something of a big brother.” She wrinkled her nose. “And like most big brothers, I hate him more than I’m fond of him. But he’s also my boss, so I need to pretend I’m respectful of him, si?”
“Umm...si?”
Julieta chuckled. “You’re as adorable as Fico and Umberto said you were. Che transparente!”
“Um, t-thank you?” She smiled weakly even as a part of her remained caught up with the fact that Julieta was a childhood friend of Angelo. Did the other girl really just see Angelo as a brother? What if—-
“Oh my God” Julieta was grinning again
“What is it?”
“You’re jealous, si?” The girl laughed. “Molto carino!”
“Umm—-”
“You are so cute,” Julieta translated helpfully then with another wrinkle of her nose, she muttered, “I promise you, I have zero attraction to Signor V. Just the idea is...” Julieta shuddered.
But still Lane hesitated.
Julieta started laughing. “Diiiiiiiiiio. You are so unbelievably cute. You really like him that much? Maybe you’re much more ill than I thought.”
Lane’s eyes widened. Julieta knew about her condition?
“Oh!” The girl’s hands flew to her mouth. “Mi dispiace. I’m so terribly sorry, I didn’t mean...” Julieta grimaced. “And the worse thing is, Signor V totally saw this coming. He even warned me to at least try not to be tactless for the first hour at least, and...” Julieta sighed and then looked at her hopefully. “Can we try again?”
“Umm...okay?” Lane didn’t know whether to laugh or run away. Being in the girl’s company made her feel like she had been caught up a whirlwind that showed no signs of abating.
Julieta cleared her throat loudly. “Hello, Ms. Petersen—-”
“Lane, please.”
Julieta said sweetly, “Oh, how kind of you. Lane it is. My name is Julieta, and I’m part of the household’s day staff.”
“Day staff?” she echoed.
Julieta nodded. “The night staff starts at six in the evening.”
“I s-see.” The unwanted reminder of Angelo’s wealth made her grimace.
“As for me, I’ve been instructed to serve as your personal assistant—-”
“But I don’t need—-”
Julieta was visibly alarmed. “Don’t tell him that. Please. He’s doubled my wages just so I can be your nanny.”
“But—-”
“If it’s not me, it would be someone else. You have to know how much he needs to feel in control, right? So if it’s not me, he’s going to pick someone else and you wouldn’t want that because...”Julieta smiled smugly at her. “I’m the poorest among his staff.”
Lane couldn’t help laughing at Julieta’s proud declaration.
“It’s true. You can compare my bank account to everyone else’s and you’ll see. I’m dirt poor, and that’s supposed to make you feel more relaxed with me—-” Julieta clapped her hands over her mouth. “Dio mio,” she groaned. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
Lane couldn’t stop laughing. “It’s okay.”
Julieta’s pretty face broke into a smile. “You forgive me?”
She nodded. “And you’re right, I’ll be most comfortable with you.”
Julieta nodded in satisfaction. “I thought so. That’s why I knew he’d be willing to pay me so much.” The evil grin on Julieta’s face made Lane laugh again.
Following a quick shower, Julieta took her to the kitchen, saying, “I thought you’d feel more comfortable here, rather than in the dining room where those jerks—-” She turned pale beneath her tan. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
Lane shook her head.
But Julieta didn’t appear convinced this time, and her tone was filled with dismay as she apologized, “Mi dispiace molto.”
“It’s really okay,” Lane said honestly. “I don’t usually have panic attacks like last night. I promise.” She hesitated. “If it’s okay, what exactly did Angelo tell you and the staff about me?”
“That you suffer from a trauma in the past which causes you to be afraid or anxious around wealthy people and rich-looking places...” Julieta hesitated. “Like this house?”
Lane slowly nodded. “That pretty much sums it up.”
“You truly didn’t know Signor V was loaded?”
“No.”
“You didn’t Google him? Or even search for him on Facebook?”
“I try to use the Internet as little as possible. I mean, I know it’s just likely to show me stuff about rich people—-”
“And instead of dying of envy like normal folks, all that jazz only makes you want to puke,” Julieta finished.
“I wouldn’t, err, put it in that way but...”
Julieta beamed. “You’re so cute. Really. Have I told you that?”
“About seven times in the past hour,” Lane said, laughing.
The kitchen was empty when they reached it, which Julieta explained to her was another precaution. “Signor V wanted me to check how comfortable you’d be first with other people—-”
“Oh, but I’m okay now, I promise. I don’t want to disrupt anyone from their work so please, it’s okay to call them back.”
“You’re sure?”
At her nod, Julieta made a call using the intercom and a few minutes later, Angelo’s entire kitchen staff returned. There were about ten of them, and they greeted her with wary smiles, relaxing only when Lane smiled back at them cheerfully.