Chapter 8



Two years ago

Since the day of Isabella's engagement, Daisy was beginning to question her sanity and that of everyone around her. Gia seemed to be losing her mind, hellbent on filtering with fire and getting burnt. Eric and her were still not on speaking terms since their argument and Luca was....well, he was Luca.

Cold, harsh, intimidating, confusing.

Given Gia's new obsession with making stupid decisions, Daisy thought it would be best to keep a close eye on her for as long as she could. She knew if Gia really wanted to do something with Daniel, she wouldn't be able to stop her. But Daisy wanted to delay the inevitable disaster for as long as possible.

The task turned out to be a bigger tension than necessary. Spending more time with Gia meant running into Luca. Daisy tried her best to avoid him when she was at their house, sticking to only Gia's room or making sure he wasn't in the room before entering. It was exhausting to be on such high alert all the time. Daisy couldn't wait for him to return to Europe and be out of sight and out of mind. She was doing well until two days before Carla's charity ball.

Gia had asked Daisy to spend the night and given how her mother's new fiance was spending more and more time at their apartment, Daisy accepted the offer without hesitation. Luca left for business the day before which meant Daisy didn't have to be on her toes. For the first time in over a week, she was able to get her heartbeat to return to normal speed. She didn't have to peek into a room and then pretend to be casual if she accidentally did run into the devil himself.

Luca's expression never changed. His green eyes were always watchful and full of unspoken judgment. Daisy wished she could read his mind. But the idea of his bitter thoughts were always a caution sign Daisy followed.

After dinner that night, Daisy and Gia stayed up in Gia's room watching reruns of Supernatural until Gia dozed off and not even the sounds of the jump-scares could wake her up. Daisy watched until her eyes burned and she teared up from yawning. She dug the remote from under Gia and rolled her to her side of the bed before dusting off the popcorn crumbs off the sheets and grabbing the empty bowl.

Out of habit, Daisy gathered all the trash and made her way to the kitchen. She tossed the kernels in the compost bin before washing the bowl and grabbing a dish towel to dry it up. Opening the cabinets in front of her, Daisy began to put away all the dried dishes one by one. She had slept over at the house long enough to know how Carla liked her dishes organized. Cups on the bottom, plates on the side, wine glasses at the top with the bowls beside them.

Getting on her toes, Daisy reached up and pushed the last wine glass onto the shelf with the tips of her finger. She wanted to slide it in as far as she could without knocking over the ones in the back. Keeping her head down to focus on the sounds, Daisy moved the glass forward inch by inch. She was sure she had moved it as far as it would go when suddenly a warm hand brushed against her.

With a soft gasp, Daisy looked over her shoulder to find Luca's face just inches away. She dropped to her feet immediately from her toes and lowered her hand. Luca grabbed the wobbling wine glass on the shelf before it fell on top of the blonde's head. His eyes dropped to her as she peered up at him through her thick lashes.

"What are you doing here?" Daisy asked, her heart racing once more.

"I live here," Luca said.

"I thought you were going to be away this weekend," Daisy said.

"You know my schedule?" Luca arched his brow playfully. "Your stalker is showing, sunshine."

Daisy narrowed her eyes like a slithering snake. What the hell was wrong with this guy, she thought. For days they had been avoiding each other like the plague and now here he was, invading her personal space with his haunting eyes and boyish charms that only seem to come out whenever it was just the two of them.

"Just because people keep track of a hurricane's path, doesn't mean they're actually looking forward to it," Daisy said. "Some people follow schedules to avoid disasters."

"What disaster are you trying to avoid?" Luca asked, leaning forward as if he was doing anything to put away the dishes in the cabinets.

Daisy, trapped between the countertops and Luca, folded her arms over her chest and stood her ground. Her stubbornness seemed to only make the childishness in Luca's eyes brighten.

"How's your boyfriend?" He asked, lowering his hand and straightening back up.

"Great," Daisy shrugged.

"Did he call you back?"

"What are you-" Daisy's brows furrowed as she suddenly remembered the phone call she had made to Eric a few days ago. He didn't pick up so she was forced to leave an awkward voicemail asking him to call her back. "Are you listening to my phone calls?"

"You were standing outside my door," Luca said.

"I didn't know you were inside."

"Did he call you back?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because," Luca took another step forward in the dark kitchen. Only the interior cabinet lights were on, bouncing off the silver appliances. Daisy leaned back until she was backed up against the sink once more.

"Because?" Daisy arched her brow.

"When you leave a voicemail like that, a man should leave whatever he is doing to come back to your doorsteps," Luca said. "He should move heaven and earth."

"How do you know Eric didn't move heaven and earth?" Daisy asked, her heart in her throat, sticking to the dry walls.

"Did he?" Luca asked.

"He did," Daisy lied because telling Luca the truth was too embarrassing. She didn't want to be laughed at. Especially not by the man who shot her down even before she even dreamed about shooting her shot.

Luca's eyes narrowed ever so slightly even though he looked at if he was enjoying seeing Daisy squirm in front of him and lie through her teeth.

"And he's taking me to the ball this weekend," Daisy continued.

"Charming," Luca restrained himself from rolling his eyes.

"He is," Daisy stepped to the side and then around Luca to go stand by the kitchen island in front of the sink. She cleared her throat and tightened her arms around her chest as Luca turned to face her.

"Are you going to sleep?" Luca asked.

"What?" Daisy's brows knit together in confusion.

"Did you want to see my sketchbook?"

Yes, Daisy wanted to shout. All those brush strokes, the colors, the landscapes. Yes, she wanted to see his sketchbook. She wanted to feed her curiosity with the colors he painted with. But as Luca waited for her to answer, Daisy pushed all those desires down as if closing an over packed suitcase at camp.

"No," she said.

"No?" Luca asked as if he had not been expecting that answer.

"I don't want to give you the wrong impression," Daisy continued. "Just because I was polite to you and wanted to see your sketchbook, doesn't mean I'm into you."

The corners of Luca's mouth curved up as if he was trying to hold back a smile. It irked Daisy to think he found her statement amusing.

"You're my best friend's older brother. Whatever ideas you have in your head, I suggest you get rid of them," She said, turning on her heels and walking back to Gia's room. "Good night."

Daisy was proud of herself for the self restraint she showed that night. If Luca thought he could embarrass her like some silly little girl he seemed to think she was, then he had no idea who he was dealing with. From a very young age Daisy had learned to give people the same treatment they gave out. She wasn't going to be anything like those Del Mare girls he was used to swooning over him.

The next day at breakfast, Luca went back to ignoring Daisy's presence and Daisy pretended he didn't even exist. Even when their eyes caught one another several times, they refused to acknowledge the unspoken words between them.

___________________

The night of Carla's fundraiser, Gia was a nervous wreck. Her doe eyes scanned the crowd with restlessness in them as she bounced her legs uncontrollably.

"Would you cut that out?" Daisy demanded as she gently kicked her best friend.

"Sorry," Gia muttered, turning back to the bar. "I would much rather be anywhere else but here right now."

"What are you talking about?" Daisy laughed, "This is great. The music has been amazing so far and an open bar! Are you kidding me?"

"I can't eat," Gia leaned her head down on the bar. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Stop being so dramatic," Daisy pulled her back. "You're going to mess up your hair."

"I love this dress on you, by the way," Gia said as she sighed and slowly stood up. "Eric better get over his mood when he sees you in it."

"He better," Daisy said, looking down at the plunging neckline of her rose gold dress. The light pink feathers at the hem of the mini dress gave the illusion of angel wings and the matching detailing on her right shoulder complemented that illusion very well. Daisy was forever grateful for her long legs. She would have never been able to pull off the dress if it weren't for her best assets.

"What is he mad about anyways?" Gia asked, scrunching up her nose the way she always did when talking about Eric.

"Nothing," Daisy sighed, not wanting to go into details about Luca.

"You guys just had an amazing vacation and now he's ruining the vibe."

"It's fine," Daisy shook her head, eager to drop the conversation. "I honestly don't even care about it anymore. He'll be fine once he sees me."

"Of course!" Gia laughed. "You look hot."

"You don't look too bad yourself either," Daisy nudged the girl beside her just as her phone vibrated in her hands.

"It's Eric," Daisy said, checking the screen. "He's outside. I'm going to go get him."

"I'll be here," Gia picked up her drink and raised a toast.

Grabbing her clutch, Daisy turned and headed towards the exit. The massive interior of the Metropolitan museum was adorned with flowers from wall to wall. Daisy's dress shimmered from the hundreds of candlelights as she strutted past the party favors and horderves. Whenever she wore heels, the world was her runway.

As Daisy walked to the entrance of the museum and paused to scan the crowd on the stairs, all heads turned towards her. She could feel every man's gaze on her as she descended the stairs towards Eric.

"Wow," he said as soon as he looked up and spotted her. His eyes widened and filled with admiration.

"How do I look?" Daisy stopped and placed her hands on her hips to strike a pose.

"Like I want to skip this dinner and take you home," Eric laughed. He climbed a few steps up to meet her before placing a small kiss on her lips. "I don't want to mess up your lipstick."

"We can dip out a little early," Daisy laughed, leaning into Eric. "I don't think anyone will notice."

"Wanna go now?"

"No," Daisy shook her head. "Gia is shaking enough in there to cause an earthquake. I have to stay until the actuation."

"Damn," Eric frowned.

"Come on," Daisy poked his shoulder. "This will be fun."

"Lead the way, gorgeous."

Daisy turned and switched Eric's hand from her waist to her palm. She took a few steps towards the entrance with him on her heels when she suddenly felt a heavy gaze on her skin. Her eyes snapped up, landing on Luca standing beside the entrance with a few other guys Daisy had seen earlier.

Fuck you, man, Daisy thought. Fuck you and your dark eyes, and your amazing hair, and your wide shoulders that fill out the tux you're in, and your dark prince aura. Go to hell with that jawline.

"Babe, I know I've been upset with you over the whole airport thing," Eric began to say. "But I don't want to fight anymo-"

"Kiss me," Daisy said, turning around to face Eric.

"What?" Eric chuckled.

"Don't tell me you're sorry. Just kiss me."

"Right now?"

"Yes," Daisy took a step down towards him. She could still feel Luca's gaze locked on her. His eyes burned the back of her head as if he could set her on fire.

Eric pushed a hand into Daisy's hair and stepped up. He tilted her head and pressed his lips against her mouth. Daisy leaned against him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Put your hand on my ass," she whispered against his mouth. "Grab it."

"Don't mind if I do," Eric chuckled, sliding his hand down and placing it over Daisy's behind. "Such a nice piece of ass."

"Kiss me like you can't get enough," Daisy pulled him closer.

"Are you sure we have to go to this dinner?" Eric asked, tasting Daisy's lips until all her lipstick was cleaned off.

"Yes," Daisy nodded, lifting one of her legs off the floor.

"Can we leave early?"

"Maybe," Daisy placed one more kiss upon Eric's lips before lowering her arms and taking a step back. "Ready to go inside?"

"No," Eric laughed. "But I will for you."

"Let's go," Daisy smiled.

She turned and her eyes immediately bounced up to where Luca had been standing. She could feel her heart beating wildly inside of her chest as her gaze scanned the steps by the entrance.

Everyone was there except Luca.

Daisy slowed to look around, wondering where he had vanished as a ping of disappointment echoed inside her chest. Her eyes bounced around from face to face but Luca was nowhere to be seen.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked, noticing Daisy's speed.

"Nothing," Daisy said. "I'm sorry...I'm just being dumb."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought..." Daisy looked around once more. "I thought I saw someone..."

"Who?"

"No one," Daisy shook her head.

"Let's get inside," Eric said, pulling her forward. Daisy followed without hesitation.

As soon as they entered, all eyes were on them once again. Daisy stayed close to Eric as they moved through the crowd towards Gia.

"There she is," Eric said with a hint of something in his voice as they took the last few steps and paused in front of the dance floor.

"Hi," Gia greeted politely. "So good to see you. How are you?"

"I'm good," Eric said, kissing Gia's cheeks once and then twice. "You look great."

"Thank you," Gia smiled. "So do you. Thanks for coming."

"I had to," Eric looked over at Daisy as she scanned the crowd, completely distracted. "I couldn't leave her alone."

Gia laughed because she didn't know what else to say. Her eyes moved to Daisy but the girl was looking everywhere else but at them.

"What's wrong?" Gia asked curiously.

"Nothing," Daisy let out a deep sigh. "Where's your brother?"

"I don't think he's here yet," Gia said. "He would have texted me or called."

"Oh your brother's coming?" Eric asked.

"Yeah," Gia nodded.

"I didn't know he was still in town."

"Yeah, he's been here for a few days now because of business stuff."

"What kind of business stuff?"

"I'm not sure," Gia's eyes darted towards Daisy as she laughed once more.

"Babe, can you please get me a drink," Daisy turned towards her boyfriend.

"Sure," Eric nodded before turning towards Gia, "Do you want something?"

"No, thank you," Gia shook her head and held up her drink. "I got one right here."

"Okay," Eric placed a kiss on Daisy's shoulder before turning towards the bar. As soon as he walked away, Gia stepped closer to Daisy and rolled her eyes.

"Get that look off your face," Daisy said as she leaned closer to Gia and nudged her with her elbow.

"Did you really have to bring him?" Gia asked, eyeing Eric at the bar.

"Yes," Daisy said firmly. "My invitation said plus one."

"We're always each other's plus one," Gia complained.

"I can't do this again, G," Daisy sighed, feeling a sense of irradiation bubble up inside of her. Damn these Silvanos.

"Both you and Eric are very important to me," she said. "I can't have the two of you not liking each other."

"Whoa," Gia turned to her friend. "I don't like him...does he not like me?"

"He's not stupid," Daisy rolled her eyes. "He understands your passive aggressive comments."

"Wow," Gia laughed. "He's not stupid."

"Get over it!" Daisy said. "I like him and as my best friend, you must support my bad choice in men."

Even when they might be your brother, Daisy wanted to kick herself.

No, not your brother! Never your brother.

"But I get to make fun of them, right?" Gia asked.

"Sometimes," Daisy said. "But not when I really like them."

"But why do I have to support your bad taste in men when you don't support mine?"

"Because," Daisy laughed. "My bad taste in men is not actively trying to kill me."

"Please," Gia rolled her eyes. "He's not actively trying to kill me."

"Sure," Daisy chuckled, taking Gia's drink and having a sip. She began to notice the way the girl shivered and tapped her foot impatiently as if it would make time go any faster.

"Don't be nervous," Daisy said. "You know Louis will be bidding for your date."

"He better be," Gia shifted her weight. "Can you imagine me being up there and no one bids? How embarrassing?"

"You would have to leave the city," Daisy said.

"Where to?"

Daisy turned to find Louis walking up to them. He was a handsome guy with curly dark blonde hair and a dimple smile. He was the last guy on planet Earth Daisy would picture with Gia. And since their first date, she knew from the look on Gia's face that Gia felt the same exact way. Louis wasn't a bad guy. He just...wasn't for Gia.

"Oh, I don't know," Gia said dramatically and the boy stopped beside her. "I'll have to run away to France and live my European dreams."

Louis' smile widened. His cheeks grew red from the way Gia's eyes watched him.

"I think Louis would like that very much," Daisy winked. "Am I right?"

"Of course," Louis said. "I would like that very much."

"How are you liking summer in New York City?" Daisy asked as she took another sip of Gia's drink. Her lips lingered on the rim of the glass as her eyes scanned the crowd for mossy green eyes. She didn't know why she kept searching for them when she came upon another kind of trouble entering the ballroom.

"It's not too bad," Louis shrugged. "I would prefer to be in Ita-"

"Holy Cow," Daisy's eyes widened as Daniel paused at the door. She recognized him instantly from all the pictures Gia had shown her. Gia looked up and noticed immediately why Daisy had gasped.

"What is he doing here?" Daisy leaned over and whispered to Gia as they both stared at Daniel and the beautiful woman on his arm.

"I don't know," Gia couldn't look away. She caught Daniel's eyes and immediately his feet turned towards them.

"Oh shit," Daisy said under her breath. "Is he coming this way?"

"I..." Gia froze.

Daniel had his eyes locked on her like a missile. He moved through the crowd with the girl right beside him. Beside Daisy, Gia had stopped breathing. She stared back with an intensity Daisy had never seen before. Louis followed both of their gaze.

"Oh, Daniel," he looked over his shoulder and held up his hand.

Daisy gasped and grabbed Gia's wrist, "What the fuck is happening?"

"So glad you could make it," Louis said as he shook Daniel's hand.

"Of course," Daniel let his eyes linger on Gia for a few seconds before turning to Louis. "Happy to be here and support a good friend."

"Well....my mom," Louis said. "She's part of the organization. Not me."

"Still very happy to help," Daniel said. He looked at the girl beside him and helped her step up. "This is my friend, Amber. Amber, this is Louis."

Oh, Gia's going to lose it, Daisy thought to herself. Shit.

As introductions were made and awkward silences were experienced, Daisy could do nothing but stand beside her best friend and pray to god the girl didn't do anything stupid. She wanted to shout with glee when Amber invited Louis for a drink and stepped away from Daniel's side. Daisy was sure she would be caught between the two as she sipped Gia's drink silently and counted the seconds in her head. But by some miracle, Daniel walked away without a word, leaving Gia to stare after him with a strange look in her eyes.

"We need to tell Carla," Gia said, slowly, not taking her eyes off of Daniel. "Luca is going to be here any minute."

"Oh shit," Daisy groaned. "This isn't good. But are you sure telling Carla is the best option right now? She's already so stressed out."

"What else are we supposed to do?" Gia asked, looking over her shoulder at the boy once more.

"Um.....pretend like we didn't see Daniel?" Daisy suggested. "Look around, this place is huge. We can just pretend we didn't know he was here."

"And what about Luca?"

Great question, Daisy wanted to laugh.

"Keep him distracted," she said. "Keep him away from Daniel. Daniel on one side of the room, Luca on the other."

"Good idea," Gia picked up the fabric of her long dress to try and make her way over to their table by the stage. "And besides, they'll be civil with everyone here. No way will Luca start something with all of New York's society present at this dinner."

"Exactly," Daisy followed. "Let's just all stay at our table tonight. No dancing, no moving."

"Go find your red flag and meet me at the table," Gia said.

"Your brother is the red flag," Daisy muttered under her breath as she handed Gia back her drink and turned on her heels to head back to the bar.

She swiftly moved through the crowd as fast as she could. If she didn't help Gia, the night was going to turn into a bloodbath. Maybe she should have listened to Eric and dipped.

Once at the bar, Daisy rushed up to the counter and looked around. She couldn't see Eric anywhere. Her eyes slowly scanned the crowd of faces hoping to find him as soon as possible. She was so focused on the task at hand that when she felt someone step up behind her, she jumped in fright.

"It's me," Luca lowered his head just low enough to speak into Daisy's ear. "Don't move."

Daisy felt her stomach clench and her back shiver as Luca's hand gripped her hips to keep her from turning away. She stared straight ahead as he pushed her hair to one side and took hold of the zipper on the back of her dress.

"What are you doing?" Daisy asked, her eyes scanning the crowd once more. "My boyfriend i-"

"Isn't here," Luca finished for her as he pulled the zipper back up and gently secured the hook at the top.

"What do you mean?" Daisy stepped away and turned to face Luca. She was instantly struck by how beautiful he looked with his hair neatly styled and combed.

"I saw him step out," Luca said.

"I need to go find him," Daisy took a step forward when Luca suddenly grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Stop chasing him," he said, lowering his lips to her ear once more. "Girls like you don't chase boys like him."

Daisy didn't know what to say as she let Luca pull her closer. Her feet moved without her permission as his jaw brushed against the side of her face.

"He should be glued to your side," Luca continued. "Worshiping the ground you stand on."

Daisy felt a strange fluttering in her stomach from the way Luca's breath tickled her cheek. She pulled away and lifted her dark lashes.

"That's all book talk," Daisy said. "It's not real life."

"Are you sure?" Luca asked.

"I'm sure," Daisy pulled her hand back, as her gaze flickered towards Luca's mouth. "Gia's looking for you."

"He's not good for you."

"And you are?" Daisy's eyes snapped up.

Luca's gaze darkened. His eyes narrowed as Daisy took a step away from him stubbornly.

"Stop messing with my head, Luca," Daisy warned. "Whatever cruel games you're trying to play isn't going to happen here. Eric and I are very happy together."

"Congratulations," Luca laughed. "I'm very happy for you. Wishing you both lifelong happiness."

"What do you want?" Daisy snapped. "You're so hot and cold. It's impossible."

"You're right," Luca said. "This is impossible. You're impossible."

"What does that even mean?" Daisy demanded. "You can't say things like that!"

"Go find your boyfriend."

"Tell me what you meant," Daisy grabbed Luca's arm before he could turn away.

"Go find your boyfriend, Daisy," Luca said sternly once again. "I'm sure you're missing his tongue down your throat very much."

As if zapped by his words, Daisy pulled her hand back in shock. She stared at him as he turned on his heels and walked off towards the table where Gia sat. The ringing and pounding in Daisy's head made her feel like a tea kettle, ready to blow.

Daisy couldn't move as she stood peering at Luca through the gaps in the crowd. She wanted to march over to the table and demand he explain himself. His constant presence and strange words left her feeling confused in all parts of her body. Who the hell did he think he was to leave her in such a mess?

"Hi, beautiful."

Daisy flinched as Eric wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.

"Shit," she gasped. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry," Eric laughed.

"I was looking for you," Daisy removed Eric's hand from her waist and linked their arms together. "We should sit down at the table."

"Alright," Eric shrugged. "Let's go."

With a deep breath, Daisy turned to face the table once more. She felt her stomach sink as she slowly made her way over with Eric right behind her. As she neared, Luca's gaze flickered up with disinterest. As if he wasn't holding her and whispering in her ears just moments ago.

"Look over there," Gia leaned over and nudged Luca with her knee. "That's Eric, Daisy's good for nothing boyfriend. I think they're coming this way. Be cool."

"He looks like a dick," Luca said under his breath, very much aware of who the asshole beside the blonde was.

"Funny," Gia smiled. "That's what Daisy says about you."

"Excuse me?" Luca arched his brow.

"Hey, Eric," Gia turned away to look at the tall guy beside her best friend. "Are you having a good evening?"

"The only good thing about this place is the open bar," Eric said as he sank into his chair.

Really, Luca's hand balled into a fist on his lap. You're not going to even pull the chair out for her?

"Hey man," Eric nodded towards him. "I'm Eric."

I know, Luca wanted to laugh. You're Eric, Eric Anderson. Harvest graduate. Financial analysis for American Express making one hundred twenty thousand a year. You have your own apartment but your parents made the down payment. Mom's retired, dad has two more years to go. You have a sister who lives in Texas and you grew up in North Carolina. High school prom king and voted most likely to succeed.

"Oh," Daisy looked at Luca. her eyes were venomous as if she could read his thoughts. It made Luca uncomfortable how she seemed to have that effect on him. "Eric, this is Gia's brother, Luca."

I like the way you say my name, Luca tore his gaze away from Daisy and stood to shake Eric's hand.

"Hey," he said, taking Eric's hand.

"You're visiting from Italy, right?" Eric asked.

"That's correct," Luca said, taking a seat once Daisy pulled her own chair back and sat down beside the buffoon.

"What do you do?" Eric asked. "I mean like what's the family business I keep hearing so much about? Gia seems to know nothing every time I ask her."

"We're in the shipping business," Luca said, reaching for Gia's drink.

He remembered Daisy drinking from it earlier as he had been watching her from across the ballroom. Luca's finger began to trace the rip of the glass as Daisy's lipstick colored his finger.

"Oh that's cool," Eric said. "What do you ship? Is it like Amazon overseas?"

"Something like that," Luca laughed, his eyes on the glass and on the shimmering coral stain on his fingers.

"They ship cars, produce, building materials, furniture-" Daisy began to explain to Eric as Luca looked down at Gia's drink and took a sip.

"Arms, legs, heads," he said with a smirk on his lips.

"What?" Eric arched his brow just as Daisy and Gia turned towards him.

"Sculptures," Daisy jumped in, her eyes darting back and forth between the two men. "For artists."

Eric stared, not understanding why Luca chuckled.

"What do you do?" Luca asked, putting down his drink.

"Eric went to Harvard for Economics and is currently working with American Express," Daisy said proudly, tossing her hair over her shoulder, not knowing how the small action caused Luca's eyes to focus in on that neckline of her dress.

"Do you ever let him talk?" Luca asked, flickering his eyes back up towards her.

"No," Daisy smiled. "Kind of like how you don't let Gia do a lot of things even though she's an adult."

"Twenty one isn't being an adult," Luca argued. "Not in my family."

"But twenty two is, right?" Daisy asked.

Suddenly, it was as if only the two of them were at the table. Everyone disappeared as Daisy looked into Luca's eyes with that stubborn challenge he was so tempted to accept.

"I mean...at twenty two you can get engaged and married and all that it seems," she said, her voice, her eyes, her lips captivating Luca against his will.

"For some it is," Luca said, his eyes losing its playfulness and growing hard.

Stay focused, Luca warned himself. He eyed Daisy as she gave him a small devious smile.

You're a little instigator, aren't you, darling? Luca's eyes narrowed. You thrive off of confrontations.

"Mmm," Daisy nodded. Her eyes sparkled once again as if she could hear his thoughts. "And who decides that? Or is it a gender thing?"

"It's a maturity thing," Luca said. "Some people are better able to handle things from a younger age."

"And you think Gia isn't one of these people," Daisy nodded.

"I did not say that," Luca said.

"No, but you imply that," Daisy smiled. "When you tell her what she can and can't do."

And I bet you would let me tell you too, Luca smirked.

"I need a drink," Gia's hand suddenly fell on the table, breaking the tension in the air.

"Too late for that," Luca said, motioning towards the stage where Carla walked up to the podium.

"Oh god," Gia slid further into her seat but Luca pulled her back up.

"Correct your posture," he said, earning an eye roll from Daisy.

"Ladies and gentleman," Carla cleared her throat as everyone around the room began to take a seat. "Let's start the fun activities for tonight's event."

"Are you going to be bidding on anyone?" Gia turned towards her brother. "Lots of pretty girls. I know all of them and they're all from good families and have great educational backgrounds."

Luca's eyes shifted towards Eric as he pulled Daisy's chair closer and draped his arm over the back of his chair.

"I'm good," Luca shook his head.

"Our first bachelorette is Miss. Claudia Vanderwood," Carla announced. "Miss. Vanderwood speaks two languages, loves to cook, golf, and garden. She was the rowing captain for her school's rowing team and is currently enrolled in culinary classes."

"Her dad paid for her to be the captain of her rowing team," Gia frowned.

"Damn," Daisy laughed as she picked up her drink and watched a young gentleman bid seven thousand dollars to win a date with Claudia.

Did she think that was a lot? Luca wondered, playing with the rim of Gia's drink again. All the money I could spend on you.

Startled by his sudden thought, Luca sat up and cleared his throat. He loosened the bowtie around his neck and took a long sip of the drink in front of him. He began to grow restless as Eric leaned down and kissed Daisy's shoulder once more. Beside him, Gia's legs bounced up and down with the same speed at which Luca's thoughts traveled.

"Calm down," Luca said to her when he noticed Gia shiver.

"And now, ladies and gentleman, a special guest is here with us tonight," Carla's eyes scanned the crowd to make sure she had everyone's attention. "Our next bachelorette is the beautiful Amber Huntington."

Everyone in the audience cheered with an abnormal amount of excitement.

"What's going on?" Gia asked, looking around. "Does everyone know her?"

"Yeah, duh," Eric snorted. "That's Amber Huntington. She was on the cover for last month's Sports illustrated. She's super hot."

Daisy narrowed her eyes in distaste and disgust just as Luca did.

What the fuck is wrong with this guy? Luca wondered.

"What?" Eric laughed, pulling Daisy closer. "You're hotter."

It took everything in Luca to not snort at Eric's words. Daisy turned to reach for her drink and her gaze flickered up towards Luca. As soon as she caught him looking, she leaned her head against Eric's shoulder and smiled up at him.

Don't do that, Luca wanted to snatch her back. He's practically undressing the girl on stage with his eyes when you're next to him looking the way that you do. Don't lay your head on his shoulder and smile at him.

Luca could not focus on anything that was said as he tapped his finger against Daisy's lipstick stain on Gia's glass. His eyes were locked on the ice cubes making the glass sweat as Daisy's laughs and words taunted him from across the table.

Don't look, Luca told himself as he took in a deep breath and instantly failed.

His gaze lifted and landed on Daisy. Eric was whispering in her ear and she leaned in closer. Long strands of her hair fell around her face, framing it like the photos in his office. Luca's hand itched to reach across the table and tuck her hair back and it drove him insane how her boyfriend hadn't done so already.

Feeling like a nuclear bomb with all the pressure building up inside of him, Luca let out the breath in his lungs and looked around. He needed to get his attention off of Daisy. The girl was his sister's best friend and not to mention the reason why he never got to answer Stella's last phone call. He couldn't think of her like that.

As Luca's eyes moved around the tables, he suddenly caught sight of Daniel sitting a few tables away. The boy's eyes were locked on Gia. Luca instantly felt his rage flare.

"Call your security," Gia tapped Luca's shoulder. "There's no way Louis is going to bid for me."

Luca didn't pay attention to what Gia said. His eyes were still on Daniel.

"Luca," Gia grabbed her brother's arm and shook. "Stay calm."

"I am calm," Luca lied, turning his eyes to Gia.

"Are you sure?" Gia asked. "We can leave."

"Don't be dramatic," Luca shifted in his seat. When he shifted his gaze off of Daniel and back to the table, Daisy's big wide eyes were on him.

Luca arched his brow as if to ask her why she was staring. He pretended as if he didn't like the fact that Daisy was completely ignoring whatever Eric was saying to make sure Luca was calm. Beside him, Gia moved around uncomfortably before a woman appeared to escort her backstage.

"Ms. Silvano?" the woman waited as Gia sat in a panic.

"Go," Luca leaned towards her and gave a small nod. "I'll call Manny."

Grabbing her clutch, Gia slowly rose from her chair and gathered the fabric of her dress. She started to follow the woman but paused as she passed Daisy.

"Watch him," she whispered as Daisy's eyes snapped up towards Luca.

That's right, Luca smirked. Eyes on me.

"And do what exactly?" Daisy asked in a panic. "You think I can stop him if he pulls out his gun and shoots up everyone here?"

You really couldn't, Luca thought but chose to remain quiet.

"I don't know," Gia hissed as the woman began to pull her away. "Keep him calm."

"What do you wa-" Daisy didn't get a chance to finish as Gia was pulled away towards the stage. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest as she looked back at Luca across the table.

"What?" Daisy asked as he smiled at her. "Why are you smiling?"

"You're panicking," Luca observed.

"Obviously," Daisy said. "You're....."

Luca watched Daisy's eyes flicker towards Eric who was too busy paying attention to the auction to notice what was happening at the table. She leaned forward and lowered her voice.

"You're not going to shoot him, right?" She asked.

"Who?" Luca arched his brow. "Daniel or Eric?"

"Why would you....." Daisy shook her head. "Forget it. Just stay in your seat. No funny business."

"No, I think I'm going to go over and say hi," Luca moved forward as if he was serious.

"No," Daisy jumped into Gia's seat and grabbed his arm. She pulled him back to his seat and pushed him back against the chair. "Sit down."

"Are you not the least bit concerned that your boyfriend has no idea what's going on here right now?" Luca leaned down and whispered against Daisy's ear. "Look at him...he's not even paying attention to you."

Daisy's eyes flickered up towards Eric who hadn't even noticed she changed her seat. If she wasn't so overwhelmed by Luca, she would have felt disappointed.

"As long as your attention is at the right place, that's all that matters," Daisy said.

"My attention is locked," Luca said, staring at her.

"On Gia, right?" Daisy's eyes moved around his face before landing on his lips once more.

"What?" Luca chuckled.

"She's on stage," Daisy said, moving her eyes back up to Luca's. "Pay attention."

Luca didn't look away. He continued to stare at Daisy. Even when she turned away and only one side of her face could be seen in the dark room, Luca didn't look away. He heard his aunt's voice and his sister's name but all he could think about was the way Daisy's dress looked against her golden skin. When she tried to move back to her seat, Luca's hand shot up and grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going?" He demanded.

"Back to my seat," Daisy whispered, her eyes darting to the back of Eric's head. "Let go of my hand."

"If I let go...." Luca warned playfully. "I'll get up and head right over to Dimaggio's table."

Daisy's eyes widened, "That's not funny."

"Sit down," Luca said slowly. "Don't test me."



What does Luca want?

I like writing about these unseen moments between these two hehe