After I Fall

Ch 26: Caterina

Last night, Lex never came back to our room. I heard when he greeted his mother, who started to cry uncontrollably—she thought he was dead too. The road to revenge is never easy, and now that I've made my first move, there is no turning back. Each member of the Valentino family will be wiped clean from the face of the Earth. Ultimately, I will be happy but betray and hurt the one I love most.

"Cat, where did you go again?" Fran leans across the sofa and plucks my forehead. "Everything okay?"

I snuck off to visit Fran at Rafael's villa. Same layout as Matteo, but he has a ton of priceless artwork hanging up. When Fran greeted me at the door and escorted me into the living room, I thought we were in an art museum. Also, he has a telescope at every window. Fran mentions that Rafael likes to know everything that happens in the compound. Creepy. I hope he doesn't have one facing Lex's bedroom—seeing as Rafael's villa is adjacent to his.

"Ow, Fraaaan. I'm fine." I smile weakly at Fran, rubbing my forehead.

She will hate me once Rafael meets his demise.

"You're a liar. Remember, I know you better than anyone. What is eating you...besides Lex." She suggestively wiggles her eyebrows.

"I'm fine, Fran. Just a bit shaken up about last night." Lying to Francesca is always hard to swallow, but if I don't, I will lose all the fight to pursue my revenge plan. She will talk me out of it. She would try to make me see things from their point of view—find the flaw. I want to keep her in the dark so she supports and continues to love me no matter what.

"You know," she scoots closer to me, smiling. "I wish I would have made a different deal with you back then. I would already have your entire Birkin collection by now. Only if I chose my words wisely instead of falling in love, I should have said fucking him. He takes your virginity, and now you two are fucking like wild rabbits."

I groan. "Please don't ever use the word rabbits or bunnies again. Lex has made me despise that word."

"Are you two playing mafia don and mafia bunny in the bedroom? Kinky. If he is anything like his younger brother, I know you are more than satisf—"

I grab the throw pillow, smacking her in the face with it. "I don't want to hear about your sex life. Nor do I want to talk about mine. Best friend or not, I don't want to share."

I'm sure best friends might share their sexual encounters with one another, but it makes me feel uncomfortable—sex, talking about it with someone who isn't the person fucking me. I wait for Fran to rebut or get mad with me about not wanting to share, but she doesn't. She places the throw pillow on her lap and smiles.

"It's okay. So, we haven't had a chance to catch up since the engagement party. Rafael hasn't said much, but I know you are in trouble. I overheard Rafe and Lex discussing your docks being raided a few days ago. Why didn't you tell me?" She asks. "Aren't we best friends? Sisters?"

We are, but it's more mafia-related, which you always wanted to avoid. I went to visit my father—"

"I heard, but not from you." She tilts her head, raising her eyebrows.

Here is the thing about Fran: She doesn't get mad at you, but she gets disappointed, and to me, that's the worst feeling. I wish I could turn back the time to ten years ago, before my mother was murdered, to the time when I wasn't kept in a gilded cage by a domineering, ruthless sex god, Don.

"Did me taking a trip to Florida make you not trust me?" She questions.

"Of course not!" I reach over, taking her hands into mine. "Fran, you taking me time would never make me not trust you. You're the only person in this world that I trust." I pause. "It's that when I heard my father was speaking with the FEDS, I thought—"