The Abandoned Mafia Princess

Panther or Tiger?

They visited the local museum, an opera, and a theatre. They went for a walk down the promenade holding hands and enjoying the views. It was a pleasant few hours. Clara enjoyed every single minute of it.

Then they sat outside a cute, little bakery. Lorenzo ordered black coffee and Clara ordered a latte. Lorenzo convinced her to try cannoli and it was the best dessert Clara ever tasted in her life. The only pastries that could compete with it were the macaroon cookies.

When Clara and Lorenzo finished relaxing they used a blue SUV to travel to the shopping mall.

"Should I be worried about the meeting with your grandfather?" Clara asked while they were sitting in the car.

"Well, if he doesn't accept you that would be a problem. But you don't want this relationship to work out anyway so that should be good news for you, right?" Lorenzo asked, clearly making fun of her. He stopped at the parking lot.

That's not what she wanted, she realized while getting out of the car. So she was slightly nervous. Why was her heart beating so fast?

"Don't worry he will love you" Lorenzo added seeing the face she was making "Besides even if he didn't I would marry you anyway" he said as if he was telling her his dirty secret.

Now, they were both walking side by side in the shopping center that offered various clothing stores to choose from.

"Do you want to?" Clara asked before she could realize what she's doing.

"Do I want to what?" Lorenzo taunted. He wanted her to finish the sentence.

"Do you want to marry me? Me?" She said in a vulnerable voice.

"Are you proposing Ms. Castillo?" Lorenzo asked, he was clearly enjoying her embarrassment.

"Forget it," Clara scoffed. "No, I don't"

This was the problem. First, she had to admit she has that weird feeling towards him. That she might... love him. And she did that, after being in denial. But now there is another problem.

Was he loving her back? Or was it a game to him? Has he seen her just as a business deal?

"You're doing that thing Clara" Lorenzo pointed out.

"What?"

"You're shutting down and getting lost in your thoughts. What's happening in that pretty head of yours?" Lorenzo asked with curiosity.

If Sirio lost all his money and influence would you still want to marry me? That's what she wanted to ask him. How fucking lame, how vulnerable.

"I'm wondering if your grandfather ever rejected someone for a wife candidate?"

"Oh, he's extremely picky but he rejected mostly the candidates of my cousins"

"Eliana and Rafael haven't been here yet?"

"Eliana just inherited her family fortune including the company. She and my brother are already married and they are expecting a child on top of all that. The visit to grandfather would be more of an introduction. Things are different for us"

"Right. We're different. Our relationship is based on the prospect of a profitable union between our families. You want to know if he believes it's worth the trouble" Clara finished the sentence for him with an ounce of enthusiasm. It's all mafia business and she doesn't want anything to do with it. Soon. Soon she will be able to say no, and she will be free.

Suddenly Clara could feel his warm hand gripping her chin. He moved her head in gentle movement and placed a delicate kiss on her lips.

"W-what the hell was that? W-what was that for?" She asked shocked by his action.

"I hate when you're not giving me your full attention, little mouse" he whispered into her ear. "You're getting lost in your thoughts again when I'm here"

"What are you a cat? You can't stand not being a center of attention for a few minutes?" Clara challenged.

"A cat? Hmm, I don't think I like that. A panther or a tiger. That would be more like it"

Clara rolled her eyes.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

"Stop it!" Clara pushed him gently while she couldn't stop herself from giggling at his stupid joke.

"Let's play. You will pick the suit for me. I will pick a dress for you" Lorenzo proposed dragged her to the Saint Laurent store. Clara looked at him distracted.

A woman wearing the all-black uniform with a sticker attached to her shirt smiled politely and offered her assistance but Lorenzo dismissed her and started looking for what he wanted by himself.

"Does everything has to be a game for you?" Clara asked watching his actions carefully.

"Everything has to be fun. This is fun because I get to see my sweet Clara with a dress of my choosing" Lorenzo explained patiently, not looking at her.

"I don't want to end up wearing a mini skirt, like the last time" she pointed out, her hands crossed but she blushed after his arm wrapped around her waist.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it I was just trying to tease you that day. Today I have something entirely different in mind"

"You're trying to tease me all the time" she sighed tiredly.

"That's true" he admitted easily "But not this time. Try this," he said handing her a long, ankle-length black dress, it reminded her of something that Audrey Hepburn would be wearing in one of her classic photos. Clara held down her breath. It was a beautiful, absolutely stunning creation. The length did not make it prude due to the way the fabric would tightly fit her body, showing all of her curves.

She took the dress without arguing as she would before. Something shifted in her behavior towards Lorenzo for these past few days. She was less defensive.

Clara was led by the employee to the changing room. In this store, the room was two sizes bigger than at the places she was regularly shopping and had only one cabin assuming that not many customers would show up to try things at the same time. Understandable. The prices were ridiculous, that's why Clara decided to not look at the tag. Absolutely not.

When the red curtain closed behind her she took a moment to look at the mirror. Her blonde hair was traditionally tied into a ponytail. She was pale as always but because she had a good night sleep today the dark circles under her eyes were far less visible. Normally after a nightmare  she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep but Lorenzo was there with her, his presence made her feel safe.

The dress she put on herself was stunning. But she encountered a problem. She couldn't zip it on the back.

She stuck her head out of the dressing room and the employee in good faith jumped to ask "Can I help you? Should I find a different size?" The woman asked in English.

"I have a small problem with the zipper, I can't reach it" she responded.

"I see, let me-" the employee responded in English but before she could finish speaking Lorenzo interrupted her.

"I will help her" Lorenzo decided to invite himself to the conversation and the moment he said it the employee backed up to give them space. Shit.