Chapter 5 - The Morning HeadlinesBy 8:00 a.m. the next morning, Giovanni’s prediction had become an undeniable reality.
My modest smartphone, sitting on the laminate kitchen counter of my one-bedroom apartment, was vibrating off the table with an endless stream of notifications. Missed calls from my mother, frantic text messages from my cousin Sandra demanding to know "what game I was playing with a billionaire," and news alerts flashing across every major Chicago media outlet.
“MYSTERY BILLIONAIRE GIOVANNI FIERRO REVEALS SECRET WIFE AT HIGH-SOCIETY WEDDING.”
“FIERRO CAPITAL HEIR UNVEILS STUNNING PEDIATRIC NURSE AS BRIDE IN SHOCKING RECEPTION DEBUT.”
I stood by the window holding a mug of black coffee, watching the gray rain beat against the glass while Lily sat at the small kitchen table, happily coloring in a Disney book with crayons I had bought her on discount.
A sharp, authoritative knock sounded at my apartment door.
My heart skipped a beat. I set my mug down and tiptoed to the door, peering through the peephole.
It wasn't Tyler. It wasn't reporters.
It was Giovanni.
He wore a dark wool overcoat, his silver-touched hair damp from the morning rain, carrying a large pink bakery box tied with a white silk ribbon.
I unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door.
"You didn't have to come here," I said, leaning against the doorframe. "The whole city already thinks we're married. My phone hasn't stopped ringing for three hours."
"Good," Giovanni said smoothly, stepping past me into the apartment with the effortless confidence of a man who owned the building—which, given his portfolio, he probably did. He walked directly over to the kitchen table, setting the bakery box down before kneeling to match Lily’s eye level.
"Good morning," Giovanni said, his severe expression melting into an unexpectedly warm, gentle smile. "You must be Lily. I’m Giovanni. I hear you like chocolate cake."
Lily stopped coloring, her wide brown eyes looking up from the crayon box to the tall, intimidating man in the tailored coat. She looked over at me for approval, and when I nodded slowly, she beamed.
"My mom said we couldn't get cake last night because the wedding was only for big people," Lily announced candidly.
"Your mom was right," Giovanni agreed, lifting the lid of the bakery box to reveal an elaborate, custom chocolate gateau decorated with fresh strawberries. "Adult weddings are boring. So I brought the cake directly to you."
As Lily squealed with delight and ran to wash her hands, I crossed my arms and glared at Giovanni, though I couldn't entirely mask the fluttering in my chest.
"You didn't have to do that," I whispered.
"I wanted to," Giovanni replied, standing up and turning to face me, his amber eyes turning serious. "More importantly, my legal team has already moved on Tyler. His corporate accounts were frozen at 7:00 a.m. All fraudulent debt linked to your name has been legally nullified and transferred back to his primary holdings. He has twenty-four hours to leave the state or face federal wire fraud charges."
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I stared at him, stunned into silence. "You... you dismantled him overnight?"
"He threatened what matters to me," Giovanni said simply, taking a step closer until the warmth of his body radiated against the chill of the morning air. "And in my world, threats are answered with total annihilation."
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