*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated thank-you all so much*
Gianna arrives back at her parents' house. She pulls through the gates and up the drive to the house. Putting the car in park she lets out a deep breath ready to face her father and her bodyguard Thomas. She knows that her father is already upset with her because she chose to escape once again without her bodyguard in tow. She hates to be followed around, monitored and watched 24/7. She wants her freedom. She gets out of the car and walks to the front door. She walks in to be greeted by their butler. "Ah, Ms. Pelligrini," he bows. "Your father is waiting for you," he says. He guides her to the sitting room and opens the French style double doors. "Ms. Pelligrini," he announces.
"Thank-you, Vincent," says Ambassador Pelligrini; Gianna's father. Gianna looks nothing like her father and has inherited all of her mother's beauty but her father is not unattractive. He's a very attractive man with olive skin, dark slick back hair, dark brown eyes and he keeps in shape for the work that he does. He was a major heartthrob when he was younger but still women swoon over him and are attracted to him. Vincent leaves the room closing the double doors behind him. "Have a seat, Gianna," he demands his good natured smile fading away.
"Papa," she begins to protest.
"Sit down!" he says pointing to the white sofa in the room. "We're going to talk."
"Papa," she says.
"SIT DOWN!" he hollers and she takes a seat immediately. "What has gotten into you lately? Sneaking out to go to pubs to hang out with some random guy and now sneaking out in the afternoon to see someone? I hired Thomas to protect you, how can he protect you if you keep giving him the slip?" he asks.
"I don't need protection," she protests. "I am 22 years old, Papa, I don't need to be protected."
"Do we need to start locking you in your bedroom, locking you in the house?" he asks.
"And keep me a prisoner?" she asks. "That's not fair!" she crosses her arm.
"You're an ambassador's daughter. You need to be protected to the highest degree, you never know who may be out there to harm myself or even you. If someone sees you out there unguarded you will be an easy target to them. Thomas is supposed to keep you safe and your safety is his number 1 priority as far as I am concerned."
"No one wants to harm me, Papa. You don't have me protected in Italy," she says.
"That's different," he says. "While you are here in England you will have a guard on you at all times and this sneaking out stuff is done, do I make myself clear?"
"I wouldn't have to sneak out if you would let me live my life the way I want instead of the way you want," she argues back. "I don't always want to do what you want me to do and I don't want to marry Alessio," she says.
"You haven't even given Alessio a chance. He will suit you well," he says. "You deserve to give him a fair chance and you two will be married by the end of summer."
"Papa, No!" she protests. "I am 22 years old, I don't wish to be married. I have a lot of life I want to live before I settle down. I want to travel, see the world, I want to have fun before I marry anyone," she says.
"It's already been decided!" he snaps.
"Papa, you can't tell me who I am going to marry you can't tell me how to live my life," she says. "I am 22."
"I am your father and what I say goes," he says.
"I am getting an apartment," she blurts out.
"Excuse me?" he asks.
"I'm leasing a flat," she says, "and it's available for me to move in. I can't live in this house anymore."
"Over my dead body," he protests. "You will live under this roof. It is too dangerous for you to live in a flat by yourself."
"I am sure I will be all right," she says. "I don't need a babysitter, Papa." She stands up to leave the room.
"Alessio will join us for dinner tonight," he says, "do your best to be a presentable woman," he warns.
"Whatever," she says rolling her eyes. She hurries out of the sitting room and runs up to her bedroom. She slams the door behind her, throws herself on the bed and begins to sob into her pillow.
A knock on the door catches her attention, "Gia," her mom calls out. "Can I come in?" she asks.
Wiping her tears away and stifling her sobs, "come in," calls out Gianna.
Gianna's beautiful mother comes into her bedroom a few seconds later, shutting the door behind her. She makes her way over to Gianna's bed and takes a seat as Gianna sits up. "What's going on?" she asks.
"I'm tired of being a prisoner and not having a say in my life," she answers. "I don't want to marry Alessio."
"You haven't even met him," she says, "how can you dismiss him so quickly? You might actually find an attraction there. You might actually like him."
"Whether I like him or not I don't want to marry until I am at least 30," she says matter of fact. "I have so much I want to do with my life, Mum. I want to travel, I want to see the world. I want to live in Italy, open my own restaurant. I want to focus on my life and getting myself somewhere in life rather than depending on a man to take care of me. I'm not meant to be tamed," Gianna says.
"You can be married and still do all those things, Gianna," she says, "it's just for financial security."
"I am already financially secure," she says, "and soon after marriage my husband will surely want children. I'm not even sure I want to have children and if I do I don't want them until I am 35 years old."
"So you don't want to marry until you're 30? And don't want children until you're 35?" she asks.
"Exactly," says Gianna.
"35 is a little late in life to have children, Gianna."
"I want to enjoy life in my 20's, marry my husband when I am 30 and have 5 years alone with him before we have children if we have children. My life is important to me. I have plenty of time to think about marriage and kids. Right now I am focused on me and doing what I love."
"I understand," she says with a soft smile.
"I met a man, Mom," says Gianna with a smile as she thinks about Baron.
"You met a man?" she asks.
"Yes, and he is handsome and I like him a lot," she smiles. "He is such a gentleman."
"What's his name?"
"Baron Corbin but he hates to be called Baron so everyone calls him Corbin. We're going to spend our summer together. He wants me to make a list of things I want to do this summer before I go back to Italy and we are going to do them together."
"Gianna," she says. "Your father will not have any of that."
"I know but I want to have fun this summer, I don't want to plan a wedding this summer and I don't want to get married at the end of this summer please don't make me get married. I am not ready." Gianna begs her mother hoping for her to see things her way.
Her mother stands up from the bed, "you should look presentable, Alessio will be arriving soon."
"Fine," she says letting out an exhausted breath. "I'll do my best."
Gianna spent the afternoon getting her list together of all the things she wants to do over the summer with Corbin. She smiles as she looks over the list and can't wait until she and Corbin can do all the things she wishes to do. She thinks about calling him to let him know she's ready to sign the papers for the flat and to see what he's up to but when she looks at the clock she sees she doesn't have much time to get herself ready for dinner. She folds up the paper and puts it into the drawer next to her bed. She gets up and walks to her wardrobe to find the perfect dress for dinner tonight. She smiles as she grabs one and tosses it onto the bed. She walks into the bathroom and starts the shower.
After her shower Gianna combs through her long black hair, blow drying it before straightening it. She walks back out to her bedroom and puts on a pair of underwear and a strapless bra to wear with her strapless dress. She walks to her closet pulling out a pair of expensive heels to put on before putting diamond hoop earrings in her ears with a diamond necklace. She looks herself over in the mirror before she puts on a little bit of makeup. "I look amazing," she says to herself with a smile as she looks at herself in the mirror. Her black strapless dress hugs tightly to her body, showing off every curve coming above mid-thigh. "The perfect wife to be material," she laughs at the thought.
Gianna makes her way down the stairs just as the dinner guests are arriving. She sees her father standing at the end of the stairs, they make eye contact as she comes down the stairs. He is holding back from hollering at his daughter, he whispers to her as she reaches him, taking her by the arm. "Are you trying to embarrass me?" he snaps.
"What? I am trying to be desirable for my future husband," she smiles.
"You look like a puttana," he says firmly. "Change your clothes!" he whispers as a young Italian man walks over to them. He is breathtakingly gorgeous with dark hair, olive skin, hazel eyes dressed in a suit. "Alessio," says her father letting go of her arm.
"Ambassador," he says with a smile.
"Good evening," says Gianna with a smile.
"Alessio, this is my daughter Gianna, Gianna this is Alessio," he introduces the two of them. Alessio smiles at Gianna showing off his perfect white teeth.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he says with a smile before kissing her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too," she smiles.
"Shall we go get acquainted?" asks Alessio with a smile. "I mean after all you are to be my wife," he says making her groan inwardly.
"Go, go get acquainted," the ambassador smiles at Alessio, they pass a look between each other that makes Gianna feel uneasy. She doesn't want to marry Alessio, not now, not by the end of the summer what she wants is to fall in love, live her life then marry when she's older.
"Come along, Darling," says Alessio making her skin crawl. "Would you like a drink?" he asks.
"That would be lovely," she forces a smile. Alessio grabs a drink from a tray being carried by and hands it to her. "Grazie," she smiles.
"Prego," he says, "shall we go out on the terrace?" he asks.
"I suppose," she says taking a sip of the alcohol. She savors it as it hits her taste buds. She knows she's going to need it to get through tonight. Alessio leads her out to the terrace and they find a place to sit alone.
"So you speak Italian?" he asks.
"I study in Italy, Italian is my first language," she says taking another sip of her drink. "I'm very fluent in Italian. I plan to return to Italy at the end of the summer to continue studying culinary. I am going to be a chef and have my own restaurant."
"A chef?" he says with a smile. "That's an interesting career but I don't see how you can return to Italy when we are set to be married before the end of summer. I was thinking of having a mid-August wedding before the holiday ends."
"I'm not sure I will be ready to be married by the end of the holiday," she says eyeing him. He smiles softly but it's condescending toward her.
"I am sure you will be ready," he says taking a sip of his own drink, "besides I was thinking once we are married we could began our family."
"I'm sorry but I don't want children," she says.
"You'll be a wonderful mother," he says.
"When I am 35," she says.
"That is far too late to have a child, you need to think of the complications involved for both yourself and our child. You're entering your prime baby making years."
"It is 2019 and a lot of women are putting off having a child until their 30's. A lot of women are focusing on their careers first then having kids," she explains.
"I am not one to enjoy modern women," he says taking a sip of his drink. "Anyway, we'll have a beautiful wedding and a beautiful life together. We need to start planning our wedding."
"If you would excuse me," she says standing up.
"Of course," he says standing with her.
He starts to follow her but she stops him, "if you don't mind I want to be alone. I'll be back soon," she says before he nods allowing her to go.
Gianna finds her father and he says, "Shouldn't you be acquainting yourself with your husband to be?"
"I'm not marrying him, Papa," she says. "He is not the man for me!" she argues. Her father grabs her arm tightly. "You're hurting me, Papa," she says.
"Excuse me," he says to his friends. "I need to speak with my daughter." They nod before he takes her to a corner where no one can hear him. "You don't have a choice, Gianna. He paid a lot of money to marry you."
"Paid for me? Am I cow now? You just sell me like cattle?" she asks.
"Not paid for you, but offered a nice financial commitment for your hand in marriage," he corrects himself.
"I am pretty sure that's illegal," she says, "I am not marrying him."
"I said you don't have a choice, you'll do him right as his wife," he says.
"You can't make me marry him and you can't make me live the life you want," she says as she storms up the stairs to her bedroom.
Gianna grabs her phone off the dresser and calls Corbin. She keeps the phone on speaker and soon the rings enter the air in her bedroom, her heart races waiting for him to answer. "Gianna," he answers after the 3rd ring and she can hear screaming and loud music in the background. "What's up?"
"I want to see you," she says with a smile.
"Tonight?" he asks.
"Tonight," she says with a smile. "I want to see you tonight."
"I'm working at the pub tonight," he says, "but you can always come down to see me," he smiles into the phone.
She smiles, "I'm on my way. You wouldn't mind a guest tonight at your place would you?"
"Um," he coughs, "No, you planning on staying over?"
"If you don't mind," she smiles.
"Yeah, I don't mind," he smiles.
"All right, I'll be there soon."
"See you when you get here, just tell the bouncer you're here to see me and they will let you right in. It's crowded tonight."
"Okay," she says, "Bye, Corbin," she says before hanging up the phone.
*A/N: What did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading.