Five Dates with the Billionaire - Alyssa J. Montgomery Page 0,10
scathingly—he didn’t find me attractive and never would.’
‘Huh!’ She wore a deep scowl as she looked Mia up and down. ‘He hasn’t even seen the real you.’
‘Which brings me to the most crucial point. You know very well why I present myself like this. I—’
‘I agreed some superficial changes to disguise your appearance were absolutely necessary, but you didn’t have to go to such extremes.’ Violet’s lips tightened in displeasure. ‘You were unrecognisable enough after the orthodontic work and the nose job. We only changed your hair colour to be absolutely certain. There was never any need to wear glasses or those God-awful clothes.’
Mia cringed. ‘You and Connor must’ve been comparing notes.’
Violet ignored her and reasoned, ‘Besides, you’re a woman now, not a teenager. There’s no need to fade into the shadows.’
‘I’m more than comfortable in the shadows.’ She deliberately avoided looking at her reflection in the gilded mirror hanging above the marble fireplace.
‘Mia.’ Violet squeezed her hand. ‘It’s been ten years. I’m sure you’re safe now.’
Safe.
Oh, how she wished she was safe.
‘Giovanni is still alive.’
The name hung between them.
It was a stark reminder of the menacing threat Mia had lived with every day for the past decade.
Violet blanched. ‘He must’ve given up looking for you by now,’ she said quietly.
‘According to the FBI, as long as he’s alive, my life’s in danger.’
‘If he’s still searching for you, he’s more than likely scouring the USA, not London.’
Violet was deluding herself. ‘Not necessarily. He knows my mother was British.’
‘But he also knows she was disowned by her mother once she ran off to Hollywood. Besides, if he bothered checking, he’d have learned your grandmother died a few days after she learned of your mother’s death. He’d know you have no living relatives and he’d even discover you weren’t named as a beneficiary in your grandmother’s will.’ Violet shook her head adamantly. ‘There’s nothing to tie you to London.’
‘Violet, I—’
‘There’s definitely nothing that can tie you to me or to Stanley either. Nothing that can lead Giovanni to Mia Simms.’
‘I can’t afford to take any chances.’ Anxiety swirled through her. ‘Giovanni’s reach is like an octopus’s tentacles. It’s long and it knows no geographical boundaries.’ She willed her friend to understand. ‘Life in the shadows keeps me safe.’
‘Life in the shadows is hardly life.’ The older lady pressed one hand briefly to her forehead before she reasoned, ‘Your young life is passing you by and it’s time for you to shine.’
Restlessness and angst churned in Mia’s gut. ‘I’m happy with my life. I’m happy to have a life.’
‘You have no friends your own age.’
‘Because I choose not to lie to people.’
‘You and I both know you wouldn’t lie if there was any other choice. You have to accept your circumstances and move forward.’ Violet’s tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth. ‘It’s time you started to live a normal life. Stanley and I won’t be here forever.’
Mia didn’t want to dwell on the warning. Violet and her close friend, Stanley, were the two most important people in Mia’s life and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing either of them.
On behalf of Mia’s grandmother, Stanley, former chief of MI5, had used his connections and liaised with the FBI so Mia could leave her life in the USA and be relocated to the UK. Stanley and Violet had honoured their promise to Mia’s dying grandmother. They’d guided Mia and loved her like a grandchild.
‘You’d be such a wonderful wife and mother. You need to give yourself a chance to fall in love and have a family, Mia.’
‘I can’t!’ She jumped up from the comfortable couch and wrung her hands together while she paced the floor. Taking tea with Violet in the beautiful yellow and blue sitting room was normally relaxing. Now, it was like a dark cloud had settled over Mia and she was too agitated to enjoy the soothing opulence of her surroundings.
‘How can I have a normal life when the threat of Giovanni is constantly hanging over my head? There’s no way I’d ever become involved with a guy when I know he might end up dead because of me, so why on earth would I subject children to this threat?’
‘After all this time, you still don’t feel safe?’
‘No. You’ve helped me stay safe, but can’t you see that if you insist on these dates and I’m seen publicly with Connor you’ll be thrusting me into the public spotlight and I might end up with no life.’