Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 872 : The little inconsistencies

*Bianca*

Stepping into Leo’s office without him here felt weird, almost identical to the feeling you got seeing a teacher at the grocery store. I huddled my arms close to my chest, biting down on my bottom lip and checking the text I’d gotten for a third time from Leo.

‘Just use the printer in my office,’ he’d said like it wasn’t a big deal. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. He probably didn’t even know how awkward this was for me and was only trying to be helpful but I’d rather walk ten miles to the nearest library if I could.

I found the printer easily, stuffing it with paper and using my phone to wireless print out what I needed. I only had a week before school started and unfortunately, I had zero of my supplies and a ton of paperwork I needed to go over with the counselor on campus.

Fortunately, I already knew how to get my textbooks on my small budget, I just needed the supply list.

As the printer whirled to life, its mechanical noises fell into the background as I surveyed the office around me. It was certainly unique. Very old with a musty, almost alcoholic smell like the kind you’d find in a winery.

The desk and chair were gorgeous, obviously made of the finest high-end wood. I frowned, trailing my finger across the desk. It was spotless with nothing but a simple ballpoint pen on it and I couldn’t help but think that it looked nothing like the desk a real estate broker would have.

More like the kind you’d find in those old movies with mafia bosses. I could easily imagine the head sitting behind a desk like this, ordering people to have their fingers cut off and whatever else the mafias did.

My papers finished printing and I jumped to grab them, only sparing a passing odd look at the desk before heading out. For some reason, I could breathe much easier out in the hallway, like a physical weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I frowned, shrugging off the weird feeling I got from that room, and headed downstairs. I stuffed my freshly printed hot papers into my folder, shoving them into my messenger bag before shouldering it.

I grabbed a granola bar from the kitchen and double-checked I had everything before I escaped out the front door. It was very convenient not to have to use keys but a fingerprint scanner though it did seem odd to have that much security on the house. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Leo was just a cautious person, I thought, but it seemed odd to me.

As I walked down the front drive, I noticed a car sitting out front, fancy and black with an older gentleman in a nice suit standing there.

“Miss Bianca, right?” He asked with a bright smile, putting me at ease almost immediately.

“Uh, yeah,” I replied, unsurely.

“If you don’t mind, I will drive you to your campus if you wish. I understand you have quite a few errands to run before school starts,” The man smiled kindly.

“Is this Leo’s doing?” I frowned, glancing at the tinted windows on the sedan. “I really don’t need-”

“I understand, Miss Bianca,” The man said understandingly. “Mr. Leo can come off strong but he truly just wishes to impress you with this gesture. If you wish to go alone, that is fine with me as well but as I understand it, you might be a little late.”

He tapped the watch around his wrist and I flushed, fumbling for my phone. Dammit, he was right, I thought as I checked the time. I was going to be late at this rate.

I sighed, glancing at the car and its flashy appearance and then at the kind gentlemen offering me a free ride. I know that the man is right - Leo is only trying to be thoughtful but...I couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

All this money, expensive private cars, designer wardrobes, a massive mansion with only two people to live in it. Even just his office, the suffocating unusual feeling just stepping inside made me feel weird about it all.

I sincerely doubt that a simple real estate business could make this much money, even if he was the CEO of it.

Something was off, and I was pretty sure everyone here was hiding something from me, Leo included.

I nibbled on my bottom lip in thought for a minute but ultimately, the time was passing quickly and I didn’t have time to debate what the right thing to do was. I needed to get to campus as soon as possible.

“Alright then, thank you. I’m Bianca,” I held out my hand with a soft smile for the gentleman who took it with a kind look.

“You can call me Sal, Miss,” he said brightly.

“Nice to meet you then.”

I slid into the backseat, watching Sal as he took the driver’s seat and pulled out onto the road within minutes. As I leaned back to recheck I had everything, my phone started to ring, and I pulled it out with a confused look, rushing to answer once I saw the caller ID.

“Hey, Mamma,” I answered, hoping she wasn’t calling to ring me over the coals again. “Are you doing okay back in Italy?”

I winced as she reacted in rapid-fire Italian, having to pull the phone from my ear just to stop it from ringing. Italian tended to slur together when spoken so fast but I still understood every word from my Mamma.

“Yes, yes, sorry for not calling until now,” I interrupted once I got a chance, “I’ve been busy. You know how it is here in America. LA is- yes, yes, I know, Mamma. I’ve been eating just fine, I promise. No, I have not lost weight. What do you-”

“Ay La mia dolce bambina! Che parla all’americana, dimenticando le sue radici! Ay,” Mamma cried out over the phone, clicking her tongue in dramatic disappointment. I rolled my eyes.

“Mamma, I have not forgotten my roots and I’m speaking English, not American. You know, Italia is still my first love,” I told her, pursing my lips as she just went on and on. “Ay, Mamma. I’m on my way to the campus right now. Did you need something?”

“Ay, Si, si. Are you having fun across the sea, paperotta? Cause you know home is always open to you, Bianca. We love you so much, don’t forget, si?”

“First of all, Mamma, I’m not your little duck anymore,” I frowned, rolling my eyes as she clicked her tongue in disagreement. “And yes, I’ve actually been having a great time so far. Leo,” I blushed as his name slipped out, glancing up at Sal, who only hummed pretending not to have heard a word.

I lowered my voice anyway, “Leo, he’s the man who’s living in the compound now and letting me stay there. He’s a good man, Mamma. He’s been showing me around, and he was the one who flew Amara over here for me. I’ve been relying on him a lot but I think that’ll be good for me, Mamma. To stand on my own two feet.”

“You’ve always stood on your two feet, paperotta. You’ve always been so smart and beautiful, I wish you could see that like we all can,” Mamma’s voice was gentle and sweet, a rarity when it came to her but it made me smile nonetheless, sweet homesickness taking root in my chest. I missed her and the family so much.

“Thank you, Mamma. Give my love to the familia,” I said softly, smiling as I heard a loud ruckus in the back and the sound of probably one of my cousins crying.

“Ay! No climbing on the furniture! That’s my good china, you teppistas!”

“Bye, Mamma,” I chuckled.

“Bye, paperotta,” She said lovingly, and then I heard screams as she ranted out in Italian.

“I’m not your little-” The line went dead and I finished lamely in the air, “Duck.”

Of all the nicknames I’d been given over my life, That one had to be the one I loved and hated the most. I just shook my head smiling. I knew it was no use fighting with her on it, she’d never quit calling me her little duck.

Sal dropped me off at my first errand of the day, a nearby used bookstore. It was right across from the campus and a good place to get discounted textbooks other students sold. Since I was a history major, I needed as many books at a discount as possible.

The whole store smelt of old books and I breathed it in with a sigh, searching through the packed and crammed shelves for the titles I needed. Luckily, I found most in the discount bin near the front though as I balanced them precariously in my arms, I realized I still needed one last title.

I found it relatively easily, in the hands of another girl. She had glasses and freckles, the pretty mousy type of girl who had her nose stuck in a book as she easily balanced six or seven books in her other hand.

“Um, excuse me,” I jumped in, barely able to keep a grip on the twenty-something books I had in my arms. “Do you know where I can find that book? The one you’re reading?”

She looked up, jolting almost like she hadn’t even noticed I was there and she probably hadn’t because she hadn’t moved since I entered, now over halfway through the book. She adjusted her glasses, squinting through the poor lighting to see me, and then smiled.

“Oh, this one? Historical figures and their meaning throughout time? Great read.” She smiled and then gave me a sad look. “I’m afraid it’s the last one though.”

“Fuck,” I sighed, then jolted as I realized what I said in public. “I’m so sorry-”

“It’s alright, I’d say the same if they were out of a necessary textbook I needed. History major, right?” The girl tilted her head knowingly.

“Uh, yeah, how’d you figure?” I asked, a bit suspiciously.

She just giggled, pointing to my stack of books. “I’m a history major, too. All of these are on the curriculum list.”

I blushed at the obvious answer, clearly frazzled while she was over here cool as a cucumber. “Sorry, I’m just a bit...overwhelmed.”

“Well, hi ‘I’m just a bit overwhelmed’. I’m Isabel.” She grinned.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the dad joke, not having expected it from someone my age. “I’m Bianca. I’d shake your hand if I wasn’t all full.”

“No problem there,” She waved it off, then shut the book in her hand, giving it a smile, and then piled it on top of my own pile. “Here, you have it. I’ve read it twice already so I think I’m good. You need it more than me.”

“No, you don’t have to” I tried to protest but Isabel just made a buzzing sound with her lips, giving me a stern look.

“Nope,” She shook her head, crossing her arms. “You take it. My final offer.”

“Thank you so much,” I said gratefully, “I’ll return the favor, I swear.”

“Alright, then if I see you in class, and I need a refresher, I know exactly whose book I can borrow, right?” She winked at me, giggling as I nodded furiously.

We headed up to the checkout station and luckily, my books weren’t too expensive all together. I exchanged numbers with Isabel in case we wanted to study together and then headed over to the campus to meet with the counselor.

Sal took me back to the compound soon after and it was rather late. I was hoping to have dinner with Leo but once we arrived, I saw his spot in the garage was still empty. I dumped my books inside before checking my phone and noticed I had missed a text from him.

‘Have to work late, sorry. Won’t be home. Eat dinner without me.’

My first thought was to let it go, even with how disappointed I was but I thought back to all the mismatched things that had been building up and I realized I couldn’t let it go this time. Maybe I was just being paranoid because of Matteo or maybe I was even sabotaging myself looking for some kind of red flag that wasn’t there but something was off about all of this.

The head of a real estate company shouldn’t need to work late as often as he did. They shouldn’t make as much money as he clearly does and they shouldn’t have emergency meetings at three a clock in the morning.

Was he seeing someone else? Was he living a double life? Was he lying to me this whole time?

My fears would never be settled unless I knew for sure. I poured myself a cup of coffee, spiking it with sugar and a long pour of rum from out of the cabinet. I was going to get my answers tonight.

Even if it meant waiting up all night for him to come back.