Page 109 of The Cute Psycho

"Okay," I reply, schooling my features. I don't want her to note the disappointment in my gaze.

She seems surprised by my easy acquiescence, so she just nods.

"I'll see you on Monday?" I ask, thinking that two days should be enough for her to recover her strength.

Her eyes widen. "Monday? Why?"

"Well, I know Marcello has a thing for Sundays and he will expect you to be present. So that leaves Monday. You should be rested by then."

"Right..." she murmurs, and I find myself thrown off by her expression again.

What's happening?

"Perfect. I'll text you the details." I lean in to give her a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving her room, stealthily making my way back down and out of the house.

I guess I'm lucky that Marcello isn't the best at choosing his guards, since I've managed to slip some of my own men inside. It's one of the reasons why Sisi's managed to sneak out successfully for so long.

And now I have to wait until Monday....

I groan out loud at the thought. What can I do until then to take my mind off things?

I'm out of the house and heading to the parking lot, my mind still on Sisi's odd behavior when I get inside my car.

Monday...

Something is niggling at my conscience, and I can't put my finger on it. I feel like I'm missing something.

It's only when I get back home and I check Sisi's file that I realize what I've been missing and the reason she's been behaving like this.

Monday is her birthday.

Damn it! She probably thinks I forgot, or that I won't remember and that's why she's cross with me.

Not one to panic, I remind myself that I have two more days to plan something to blow her mind. She'll be so impressed with me that she will bat those pretty eyelashes at me and beg me to kiss her.

Satisfied with what I'd prepared, I shoot Sisi a text to meet me at the edge of her brother's property. I'd arranged a candlelit dinner for her birthday, complete with a full course meal and one hundred candles spelling "Happy Birthday."

I'd scoured the internet for ideas that would make her see that I'd put a lot of effort into this and that I had not forgotten. I'd even hired a chef to cook the perfect dinner, and I'd chosen all of her favorite foods.

For her gift, I'd decided to give her the giant teddy bear I'd seen heradmire at the shopping center, as well as a custom Cartier necklace with her name on it. That one had been a little trickier to get, since I'd had only two days at my disposal, so I'd settled on threatening the jeweler with a gun to his temple, while he'd worked on the necklace.

I'd been quite impressed that his hands had not trembled while he'd worked on the necklace. Not even when he'd encrusted the diamonds in the letters. Indeed, I could see why their stuff was so pricey.

Now I can only hope that she will like it too and that she will forgive me for whatever I did. I'd spent the entire weekend thinking what I could have done to offend her, and I'd concluded that anything was possible. After all, I'm not the best when it comes to dealing with women.

Not even the advice columns on the internet had been able to provide me with a straight answer. I'd even joined a forum and asked for advice, but another man had replied that women are inherently an enigma, and that I shouldn't take it to heart. He'd recommended flowers, so of course I'd added that to the dinner ensemble as well.

Again, it hadn't been that easy to get a thousand roses to strew around on the ground, but a little intimidation does wonders.

Still, I've learned my lesson. From now on I'll never forget when her birthday is and I will make sure to have everything prepared in advance.

Sparing a glance at my clock, I realize that she's late. I wait another five minutes, and still, no sign of her, so I try to call her.

Nothing.

Is she... ignoring me? The prospect is distressing so I keep ringing her phone.

Another ten minutes, and a hell of a lot of missed calls later, I abandon the site of the dinner and I decide to confront her in her own home. Surely if I confront her directly she will be able to tell me what I've done wrong and why she's been so cross with me.

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