The Wallflower's Revenge

Chapter 1: The New Beginning

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning.

-Ivy Baker Priest

Tatiana Rostova's POV

"Hmm."

I mumbled. Where was I? In heaven? I could smell the fragrant smell of fresh flowers and hear the sea outside the opened window.

I wanted to open my eyes but they're too damn heavy at the moment. I heard people murmuring softly but I was too dazed to recognize what they were talking about.

"Lei andrà bene." A male voice assured in a low whisper.

So, where was I?

"Hmm..." I mumbled again, shifting through the soft bed on my back. This time, I had summoned my heavy eyes to open.

The first thing I noticed was the high ceiling and the cream walls with paintings hanging around. I looked around slowly and noticed the two men were also present inside this luxury room.

The first one was staring at the endless ocean outside on the French windows with his hands tucked on each pocket of his expensive Italian trousers and the other one was staring at the man with his grey head bowed slightly.

"Sua Eccellenza..." The second man said as he noticed that I was already fully awake staring at them with confusion in my eyes.

The man facing the sea turned around and I felt that my breath had been knocked out from my lungs as the pair of silver eyes stared before me.

"Ci lasciano," the man with smoky eyes said with undisguised authority and the other man bowed before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Italians?

So, I am still in Italy—not in heaven then.

The man with the pair of striking grey eyes moved closer to the bed and stared down at me. "Come stai—"

I shook my head. I was good at speaking fluent English, Russian and French, but I was hopeless in Italian. I would have a big problem if my savior didn't understand English. But he surprised me when he switched to flawless English. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." I tried to sit on the bed, but I felt a little woozy in the process, large hands were suddenly supporting me. I smiled sheepishly. "And a little dizzy, I think. Where am—"

"You are at my villa here in Amalfi," the good-looking stranger said, staring deep into my eyes. "You've been lucky that my yacht was passing when I saw you floating on the water and nearly drowned, signorina."

So, it has been the light from his yacht that I saw before I lost my consciousness, not the light in heaven?

I closed my eyes, remembering the night before and how the people I thought would be the last person who wanted to see me hurt were the same people who laughed behind my back for my naïve.

"...signorina?" I stared at the man who saved me from my death, frowned and marked his strong brows.

"Forgive me." I said weakly. "My mind was somewhere else. I haven't thanked you yet for saving me last night, Signore...?"

"Cavelli." He supplied a smile on the depth of those silver eyes. He extended his hand. "Lucca Cavelli."

I shook the offered hand briefly, but it was enough to send electricity into my body which I don't understand. It seems that my body was aware of the very masculine aura of this man. "Tatiana Rostova."

"Russian?"

"Yes. My father."

"Pleased to meet you, Signorina Rostova."

I nodded coolly. "Likewise."

Lucca Cavelli's POV

The woman I saved last night on the brink of her death was now awake. I have been checking her time-to-time for the news of her state of unconsciousness during the night. The doctor had assured me that she just swallowed plenty of water from the sea but she will be fine once she resurfaces.

What happened to her when I found her floating in the middle of the dark sea?

I was stunned momentarily when my gaze was held by a pair of violet eyes—those eyes showed pain and betrayals on their profundity as she held my gaze. Whatever happened to her last night, she'd been badly hurt.

She wasn't classically beautiful with her pale skin and jet-black hair that was out of style. She could be considered as 'plain' but when you stared at her uncanny amethyst eyes, you could set her apart in the crowd as if she was being transformed into someone else.

Right now, those violet eyes were hidden from my view. "Are you okay, signorina?"

"Forgive me," she said weakly, her voice was soft and melodic—and all American. "My mind is somewhere else."

I would bet my fortune that she's remembering the events last night how she ended up on the sea intending for her to die.

"I haven't thanked you yet for saving me last night, signore...?"

I bit back my smile. Did she seriously didn't know me? Maybe she was still in a state of shock that she didn't recognize me. "Cavelli," I completed for her, extending my hand. "Lucca Cavelli."

There's no need to brag about my title. Taking my offered hand, she shook it briefly, just I thought her hands were as delicate as the rest of her. Unaware of my thoughts, she gave me her name. "Tatiana Rostova."

I was perplexed for a moment. I didn't see that one coming. "Russian?"

"Yes. My father."

"Pleased to meet you, Signorina Rostova."

She nodded coolly. The woman was icy cold. "Likewise."

A discreet knock on the door disturbed me from the fascinating lavender fields I was busy admiring. "Come in," I said in Italian.

The maid entered with trays of breakfast for me and my guest, Tatiana Rostova. She silently placed the fresh fruits, smoked hams, cheese and bread with a pot of hot tea and a local newspaper on the terrace table outside overlooking the blue sea before taking her leave.

"Breakfast is ready, signorina."

She shook her head, standing on the bed. "Thanks, but I need to go. I have a plane to catch going to New York." She looked down and noticed that she'd only been wearing my silk pajama top showing her white creamy legs which for my opinion were really sexy. "If you could just ask for my clothes from your servants, I will really be grateful to you."

I shook my head in return. "You are not leaving without having breakfast. You should do it first and then we'll call your family to assure them that you're safe here in my villa."

The amethyst eyes turned cold as the arctic region. "I don't have a family to worry about me anymore."

I frowned at her answer. "Then someone who knew you might be going crazy looking for you right now."

"No one would be anxious if I was missing, signore."

The woman was damn stubborn. "I'm sure—"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're so annoying?" She snapped, her violet eyes spitting with fire.

"No." I answered honestly. No one would dare.

"Well, you are!"

I smiled privately. She was the first person who dared to tell me in the face that I was annoying and bravely defied my wishes. I admired her for that. "You know what? Why don't we discuss my annoying attitude and why no one would be concerned if you are missing over breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry," Tatiana Rostova said persistently, which I knew of course wasn't true.

"Indeed," I mocked. "Why not sit on the terrace and watch me eat. After all, I love the company of people who were annoyed with me."