The Albanian Promise (Croesus #4)

Chapter 8

I needed a ticket to Albania, a house that will accommodate me while I was there and I have to make sure that my parents knew nothing about this. They have been hinting at me that I needed to find a bride now.

Well, except my choice of bride was a thousand miles away from me and I wanted to make sure that she will never run away again.

"Okay, you got this, Danny. You can tell them," I said as I was standing in front of their mansion in San Francisco. I know that my dad was still the CEO of the company as he would fly in and out of Seattle like it was driving from Seattle to Portland, except it was with a plane.

I went inside the house as I did not tell my parents that I was visiting them today. I have moved out of the house since I was able to be financially stable and I don't think I wanted to come here and live here again.

I walked toward the sound of laughter in the painting room. Even they have a painting room to spend some time after dinner. I mean, was this the 16th century, for god's sake?!

I opened the door and three pairs were looking at me. Two of them I recognized, blue eyes that were the same as mine, but the one with grey orbs were much different.

I don't remember I ever met someone like him before.

"Sorry, I thought you were not with the guests. I will come back later," I said as I was about to leave. Then, there was someone coming inside the painting room. A female as the one with grey orbs was male. His wife maybe?

"Oh, sorry, sir. I did not see you there," her sweet voice was coming into my eardrum as I looked into her peculiar gaze. It was violet and I think I had never seen anything like it before.

"Danny, meet Lucca Giovanni and his wife, Laura Giovanni. I'm sure you heard of them," my mother said as she went to my side. Giovanni from the Giovanni Empire, one of the largest empires in Europe and was about to open their franchise here in the States. They were known for grand casinos and hotels.

"A pleasure to meet you, sir, ma'am," I said as I kissed his wife's hand before Lucca was standing next to his wife. I shook his hand.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Danny. Your parents tell a lot of things about you," he said as he was looking at me under his slate orbs. It was unnerving.

"Well, I hope good things," I said as I was trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, we should get going then. I hope you will consider my offer. Sir, ma'am. Danny," Lucca said before a maid showed them out. Lucca was putting his hand on his wife's lower back. A possessive move and a claim that he was the only one that can hold her like that. I yearned to do the same thing as him to my love.

"So, what brings you here, son? Unannounced at that as well. Have you gone mad?" My father asked me as he was sipping on his tea. I rolled my eyes at their irk when I was lacking in manners. Not that it mattered to me now.

"I've come here to say something important," I said as I was looking at them. My mother has taken her abandoned seat before they both turned at me.

"What is it, son?" My father asked me uninterested like he always did. I straightened my back as I was hoping it will help me to be able to say my decision to them.

"I will be working in Europe for now on," I said as my father jolted in his tea. He put the cup immediately before he dabbed his mouth. My mother looked after him as if he was about to die.

"What do you mean you will be working in Europe? Have you gone mad?" My father said as he was looking furiously at me. I tried to resist rolling my eyes at him. It was not going well by the looks of it.

"I have been accepted by a company to work with them. If you wanted me to take over the company someday, I will have to gain some experience out of our own company, don't you think? I have to gain more knowledge from others so that it will be beneficial to our own," I said as I was looking at my dad. His face was as red as a tomato now.

"I did not send you to our company in the lowest field that you can ever be so that you will learn how it feels to be a worker at our company," he said. I nodded before I interrupted him.

"Exactly, I know that our management was immaculate but they were not happy. I was not happy to do just coding and programming every day. I need to live, dad and I think by being in Europe..."

"You will find that once you will be our CEO. Yeah, like that will help you gain more experience," he spat at me. I was at my lowest patience right now. I think I might burst this minute.

"Mum?" I asked my mum as she was listening to the whole conversation right now. I know once I turned to my mother, her words will be absolute because my father was so in love with her that he would do anything for her.

"Well, listening to your chattering with your father was always wonderful, dear. But I must say, our son's right. Let him experience the world. He is only 26 years old. He's young. He needs to learn more to gain knowledge before he settled down and took over the company," my mother said as she was sipping on her tea.

"But..."

"No buts, honey. Let him be. He will come back as he did right now. He will never abandon us," my mum said as she winked at me. I smiled at her because she always knew what was best for me. My father scowled at me before sighing.

"Fine, you may go but only for one year. After that, you will return to the States like it or not as you need to settle down,"

"Oh, I will settle down. I will make sure that we were married in Albania before the year is up," I said as I went to leave them be.

"We? Who's we, Danny? Danny? Danial?!" My father called after me but I was running outside to my car before I sped off to the airport. I was smiling as I will finally take what was rightfully mine.

And her name was Flora Kent, or Clover at this time.