The Arrangement: It Led Me To Love

Chapter 36 - Ellison's POV

Everything has fallen into a disarrayed mess.

There may be one person from my past that can help me though... My father's old friend who practically raised my cousins and I. I am not sure how happy he will be to see me, since the last time I saw him I bailed on him, but if there is anyone I can trust from my past it is him. I call a car to come and pick my bodyguard and me up, and then we begin the long journey to the mans house. I hope that Laurene has arranged for someone from the house to pick her up as well, but when her bodyguard texts me to tell me she is still out it makes my heart sink. She must be truly mad to take such extreme measures to stay away from me.

When the car pulls up outside the pastoral mansion, I can only hope that it is still inhabited by Markos and Odolette. I press the button to buzz through to the house, and am thankful to hear Odolette's sweet voice over the phone. She sounds older and tired, which makes me feel bad for neglecting to keep in contact with them. Luckily, she sounds happy (but very surprised) to hear from me and directs me in. The iron gates leisurely open, letting my car through.

Ivy and ferns have grown through the crevices of the old winding stone path, which leads directly to the colossal structure. The mansion looms proudly behind creaky iron gates, flanked by rows of skeletal trees crowned in crimson, swaying gently to the gentle summer's breeze. At its threshold stands the delicate marble fountain, the soft gurgling of the clear water melodic as it resonates in the surrounding peacefulness. The sheep, cows and horses that accompany the surrounding fields offer a sense of home and make me feel closer to the surrounding nature.

I have just gotten out of the car, and as I ascend the cracked stone steps, the door flies open, and Odolette stands there with a motherly grin on her face. Her soft skin has aged and wrinkled within the past five years that I have not seen her, and her eyes have become sullener. They still hold a dazzling ingenuous twinkle though, that entranced me so much as a child. Her hair that she so tirelessly routinely dyed brown has been left to fade into a shining silvery – grey, and is scooped into a loose bun at the back of her head. She always seemed so perfect when she was younger – not a hair out of place – but now wisps of her hair have left her bun and dangle in her face, and her outfit, once pristine, has been chucked together, the colour predominantly black and unflattering to her figure. She now has glasses that cover her tired eyes, attached to a pearl chain clasped around her neck. Her lips have thinned into a stretch of pink skin hiding her white teeth. Sadness overwhelms me as I realise that she has certainly gone down hill since I last saw her.

"Ellison! I could not believe it when I heard your voice! I thought my mind was playing tricks on me!" She exclaims, throwing her arms around me.

"It's great to see you Odolette. I am sorry that it has been so long. I've been busy out in the states." I tell her sheepishly.

"It's fine! I know you are busy. Did your father tell you the news then? Is that why you are here?" Odette asks, her face falling in what looks like deep grief.

"No... What news? Is Markos here? I need to talk to him about something." I ask her politely.

Sadness encases her features again as she looks me in the eye and tells me: "Ellison. Markos is dead." In a small voice.

"What?" I exclaim, as realisation dawns on me like a tonne of bricks.

"He? I... No!" I stutter.

Odolette takes my hand and gently coaxes me into the house, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. My mind feels numb. The grief comes in waves and threatens to consume me entirely. It is my master, for now. I am at the mercy of its whims. My eyes prick with tears as I let a few fall from the casket before nailing my emotions down again. I will never again hear his thundering laugh, see his swaying stride or taste his famous hazelnut hot chocolate. He is gone: now a number on a spreadsheet, a name on paper and a lifeless body buried deep underground.

"When did he pass?" I ask Odolette timidly. No wonder she looks so awful; she lost her husband. He could only have been fifty-nine at the most, as he is eight years older then my dad.

"A couple of months back." She replies, rubbing the stray tears out of her eyes.

"I see." I do not want to push for details, so as to not make this any harder for Odolette. I am also scared about what could have been the cause – was it natural? On the other hand, could he have been murdered?

"Would you like a drink Ellison?" Odolette enquires.

"Yes, can I just have some water please?" I mutter. I was very surprised to see that Odolette got up and went to the kitchen to make the drink herself; where are her maids?

I look around the lounge in the time that she has gone, and am surprised to see that it looks a little unkempt. The curtains are not tied back properly, and there is a gathering of dust on the coffee table beside me. Books are strewn around the room, some opened, some closed, some marked in the corners, others new and others well loved.

"Sorry it is quite messy. I have let go of most of my staff. The cleaner comes in once every two weeks now. I did not mean to become a boring excuse of a person, locked away in her house all of the time; I just do not see the point of going out any more. The shepherd tends to the flock and cattle, and all of my friends are either too busy or dead." Odolette says as she comes back into the room, as if she could read my thoughts.

"Don't be silly it's fine. Are you sure you are ok though? Living here on your own?" I ask doubtfully.

"Yes I am fine. Anyway, I will not be alone for much longer. I do not know if you remember my younger sister, but she actually has a son who is getting married, and he is going to come and live here with me with his wife, and have the house when I pass. Since I've got no children of my own, I am giving more or less everything to him." She explains with a weak smile.

"I see. Well I am very pleased for him. I think I met him once or twice when I was younger." I recall, reminiscing back to my bright childhood here in Greece.

"Yes you did. You got on well, and I remember he used to have a crush on your cousin Celena." She giggles, her eyes going glassy as she recollects the past.

"Oh yes! And Adrian threatened to beat him up if he touched her." I laughed along with her.

"How are they all?" She queries.

I go onto explain everyone's wellbeing and my time in America. I stay away from the subject of Laurene, as I am trying to keep my mind off her right now. I also tell Odolette about my accident briefly, but I do not go into details about my worries of the cause, as she will get upset. After being there for about half an hour, we say our goodbyes. I give her a warm hug and promise to keep in touch once I get back to the states.

Once in my car, I reflect on my times with Markos when I was younger, and am not afraid to admit that I shed a few more tears. Markos is one of the only people that truly cared for me when I was young, outside of my family. Even though I have not seen him in a while, I am still hurt by the loss. He also knew more then most about the mafia, and would have offered sound advice. I need to get information on them to figure out what I need to do to get rid of them, but without him I only have two other options on scooping out information.

I could hire a private investigator, but then I run the risk of being found out by them and making the situation worse. On the other hand, I could talk to someone who I really do not want to talk to. I have no idea whether he is still involved with the mafia or not – if he is, then I will be in much more danger, as they will know I am on to them, but if he isn't... Then there is a chance that I can trust him and he may be able to find out who runs the whole operation for me.

Thank goodness we are going back to America tomorrow; Laurene and I will be a lot safer there.

Yay! Another chapter! Please comment and vote guys, it means the world!

xoxo

Edited