The King Killer | Mafia dark romance | ✔️

34. The Unanswered, Why

Antonio

Valentina's eyes stalked me as I moved closer to her. Her face carried a thousand different expressions but scared wasn't one of them.

A brave woman indeed.

Lending my hand, I waited. Her apprehension was clear. A man who almost choked her to death, now planned a surprise for her. She was only playing cautious.

"I won't bite," I said on my approach, taking her fallen hand. Her narrowed eyes watched me like a hawk. "Unless that's what you want."

Val tensed under my hold for a while. With her shoulders dropping and her smile reappearing, she relaxed and walked as I pulled the chair for her. A mannered woman that she was, her phone was placed face down on the table, while her face rested on her intertwined fingers.

"What is all this?" her hand waved to the starry lights and the round table setting.

"An apology for the way I treated you."

Her half smile grew deeper. She nodded at me as I sank into my chair, opposite to hers. Soft music flowed from a quartet which remained stationed in the background. A musician herself, Val watched the coordination of the violinist as they liven the surrounding with their performance. The crisp air was refreshing, it carried mist from the fountain.

"This is really beautiful."

Sliding her gaze off the musician, she addressed me. Her smile was a genuine one and her eyes were misty.

As much as I wanted to assume it was the air and the fountain's doing, I knew the truth. Knot inside my stomach and pang inside my heart grew with every passing second.

Looking away, I felt her warm hand over mine. She intertwined her fingers with mine.

I swallowed the sourness rising in my mouth. This wasn't how I assumed the night to pass. It wasn't even in the worst of my imaginations that I wanted this for us.

Valentina and I would always remain unfinished. An untold story.

The chef announced his preparation as he placed his creation on the table. The smell wafted into my nose, watering my mouth.

Val straightened her back as she laid the napkin over her lap. Her hand directed the rising aroma from the steaming food towards her. With her eyes closing softly, fluttering eyelids and her bobbing throat indicated her likeness for the food.

"Smells divine," she turned to the chef who was beaming with joy at her reaction.

He bowed gently, before retiring back behind the door he emerged from.

A man in white, walked out with wine in his hand covered under a white cloth. One hand behind his back, he served both of us without any eye contact before following his chef's path into the kitchen.

I turned to Valentina who watched her food carefully as if she was taking a mental picture of her plating.

"Shall we?" I forwarded her the condiments.

She carved a knife into the buttery meat, squirting the juices in the plate. Taking a big bite, she leaned back on the chair as the soft morsel melted in her mouth.

With eyes jerked opened, Valentina grabbed the round bottles of condiments. She smiled at herself as she tapped seasoning over her food.

"Thank god the chef didn't see me salting his food."

After a generous splash of salt and pepper, she dug in again, repeating the process. This time, her eyes remained shut for longer. It was a soft hum she emitted while her jaws worked.