Luca stood there, hidden in the shadows of those winding steps where Vincenzo and Lawyer Hong stood. He had followed his new boss to Korea separately against his orders but it was not Luca fault that he cared more about his boss’s life than boss himself did for his own life. His new boss didn’t seem to understand how his leftover enemies here in Korea and his new international ones might try to take revenge on him. He was the Cassano family boss now after all, much more important than his previous designation.
But now, as Luca saw his boss talking with Miss Hong, he understood why he would risk everything to be with her today. Their smile on seeing each other was simply precious. The tension his boss was carrying on his shoulders for the whole last year, seemed to vanish into thin air like magic!
Now standing here, hiding on these steps, he didn’t want to overhear their conversation, but their voices seemed to travel in the quiet cold air they were standing in. So Luca heard his boss tell Ms. Hong about their new family island and the villa. Then when he heard his boss casually mention that he has also kept a room for her there, Luca unwittingly smiled at the colossal understatement of that sentence as he was reminded of one particular incident one year ago.
Because it was because of that incident he had finally understood why his boss was constantly wearing a gloomy face when he thought no one was looking at him. He had thought that it was because of the sordid business of Paulo and how they had to shift bases but that day he finally understood the real reason for his boss’s depressed look.
It happened one year ago when they were decorating the newly remodeled Cassano villa on their island and seeing how the interiors of one particular room was finally taking shape. Luca still remembers his own happy smile back then when he finally realised that the answer to his long time unanswered question was right in front of him at last.
Luca had always been loyal to the Cassano family, he was true blue Italian mafia after all… But he had also always disliked Paulo, his previous boss, not only for his incompetence but for the arrogant disregard for their then consigliere, Vincenzo. What he always wanted deep in his heart was for their Consigliere to lead their family instead of Paulo and when he had learnt that Paulo had attacked Consigliere, he knew that his dream would come true soon.
So when Consigliere was finally back in Italy and decided to finish their main businesses there in a swift manner and shift their base to the newly purchased island near Malta, Luca was glad that he had bet on the right person. His consigliere was a just boss if not anything else, he knew how to keep their large Cassano family safe and united.
So, when Vincenzo started remodeling the old but well maintained villa in the island, he knew how the rooms would look after it was completed, at least Luca had thought so. In mafia families the size of the room designated their position in the family which in turn was like an organization on its own. So the bigger your room, the bigger your position in the organization. So naturally the biggest room would be the boss’s, followed by order of control.
But in this newly remodeled Cassano villa, there were 2 big rooms of the same size. Luca was afraid that his new boss was going to forgive Paulo and bring him to this family again. Luca was to an extent quite free with Vincenzo before, but now that he is the boss finally, he knew he can’t enjoy the same freedom with his boss, even if his boss was like a brother to him. So after much deliberations with himself, Luca finally mustered enough courage to raise this question to Vincenzo as they were overseeing the landscaping designs outside the villa.
Luca : Boss, I may be overstepping but since I love you more than anyone in this family, I must caution you against bringing Paulo back into the family.
Vincenzo gave a quizzing look.
Luca continued : Boss you don’t know how vicious he had been when you were not there. I must confess that there are times I seriously wanted to end his life for badmouthing you. But I had resisted the urge because I knew you would have to rush to Italy from Korea to handle the consequences of my actions.
Vincenzo smiled at his friend’s loyalty. He had no doubt that Luca would have really killed his previous boss, Paulo for Vincenzo’s sake. Luca had always been more of a brother to him than Paulo had ever been. But Vincenzo didn’t understand that why Luca was out of the blue going on and on about Paulo suddenly.
He thought that Luca would have known that Paulo had already become 1 + 1 wine of the Serrano family by now. For all the atrocities Paulo had done in his lifetime, the only thing that was preventing this fate earlier was his surname but ever since the word came that he had fallen out with Vincenzo and the Cassano family and was on interpol’s list, people were fighting for making him do the only good thing he would do in this lifetime, be a cheap fertilizer for some of their grape vines!
So Vincenzo stood there, running his nimble fingers on his well defined chin and looked at Luca in a way that meant he better explain what he was going on about and stop wasting his time.
Luca was a smart man and got the hint at once. He simply pointed to the villa and said, “Isn’t the other room for Paulo?”
That’s when Vincenzo realized what this whole one sided conversation was all about! He smiled mischievously and said, “Paulo didn’t even deserve a coffin for all his misdeeds, why would I give him a room?”
Luca had always wondered what had happened to his previous boss who was on the run from Interpol but hearing the way his new boss spoke, he was now sure of the rumors he heard from Italy about the Serrano family’s bad tasting wine this season. Paulo had been truly evil and with him attacking the women folk all around their area for his insatiable lust, he knew one day soon he will turn into sour grapes… literally.
But this news confused Luca further than actually giving him an answer to his confusion. Because if the second room is not for Paulo, then whom was it for?
But Luca knew better than to keep on questioning his boss. If it was not for Paulo, then he, Luca had no reason to ask Vincenzo for whom he was planning to give that room to. Luca was after all just a employee of their family, so he just nodded his head indicating that his question was answered.
But Vincenzo knew Luca was resisting his urge and was still quite curious about the new owner of the second room. So as he turned to leave continuing with his mischievous smile which gleamed brightly in his dark black eyes, he slightly said, “Luca, your questions will be answered when you see the finished room for yourself.”
And then one day evening, after weeks of decoration, when he finally got a call from the contractors that the house was fully ready and had asked him whether he could bring the boss to see whether everything was upto his liking, Luca was really happy.
Luca had over seen most of the rooms decorations, except of the 2 big rooms on the topmost level of their 4 level grand villa. But he had heard from the workers that boss was unhappy with the previous decorators that he had given the whole contract to a new group who had flown special designers from different countries for decorating the top level rooms.
Luca always knew his boss had a great sense of style but seeing him indulging so much of his precious time to oversee the room decorations was kind of out of character and had only deepened his curiosity about the future occupant of that room.
So that day, when the boss graciously invited him along to check the top level, he was overjoyed. One of the two rooms was the boss’s room. It clearly had a masculine touch with dark blue with dark teak and mahogany undertones. But there seemed to be many empty places like they were expecting more things to come and fill it. He wondered that if the room wasn’t fully done and things were yet to come, why the decorators had called the boss for the final look. But what puzzled him more was that boss has given an approving look to the whole setting as if everything was as per his wishes.
Luca then moved out of the room and decided to leave the boss to discuss with them. But after some time when he heard the boss’s voice from the second big room, he was totally confused… He was standing outside the 1st room and didn’t see his boss leave the room at all!
But when Luca finally stood in the entrance of the second room, he suddenly understood everything, like he was struck by lightening of enlightenment! The enlightenment was of the fact that his boss was everything his previous boss wasn’t, a true loyal romantic at heart!
The beautiful interiors were a mix of European and Asian elements, with particular focus on Korean sensibilities. The room clearly exuded a feminine aura but not dainty as people would generally associate a lady’s room with, no this room was of a totally different class and style.
There was huge book shelf with 2 or 3 books on one side, looking as if boss was planning to personally fill it with books someone special would like to read. Near it was a large rosewood office table and chair, neatly arranged near a huge window so that it would be never short of reading light.
Luca smiled when he finally understood for whom that room was for and the reason for his boss’s despondent looks till then…Love.
From inside, Vincenzo was carefully looking at his right hand man’s face to see whether his questions were finally answered or not and the enlightened smile on Luca face finally gave Vincenzo his answer. He smiled in return and asked him to come inside and with a little hesitation, Luca followed.
Vincenzo looked at Luca as if to ask what he thought of his taste. Luca smiled appreciatively and replied, “ Madam would love it. The room looks exquisite.”
Vincenzo smiled. He was happy that Luca thought his lady would like it because for all his confidence, to say the truth, Vincenzo was a little afraid thinking that she might not like it when she would finally see her room. Since he didn’t know how long it may take for the actual owner to check her room out, he was happy that it was approved by someone who has met her besides himself here. That was the reason he wanted to show this room to Luca, he might know whether Lawyer Hong would like it or not.
Seeing how Luca was looking around the room appreciatively, Vincenzo started telling him how he bought different things from different countries. His boss was excitedly showing off things that Luca was highly amused at this new lovestruck version of his usual non nonsense straight faced boss.
He noticed that among all the fancy and beautiful things in the room, safety seemed to be an extra point of concern. Every door including the Internal connecting door through which his boss had earlier appeared too had high security number locking system, a somber remainder of the nature of their job…
The room was like a reinforced fortress in an already powerful fort. He was sure there was a safe room hidden somewhere too. Luca smiled gently hoping his boss’s lady would realize his boss’s love for her not only in pretty things she sees her, but also in these hidden gestures which imply how precious her safety is to him…
Now back in the present, he hoped that Miss Hong would get to see her room real soon and appreciate his boss’s efforts that went into decorating it.
But what he heard next, overwhelmed him… Till now he had thought that his boss had already confessed his love to her but hearing how Miss Hong didn’t believe that he had been always thinking of her, made Luca realize how much his boss loved her, for he made all those efforts on that room without even making a confession of his love to her… His respect for his boss just increased many fold…
So thankfully, when he saw what his boss did and said next, Luca was glad he disobeyed his boss’s orders and came there today. He finally saw his boss getting his lost happiness back because Luca realized, she was his true happiness. He blessed them both in his heart and turned his eyes away, giving them the privacy they deserve and prayed to God to unite these beautiful hearted people real soon.