Meanwhile (Hayley and Donato)
POV: Hayley
It has been some hours since we reached the mansion. Donato didn't say a word on our way back, he didn't say anything during dinner and he didn't say anything after it. He just went back to his room without uttering a word.
Anyone might think that I am weirded out or a little affected by that man grabbing me like that but I truly am not. In that particular moment, call me crazy but I didn't feel any fear. Maybe because I have faced life threats before or maybe because Donato was right in front of me.
I do not know honestly. I went back to my room soon after Donato left the dining. It was now almost 1:40 am. I couldn't sleep. I even tried calling Jewel to pass time but she just didn't pick up. I guess Hunter is indeed keeping her busy.
I decided to go to the garden for a walk. When I got downstairs, I saw his study's light on. I knew he was not sleeping, he looked so tense and pissed. I hate my mind for the thought but now I wanted to go talk to him, for some reason.
I mean...what better way to pass time than to talk with an angry person? I went to his study and didn't bother to knock. I opened the door and stood there, watching as he kept shouting on his phone. I didn't understand a word as he spoke in his language.
I just waited for his call to end and sat down near the table. He finally put his phone down, more like smacked it on the table. "Nice way to put it down."
"Get out." He said, scratching his head while looking through some pages. I stood up and took a look at the sheets. They were profiles, profiles of two people.
"This one is dead, Santiago right?" He nodded a yes in response. "Who is this other man?"
"Get out, Hayley. I don't have time to explain shit right now."
"Can you put the ego aside and just say what it is?"
"It's not about fucking ego! A million-dollar shipment is stolen. One of my ex-gang members tried to kill one of my people and there is another one still roaming free."
"Donato, shouting won't help right now."
"Fucking please!" He shouted again and slid off a small table lamp from the table. It broke into pieces and he sat down on his chair.
"Who is this other guy?" I asked again, more calmly this time. He let out a sigh and passed me another file.
"His name is Dario. He used to be my left hand, Hunter's partner."
"And why did you kick him out?" He eye-rolled and turned his back to me, typing away on his phone.
"Because he tried to shoot me." I looked up at him with a little shock.
"Why?"
"Too many questions."
"Just answer."
"I slept with the girl he wanted to date."
POV: Donato
And there it was. That awkward feeling in me. I didn't want to tell her that. Now she will be disgusted in me.
"Great." She gave a big sarcastic smile and put the file down. "What else did you do?" She said, scoffing.
"Shut up. I didn't know he wanted to date her, and she slept with me too." She eye-rolled and sat down beside me.
"Then?"
"Then nothing else, Hayley. He tried to kill me, I threw him out."
"What to do now?"
"That is not for you to know and talk about." I eye-rolled and she stood up, walking closer to me. She put a paper on the table.
"Found this in that man's pocket. I don't understand this." I took the note and read through it.
"Fuck-" I put the note away and started typing to more of my gang officials.
"What does it mean?"
"They took help from some other guy."
"What guy?"
"I don't fucking know, Hayley!" I eye-rolled and he started shouting on his phone again. Yeah, I'm sleepy now. I got up and went out of the room and back to my room.
I closed the balcony door and laid down on the bed. I thought I wasn't tired but I fell asleep moments after laying down.
POV: Donato
I finished up the calls and went back to my room. It was already 3 am when I finally laid down. My men are trying to find more clues and Dario's whereabouts. Who was the man who helped Santiago and Dario? I guess I'll find out in the morning.
I woke up as the maid knocked on the door, trying to get me out for breakfast. I guess it's 9 am already. I got up and showered then went downstairs, checking my phone every minute. I still got nothing new about the matter.
I sat down for breakfast and waited for Ezio. It's been days since Ezio and I talked like family. The only time we talked was last night when I told him about the incident and to get more security arranged for the warehouses.
Why is my life all fucked up! The maid started serving the food when Ezio came down and sat right in front of me. "Buongiorno(goodmorning), Zio."
"Buongiorno." He said and started eating.
"I need you in the study after breakfast." I knew he won't even talk if it wasn't for work, so be it. He nodded and ate his food. I ate mine and finished before him then went to the study. Where is that woman now? Hayley. She is always here when I don't have any use of her and now when I do have work for her, she is gone.
I took out my phone and called her.
POV: Hayley
No matter what anyone says but Donato Armani has the best gym I have ever seen. I got up and wanted to use the gym, to clear my mind for the day. To make it even better, the gym was empty. I had everything to myself. I worked out for almost an hour when my phone started to ring. It was Donato.
I picked it up. "Hel-"
"Come to the Study, now." He said, cutting me off and cut the phone. Culo(ass). I put on my black tank top and went to his study.
The door was wide open which was unusual. I went into the room and heard Donato and Ezio arguing.
"It was a mistake to keep Hayley here!! Why don't you see that ever since she came, we have had anything but peace!" Ezio shouted at him. Wow- here too, I am the problem. I scoffed and turned around to walk away. I didn't want to be here if they are arguing about me now.
"Ezio, remind me the last time we had peace in this mafia life? Don't use personal issues to support ridiculous statements." Donato replied harshly to him, yet calmly. I still stood at the door. "And Hayley, do not eavesdrop again." He said and I walked in and stood beside Ezio.
"I didn't eavesdrop. The words came to me." I eye-rolled and scoffed. "What happened?"
"I want you to go to this cyber guy and get this number identified." I took a chit from him and nodded.
"Where is this guy now?"
"The address is on the back of that chit." I nodded and went to the door. "And meet me at the warehouse when you get it." I nodded a yes and went out of the room.
POV: Donato
I left the house around 1:45 pm and got to the warehouse in an hour. I got extra security for this particular warehouse, so there was a lot of commotion here. Men were shifting the shipments and were taking them away. I ordered them to be shifted as this location was known by outsiders.
I just sat there, as the men shifted the shipments of drugs, arms, and money, making a record of everything myself. I gave Hayley a number. My men found Dario around 5 today, killed him on sight as he tried to flee. They found this unknown number on his phone.
I just hope the cyber guy gets the exact location and the owner of this number. It was almost 4 pm when a car pulled up at the warehouse. I got out and watched as Hayley got out of the car and walked towards me.
"Here's the number and the identity." She said and handed me the chit.
"Find me this guy then. You're an assassin, you should be able to."
"I would, Donato but I can't. I'm new in the city, I don't know the areas very well. Any other task?" I nodded a no and put the chit in the back pocket of my jeans.
"Not for now." I said, typing away on the phone. "You can stay here and interact with some members or just go?"
"I'll just go then." She said and turned around to walk away.
"Did the guy say anything in particular about this, Hayley?"
"He just said that this number has been called the least and the conversations on it only lasted 2 minutes max." I nodded in understanding and she turned around and sat in the car.
She drove off and I went back into the warehouse. I opened the chit when I was left alone in my cabin. It read the following:-
"Number originated in:- Madrid, Spain. Username registered:- X Perez. The total number of calls to the subject (Dario):- 7." Who is X Perez now? And how did Dario get a number from Madrid?
Now how do I find out who this Perez is?! And that too from Spain-wait a minute. Just when I started getting confused, I realized that in Hayley's document, from what I understood, she mentioned being raised by a Spanish gang.
What if she can tell who this Perez is? I got up and rushed to my car, sat in, and drove off to the mansion. When I got there, the hall was awkwardly quiet. The maid and other house help staff didn't utter a word, unlike the usual scenario.
Everyone had an awkward expression on their face. What happened here now? I walked towards the cook and stood in front of her.
"What happened here?"
"Boss-we tried to stop Ms. Coleman-"
"What about her? Where is she?"
"In her room." I nodded and she continued. "She came back here and sat down on the table, was eating and-"
"And what? Speak normally."
"And Sir Ezio came in and saw her. He started taunting her and first said that people here just always take the luxury and cause trouble. Then she replied saying that people just can't keep their thoughts to themselves and they started to argue. At last, Sir Ezio called her a desperate whore and gold digger for still being here then left the mansion in anger and-"
"No one discusses this again." I said, cutting her off. What has gotten into Ezio? He never speaks to anyone like that and he has never used slurs for a woman, and now suddenly he is all changed. I went to her room and knocked on the door.
"Open."
"For what now? What do you need?" She spoke back. I eye-rolled and opened the door with the key. Yes, I keep a key for her room and for everyone's room. "Really? First Ezio and now you."
"What did I do?"
"Keeping a key to someone's else room without telling them? Real nice." She said and went to the balcony. I went after her and stood behind her.
"Don't mind Ezio."
"I was talking to you."
"Can you shut up and just listen?" She glared at me and scoffed. "Don't take his words seriously, He is just being abnormal."
"What is he going through? Menopause?" She scoffed and looked away.
"Hayley-"
"No, what is his problem? I understood he didn't like my presence but please forgive me, I ain't tolerating the gold digger tag." She was lashing out. At this point, I didn't know what to say. So I just let her keep going.
"I don't need anyone's money. I can make myself a good fortune." She scoffed and grabbed her head with her hands.
"You seem to be minding things I didn't think you would." I said and stood beside her.
"Yes Donato, I am taking this seriously and I can't fucking help it. Why just always a label!? Do you even know the type of labels me or any other woman is associated with? I get called a whore for just having a sexual relationship, a motherfucker for killing like that is my fucking job! And now a gold digger."
"What exactly or who exactly are you angry on?"
"Everyone!" She shouted. What is going on?! I have never seen anyone this moody and impulsive. I pulled her by the hand and made her sit on the bed.
"Hayley, I don't have time for this. You have dealt with slurs before, you can do it now too. Fuck Ezio, that old man gets irritated on small things." I said and sat down beside her. "And deal with the anger, I don't understand why are you overreacting this much."
POV: Hayley
It's true, I was fuming with anger. I never usually take things like that seriously but today I can't help it. Fuck, even my head hurts now. I laid down and looked at the ceiling. "Fine. I guess I overreacted." He nodded and looked at me.
"Come to my room after dinner, I want some help."
"Help with what?" I sat up and looked at him.
"Nothing like what you are thinking, Amore." He said and stood up and I immediately got the thought. Fuck I need to stop thinking. He went out of the room. I got up and went to the bathroom for a shower.
Now I understand why I was so angry. It's the uterus saying hey bitch, let me cut out the walls. If I could change one thing about myself, I would change my body and get this blood bag out. Now my thighs will hurt and the back pain.
I finished up the shower and wore a pair of black sweat pants and a crop top. I am running out of supplies, I really need to get them tomorrow. I went downstairs for dinner. My stomach was hurting real bad. I find it funny how I can endure any wound but these periods kill me.
I sat down at the table and waited for everyone to come down as the maid served the food. The dinner went by quickly, no one spoke anything. Ezio didn't even look me in the eye even though I kept my gaze on him.
I got up after dinner and went to Donato's room and knocked. "In." He replied and I went into the room. Fuck! I hate hormones. He was in his sweat pants, sitting on the bed. It seemed like he just came out of the shower.
"What do you umm...need help with?" I knew I bit my lip. I mean who wouldn't with a view like that. Fuck-stop!
"I need help with identifica-" He looked up at me and smirked softly. It broke me out of my thoughts that ran wild at the back of my head. He walked closer to me. As he reached closer, I moved back, eventually hitting the coffee table. "You are distracted, Hayley."
"What?" I said in response and realized after that, what he actually said. He put his fingers on my left cheek and caressed it slowly.
"What is it?" He smirked again and leaned in closer.
"Nothing." I bit my lip again, harder.
"For sure, Amore?" I gulped a little. He grabbed my neck firmly and kissed around the edge of my lips. I tilted my head to the side and pulled him close by grabbing the back of his neck, and kissed him back.
He slowed the kiss and pulled me closer by grabbing my waist. I rested my palms on his cheeks and kept returning the kiss. He picked me up suddenly and made me wrap my legs around his waist. I kept his mouth fixed on mine, continuing the kiss.
I felt his hand travel down to my abdomen and I smacked it off and pulled away. "I can't-" He put me down and looked into my eyes.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm on my periods." He looked at me with wide eyes and nodded slightly. Then walked off to the bed and wore his boxers. Just that! Damn you, Donato. "What did you want my help with tho?"
"You were raised in Spain right?" I nodded a yes. He handed me the same chit and continued. "There is a name here. The number originated in Madrid. I want you to tell me if you recognize this name."
"How do you know that I will recognize this?"
"You were raised in a Spanish gang. Dario was in connection with one. I think you can, maybe." I nodded and opened the chit.
X Perez...who is th-fuck! No not him! I stared at the name as my eyes started to tear up. I was feeling that panic.
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End of chapter 21. Don't skip the upcoming chapter, so many things are to be revealed and I smell trouble coming this way👀
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT ONE, MWAH. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE.