"Come in." I turned to the door when I heard someone knocking. An elderly woman entered the room. She couldn't be more than seventy five.
"I'm sorry. I thought you were asleep. Mr. Moretti told me to wake you up and prepare you for the evening." She said with a warm smile.
"I don't need help, but thank you." I smiled, but immediately my smile dropped. She looked sad like I had killed her dog. "You know what? You could help me with my hair." I suggested and her eyes lit up.
"Of course." She walked over to me while I was putting on a lipstick. "What can I do for you?" She smiled.
"Gentle waves would be fine." I answered her. She took a hair straightener and began. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"How long have you been working here?"
"It'll be some Friday." She laughed. "I raised an old Mr. Moretti. Also young Mr. Moretti, but the two of them are very different."
"You raised Francesco?" I raised an eyebrow. She nodded.
"He was the sweetest and nicest kid I've ever had."
"And what happened, he's a complete di.." I didn't finish the sentence.
"He got to high school." She exhaled hard. "Falling in love is a hard thing."
"So some girl broke his heart?" I raised an eyebrow.
It's unimaginably hard for me to even think about Francesco in a relationship. In a serious relationship.
"No. He broke her heart, and that changed him. He was young, in love, and mostly stupid."
"So he broke someone's heart and changed?" I asked.
"He was a really good boy." She said sadly. "Then I never saw him with a same girl again." In other words, he became an idiot.
I can imagine him exactly. The biggest bad boy in this hemisphere. Every night a different girl and party nonstop. I'm sure I'd date him if we met then. Although I didn't go to high school because my father wouldn't let me, so my mother had to teach me at home, but I often went to parties and enjoyed myself.
"But now he's different." She smiled. "He's interested." She winked at me in the reflection.
"Maybe about himself." I laughed.
"I am done." She smiled and stood up. She is really proud of her work.
"Thank you." I smiled.
After I found out I still had a lot of time, Margret and I were still talking. I got Francesco's embarrassing childhood stories from her. I also found out that he was the worst companion in camping. I will never go camping with him. I mean it. Dead serious.
We talked for a long time before we realized it was time to leave. I said goodbye and headed downstairs. I stopped on the steps when I heard a familiar voice.
"Ho bisogno che tu lo seppellisca ancora più in profondità di come l'hai trovato. Non lo saprà mai." (I need you to bury it even deeper than you found it. She will never know.) Francesco said seriously. What is he talking about?
I went a little lower to hear better, but before I heard anything more, they both turned to me.
Samuel looked at me with admiration and Francesco...Francesco looked at me like Francesco. No emotion.
I went downstairs and stopped next to them both.
"You look good." Samuel smiled at me.
"Well thank you." I smiled. "You're not going?" I raised an eyebrow.
He was wearing sweatpants and a black T-shirt.
"I'm off." He patted Francesco on the shoulder. "Enjoy your evening." He smiled and walked over to me. He put his hand on my hips and leaned to my cheek, giving me a quick kiss. "Make sure he doesn't do something stupid." He laughed.
I didn't know that me and Samuel were that close. I missed some chapters didn't I? I might have slept through them.
"Of course." I said quietly.
But I think we both know that it will be me who will do something.
"If you're done, a car is waiting for us." Francesco spoke in a harsh voice.
I gave Samuel one more look before Francesco and I walked to the car.
"He is right." He said as he opened the passenger door. "You do look good." I stopped.
"Did Francesco Moretti just give me a compliment?" I raised an eyebrow.
Oh my god, I know what's going on. I'm still asleep. I certainly haven't woken up yet.
Come on, Amira, it's time to get up!
"Shut up." He rolled his eyes, but I noticed a corner of his mouth moving a millimeter higher.
I had a smile on my face all the way. Francesco Moretti gave me a compliment. This is really not often seen. I thought he'd sleep with Dominic before giving me a compliment.
"Don't make a scene." He said before we stepped out of the car.
"All right." I smiled. "I'll do two for your pleasure." I opened the door and got out. I waited for him to get out of the car. "We can't go like this." I stopped him. "Not together." He looked at me confused. "If you want me to find out, they can't know I'm there with you. It would be suspicious."
He wants me to go listen to conversations about him. It is logical that they cannot see us together. They can put two and two together. But Francesco probably can't.
"I'll go after you." He turned on his heel and headed back to the car.
It would probably kill him, give me a compliment and say good job at one evening. But what else can you expect from a guy?
One would think that it would be difficult to get to such an event, but it is quite the opposite. I'm sure one of the security guards thought I was a hooker, but they let me in, so it's okay.
The first thing I did was find a bar. There were quite a few people around who already had something in them. Women danced on the men's crotches, and they stripped them off with their eyes.
"Look who came." I heard a voice I really didn't want to meet here.
"Vincent." I turned to him.
"Thea. We haven't seen each other in a long time." He stepped closer. "The last time you disappeared."
"You left me there." I was defending myself. "I told you I wouldn't wait for anyone." I squeezed the glass harder in my hand. This is not going to end well.
"Are you here with anyone?" He looked behind me and looked around.
The moment I wanted to say no, I noticed Francesco in the doorway. I caught his eyes on me across the room. He had a smile on his face until he noticed who was standing next to me. If the sight could kill, Vincent wouldn't be here anymore.
He was walking towards us, and I knew there would be problems. This would not end well.
"I'm alone. But you're going to have to excuse me right now." I said quickly and did not wait for an answer. I slipped past him, toward Francesco. When I was a meter away, I put my hand on his chest to stop him. "What do you think you're doing?" I frowned.
"Why did you talk to him?" He shifted his gaze to me.
"You told me to." I snorted. Is he serious? He wanted me to find out something.
"I told you to listen something from the French, not from ..."
"He's French, if you haven't noticed. And he's in the lead, so the best source." I said between my teeth. I already have my teeth full of him. Who does he think he is?
His jaw clenched and he shifted his gaze elsewhere. "Stick to your mission. I didn't take you here to get into someones pants." At that moment, my nerves broke. What he said was already across the line.
So my hand immediately shot to his cheek. "I'm not a hooker. And if you don't know yet, I'll put the job in front of everything." I know he'd love to kill me right now, but he can't. There are too many people looking at us because of my little scene. It may have been an exaggeration to slap him, but it happened. And all I can say is that it was the best feeling.
"The only reason I'm still..." he didn't finish. He stopped and wondered what to say. "Do you want someone to get in your pants?" He leaned to my ear. "I'll stop by tonight." I put my hands on his chest to push him away.
"Try it. Try to touch me and ..."
"And what?" He interrupted me. "What are you going to do? Slap me?" He snorted. "Concentrate now." He slipped around me.
I stood there frozen. He can't do that, can he? He can't just come and use me. Right?
*****
I have it.
I found out how they found out. Francesco has a rat in the house. The two French people were really drunk and talked about Friday. They laughed and slandered. Why do most guys act like women when they're drunk?
But I'm glad they did. Now I have the information and I can get out of this stupid action.
I haven't seen Francesco since our conversation that ended with me slapping his face. Vincent also disappeared somewhere. At first I was afraid that Francesco had killed him somewhere in the corner, but I hadn't found a corpse yet, so it's okay I think.
Even so, I don't understand what his problem was. He wanted me to find out, so I found out. I don't know what he has against Vincent. Maybe they have a common past or something. I really don't know.
I wanted to rinse my face when I was washing my hands, but it's probably a really bad idea, since I have makeup. I would look awful.
I came out of the toilets on the second floor completely exhausted. I really want to go back.
"And I thought I was dreaming." I heard a familiar male voice behind me and froze. It was a voice I never wanted to hear in my life ever again. I turned around to make sure it really was him.
"Aaron." I said quietly.
It can't be him. No. No, this isn't happening.
"I wasn't expecting you here." He took a step toward me, but I backed away. "You haven't changed." That psychopath smiled.
But he did. He used to have short brown hair and now it's longer and combed back. The scar that ran over his eye helped him make a rough image.
He looked like a decent guy in a black suit. The only thing wrong is that he's a psychopath.
"What do you want Aaron?" I tried to keep my breath under control. My heart wanted to jump out of my chest and run away from him as far as possible.
"I was invited. Like I said, I wasn't expecting you here, love."
"I have to go." I began to step back step by step. But when I turned around to leave, I had his hand on my wrist. Before I knew, I was pressed against him. He put both hands behind my back and I was helpless.
"Where are you hurrying so much?"
"To get as far away from you." I spat out. "Let me go." I told him, but he didn't listen. On the contrary, his grip on my hands intensified.
"That wasn't nice." He said with a hard look that frightened me. "Where's your shadow? I'd like to talk to Leonardo."
"Don't you dare say his name. You have no right to."
"And why is that?"
"You killed his mother. You don't deserve to say his name." I winced in an effort to free myself.
Oh god please help me to get out of here. Away from him.
"And you gave it back to me. Remember?" He pointed to his eye. "You made me remember you. Forever." His jaw clenched and there was anger in his eyes.
"Don't play the saint. Look at my back, that's your work. It's a memory." With every word that came out of my mouth, a memory came as well. Memories of how scars got on my back. One by one. His face while torturing me.
"And I'm proud of them." He grinned.
"You're a psychopath." I said in a shaky voice.
"And you almost married that psychopath." He put his hand on my cheek and ran his thumb over it. I jerked, but it didn't help. "And I thought I wouldn't enjoy it today. It was stupid to think something like that." He grinned. "What a coincidence to find you here after all that time. I have been looking for you sometimes."
"Am I interrupting?" I'd almost fainted when I heard his voice behind me. I didn't think I'd ever like to hear his voice.
Aaron's grip slackened and I broke away from him and took a few steps back. I turned to Francesco, who had emotion on his face for the first time. Concerns.
"We were in the middle of something. If you would give us a moment ..."
"I don't think so. Amira," he looked at me "we'll meet by the car." I took a few steps before I heard another ones. Aaron wanted to run after me, but Francesco stopped him. He picked a gun from behind his belt.
Where does he get a gun from? They searched everyone at the entrance.
"If you don't want a bullet in your head, I'd recommend you stay put. Amira, car." He repeated, and I probably made the worst decision. I left them there. I did what he told me. I went straight to the car and didn't stop.
"Keys." I whispered when I couldn't open the car door. He forgot to give me the keys. I exhaled hard and closed my eyes.
"You alright?" I turned quickly when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I exhaled when it was Francesco.
I nodded.
He grabbed my face and looked me straight in the eye. "With words."
"I'm okay." Except I want to cry. I really want to. If I stay here even a minute longer, I'll fall apart. "Please let's just go." I could feel the tears in my eyes. I don't want him to see me cry. That's the last thing I want him to see.
Without another word, he let go of my face and opened the car. I got in and closed the door. After a while, Francesco sat in the car next to me.
I would ask what he did to him, but it would end up with tears on my face. He would ask. He would ask about everything.
"Thank you." I whispered. I wanted to thank him, but I didn't want him to hear it. Now he knows I'm weak and where I am weak. He can put two and two together. He knows I'm afraid of Aaron. He doesn't know why, but he finds out. But despite that, he has now saved me.
I don't know if he heard it because he didn't say anything, but I don't mind it.
I know what I shouldn't do now. Call Leo. But that's exactly what I'll do when I'm alone. I need to hear him.
I couldn't take my eyes off her all evening. She looked beautiful.
When she didn't come back after a long time, I went to check on her. I found her with a guy. I thought they were hugging, but I noticed she was resisting.
When he finally released her, I looked into her eyes.
She was scared. Terrified even.
I don't know what kind of guy he is, but there's definitely nothing good when she's afraid of him. I thought she wasn't afraid of anything.
When I remembered I didn't give her the keys, I ran after her. She almost cried when I took her face in my hands. What did he do to her that he could bring her to such a state?
I didn't want to ask her. I could ask him, but he ended up unconscious. It is difficult to answer then.
"Thank you." She said really quietly. It was almost inaudible through the car's engine. I think she wanted me not to hear it. I didn't said anything.
I'm sure she held back tears. I never thought I would see her so vulnerable. If I touched her now, she would fall apart.
What did he do to you, principessa?
*****
Hope you enjoyed. <3