Another uneventful week had passed by in the blink of an eye - unless you could count Gianna watching me jerk off to her name as eventful. I had been mildly surprised to see her standing there with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, her gaze roaming from my sculpted torso to my cock. Call me vain but I loved to stay in shape and manage my diet. And based on her reaction that night, it seemed like she appreciated it as well. I hadn't been the least bit embarrassed by Gianna's little voyeuristic incident. In fact, it had quite the opposite effect on me - it turned me on like crazy. Unfortunately, she hadn't stayed back long enough for me to tell her that there was nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn't like she was seeing me naked for the first time. But she had run out of my room as if waiting even a second longer would burn her ashes. She could barely even look me in the eyes the following morning when she handed me the thick stack of papers that she had prepared for my case. Hence why this past week had been pretty boring.
Well, that was all about to change today since it was the first court hearing where I would be going against my own mother in court. Life really was a bitch sometimes, huh? Eleonora Agosta had spent the past month spewing lies and god knows what other bullshit about her only son and how I was capable of killing in cold blood. How I'd deserted my fiancée - the love of my life - to fend for herself. I would have snorted in amusement had it not been for the severity of the situation. Karma would bite them in the ass eventually. Hopefully.
I tightened the cufflinks on my suit before adjusting my tie. My hair had been slicked back to perfection with the gel that I had bought yesterday, courtesy of Luca, of course. My beard had been neatly trimmed so that only a slight stubble remained. All in all, I looked presentable. And sexy as fuck. Shooting my own reflection a wink in the mirror, I grabbed my cell phone before moving towards the living room where Gianna sat in that tight little pencil skirt, poring over her handmade notes. Her outfit was a far cry from the usual trousers and shirt combo that she liked to wear everyday to work. There was a half eaten apple in her hand as her brows furrowed in concentration, too lost to even care about her little breakfast.
That was one thing that I had noticed about her since I'd come back - the new her, at least. She'd been extremely watchful about what she ate and followed her diet and exercise plan meticulously. While I was happy that Gianna was taking care of her health, I was still confused about her PCOS diagnosis that she had confided in me weeks ago. I had done my level best to stock the kitchen with gluten free and dairy free foods, but I wasn't sure if that was enough. I had even tried to do some research myself on Google but had come up a little confused. Apparently, there were 5 types of PCOS and each woman reacted differently to it. Needless to say, I had given up real quick and had simply ordered Alessandro to keep the kitchen stocked since I assumed that Gianna liked the food based on the way she practically inhaled it.
That was another new development between us. Everytime we ate together - which, truth be told was very rare due to the both of us being workaholics - I would try to bring up the past and tell her the truth. But she somehow managed to wave me off and change the subject before running back to her safe haven again and burying herself in work. And I could see the effect that was having on her. No matter how much concealer she used to cover up her dark circles, I knew of the hours that she'd stayed awake, making phone calls and reaching out to witnesses and people that had previously worked with me. I knew because I'd press my ear against the door with warmth spreading through my chest. She could have half assed this case. But she wasn't. She was working her ass off. And a part of me liked to believe that she was doing it for me, for our history together - no matter how delusional that sounded to anyone else.
I crept up slowly behind her, leaning my mouth towards her ear before whispering.
"Busy, are we?"
"Jesus fucking Christ, Sergio!" She exclaimed as she jumped off the couch with her hand on her chest.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." I said as I raised both my hands, a sneaky smile on my face.
"Liar." She scoffed though she couldn't hide the little smile on her face.
This was what I lived for these days - seeing her smile. Because those moments were too far and few in between. I missed those times when she'd smile and laugh freely - even more so when that laugh would be for me. But it was okay. I was learning slowly but steadily that Gianna wasn't the same girl that had left Italy with a broken heart. Hell, none of us were the same people we were three years ago. We'd all grown up. It's just that some of us were more broken than the others. Hopefully though, I'd be able to change that with time - if only Gianna wasn't so adamant on not letting me in.
"We can change that. I'm ready when you are. To tell you the truth. You know it in your heart as well as I do that what went down three years ago wasn't the full story."
"Not right now, Sergio."
"Fine. But when we come back, we're going to talk." I said stubbornly, putting my foot down finally.
I was done delaying this conversation. After Gianna heard me out, I'd accept whatever she had to say to me - whether it was leaving me for good or not. Actually, scratch that. I wasn't going to give up on her so easily. Even if I had to move the heavens for her to accept the fact that I still loved her, I would do that. Fuck, I'd hang up the moon and stars for her if she asked me to.
Gianna simply rolled her eyes in response before getting up and dusting the lint off her skirt. I could physically sense the moment she slipped into her lawyer facade as that cold, impenetrable wall slid right back up.
"It's almost time. We should head out now."
With a nod of my head, the both of us moved to the main floor of the building before slipping into the tinted car that Alessandro had kept waiting for us. I gave him the directions to the courthouse as the next twenty minutes of the car ride were spent in silence. For some reason, I didn't feel nervous because I knew that Gianna had my case in the bag - even if this was only the first hearing.
The moment our car came into view right outside the court, several reporters swamped around the moving vehicle as Alessandro fought to drive through the crowd. Thankfully, the court had hired professional security to ward off the nosy journalists seeing how high profile this particular case was. It wasn't everyday that you saw an Italian mobster being dragged to court by his own family.
The gates closed behind us as we exited the car, Gianna leading us towards the entrance of the courthouse.
"Mr Agosta, what do you have to say about your mother? She has accused -
"Mr Sergio Agosta, billionaire by day and murderer in cold blood by night."
"Miss Ricci, why did you take up this case when you know it's going to be the downfall of the firm?"
These people were relentless with their questions as their voices were heard even through closed doors. I spared a glance at Gianna, but surprisingly, she seemed unfazed by all the attention unlike the first time.
"We're early." She stated the obvious fact as we took a seat on the left side of the jury.
Luca was already standing in the aisle, waiting for us with a grin and making me wonder just what kind of vehicle he drove in order to get here before us when he supposedly was going to be late.
"Seems like you're eating up all the attention, eh boss?"
"This hardly seems like a situation where I'd like to be the centre of attention, Luca." I responded drily as the grin stayed glued on his face.
With a wave of my hand, I dismissed Alessandro and gestured for him to take a seat at the very back with two of my other men while stood guard next to us. While I knew that this hearing was confidential and had tight security all around, I wasn't going to take my chances.
Within a few minutes, the jury for my case started filtering in, the looks on their faces as grim as the atmosphere. They looked as if they had been forcefully dragged out of bed today. Suppressing a snort, I glanced towards Gianna only to find her attention focused on Esme who was entering along with 2 more lawyers from the firm - one of them being that idiotic redhead.
"You got this, Gianna." She whispered as she slid in behind us.
I noticed the way Gianna's shoulders straightened with confidence as a calm expression took over her face. That's my girl.
"You're going to smash it babes." Ginger said with a smile as he gazed at Gianna with a lovesick expression.
"Thanks Noah." She replied back with a tight smile as I gritted my teeth, not wanting to make a scene at my very first court appearance and risk being thrown in jail for violence.
Soft murmurs broke out in the courtroom as I heard the huge oak doors creaking open before swivelling my head to look back. My heart lurched to my throat as I spotted my mother...Eleonora make her way to the opposite side of us with Nonna in tow. I watched as Nonna clutched her arm before muttering something angrily in her ear before shoving past people to sit right behind us, beside Esme.
She took one look at my expression before clasping her hands on her lap neatly.
"You'd be stupid if you thought that I wouldn't side with my own grandson."
"Grazie, Nonna." I smiled warmly as her beady eyes flitted to Gianna in question before grinned sneakily. "Making amends, are we?"
Before I could respond any further, Gianna cut in with an astonished look on her face.
"Nonna." She breathed out. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"I missed you too, bellissima. I hope this one's been treating you right."
We didn't have time to chit chat any further as the head judge entered from a small door located on the right side of the room.
"Get up!" Gianna hissed at me while I failed to notice that everyone in the courtroom had stood up out of respect.
With a nod of his head, the judge gestured for everyone to take a seat as one of the understudies placed two thick stacks of documents in front of him. Silence hung in the air as he took a few minutes to, no doubt, pore over the case and its details.
"Case CO224886 Agosta v Agosta where the defendant has been accused of a crime by the prosecuting party under the counts of a) Homicide under Section 300 subsection A b) Manslaughter and c) First degree murder under the Criminal Code. The defendant is requested to please come forward."
With a slight nudge from Gianna, I walked over to the podium with the gait of a confident and innocent man as I adjusted the microphone in front of me.
"Sergio Roberto Agosta, you have been accused of murdering your father, Bruno Angelo Agosta, under four counts of manslaughter and first degree murder. Do you plead guilty or not guilty?"
"Not guilty."
Those two words sent a collective gasp through the crowd as I felt eyes on my back the whole time.
"Order in the courtroom, please." The judge said as she banged the gavel against a wooden surface. "The defendant pleads not guilty which gives way to a public trial. The next trial will be on the 18th of June, 2022. You are dismissed."
I didn't move from the podium - just as Gianna had instructed - until the entire jury had dispersed. Turning around, I moved towards Gianna and Esme who were huddled together before I was stopped by a perfectly manicured hand on my arm.
"Missed me, darling?"
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