Dante was nowhere to be found this morning, which is fine with me. There's absolutely no one else in the house, so after breakfast in the huge kitchen (my mom would think she died and went to heaven if she saw it), I explore. Well it's more like snooping, but whatever.
I find no less than twelve guns hidden around the premises which startles me just a little bit. It's not that I've never seen a gun before (I am American, afterall), it's that they're hidden in random places throughout the house.
I make sure not to touch them because I am assuming they're here illegally and I don't want to get accidentally framed for being involved in crimes I didn't commit.
Technically, I do know how to shoot. My Dad and Aunt Elena insisted on us learning how to shoot, as well as other basic survival skills. As a kid, it seemed like "this is a normal activity, afterall, we do live on a ranch" but when I turned twelve and found out about the mafia stuff I understood why the grownups were so insistent on us learning how to defend ourselves.
I will be honest, the only one who was somewhat decent and could hit the targets was Nicholas. The rest of us were hopeless. Then again, I was like seven. I used to get bored and go play with the lambs. We did go to the shooting range a few times when I was older and I still kinda suck, but it's fine 'cause I doubt I'll ever need to use one.
This house is actually insane. I didn't realize it yesterday, but there's an entry table next to the door (a gun is hidden behind the mirror there) and under the staircase is a grand piano. I wonder who plays, since Dante (or Ace, as he likes to be called) doesn't seem like the type.
There's a formal dining room with like at least twelve chairs which leads back to the kitchen. There's an office downstairs too, I'm assuming it's Dante's which is a little ridiculous to me, because why does a nineteen year old have an office?
The office is actually pretty cool although it doesn't quite match the monochrome white and gray aesthetic of the rest of the house. It leads into a library which has wood paneled walls and floor to ceiling bookshelves, although I don't inspect the titles too closely since that's a project for another day. The desk looks like an old oak thing and the chair is soft leather. There's a small leather arm chair in front of a fireplace.
The rest of the house is what you'd expect from a mansion. There's multiple bathrooms downstairs, and like two bedrooms. I take pictures of everything to send to my mom so she can help me figure out what to do with the place, because while it's a beautiful house, the decor pieces make it seem cold and impersonal. One thing about Dante, he clearly commits to the aesthetic.
Although it does pain me to see that the Victorian Gothic architecture of the house is covered up by ultra-modern, gray furniture and decorations.
I make my way back to the kitchen and notice something on the island. When I get closer, I see that it's a note and there's a small box next to it. Warily, I pick up the note.
For your necessary expenses - Ace
I open the box to find a black card. I don't know much about credit cards but I do know what the black card means. I squeal and do a little happy dance.
A better woman than me would ignore the card and make her own way to prove a point. I am not a better woman.
The card is immediately added to my Apple Wallet and the CVC is memorized.
I flip the note to the back and see the house's wi-fi password, the code for the community gate, and this week's security code for the front gates (I guess it changes every week).
His phone number is also provided which I save to my phone. I make his contact name the clown emoji before inspecting the cabinets and fridge.
My worst horrors are coming true. This is an ingredient household. No biggie I guess. I very quickly UberEats some food to me, figuring out my new address through the use of that satellite view thing on google maps.
I decide to continue exploring while I wait for my food to get here. On the first floor, I almost yell from delight when I discover an indoor swimming pool. The ceiling is glass and so is one of the walls, filling the room with natural light and looking out to the forest and yard. It would be so nice being here when it rains or snows. Since I have no idea when the rest of my clothes are getting here, I immediately order a few new swimsuits (with Dante's card obv).
I find a door to a staircase going downstairs, and gasp when I flip the light switch. There's a whole gym here. I don't even work out but maybe I'll start because this looks nicer than any gym I've ever been to. One of the walls is covered by mirrors and I immediately check to see if they're two way, and relax when they're not. My gym selfies are about to go off.
I do find another door, this one somewhat concealed and blends in with the wall, but when I try it, it doesn't open. Oh well. That is not my problem.
I get the notification that my food is here and make my way upstairs. When I open the front door, the food is nowhere to be found. My instinct is to assume someone stole it (it wouldn't be the first time it's happened to me), but I quickly remember that this house is surrounded by gates and a wall.
Oh man. The driver probably left my food at the gates. I find my heels from yesterday near the front door and put them on since I have no other shoes yet. The walk down the massive driveway is a journey on its own.
Finally, I make it to the iron gates. I look through bars, and notice a man in a suit, standing still.
"Um, hi," I say, not wanting to startle him.
He does not seem startled. "Hello, you must be the new lady of the house."
I snort. "I guess that's me, I'm Martina I guess, but I prefer Marty," I stick my hand through the bars to shake his hand.
He smiles amusedly, and shakes my hand as well. "I'm Leonardo, but you can call me Leo."
"Like DiCaprio?" I ask. He looks around Leo DiCap's age and looks kinda like him too, but he's got dark hair and looks 'rougher' if that makes sense.
"Exactly like DiCaprio, but please don't compare me to him again, I don't like him, he only dates very young women." He picks my brown UberEats bag off the ground. "I presume this is yours?"
"Yup," I say, reaching for it. Of course it doesn't fit through the bars. "Umm, can you open these so I can grab my food."
He gets a conflicted look on his face. "I'm sorry, Mr. Rossi said that I'm not to open them."
"Of course he did," I mutter under my breath. "Why do you take orders from a teenager anyways?" I say out loud.
He looks taken aback. "No one's ever asked me that before," he says, almost in disbelief. He attempts to fit my bag through the bars again, but it still doesn't fit.
"I'm here to ask new questions," I shrug. "Is there a way you could, like, throw my food over the gates or something?"
"Maybe," he says. "Wait, I have an idea. Is it okay if I open the bag?"
"By all means," I say. I watch as he takes my food out of the bag, and individually passes each item through the bars (yes, I ordered a burrito, quesadilla, and a taco, it's good to have extras on hand). I take them, and then when my arms are full, he folds the bag and passes it through the bars too.
When my food is safely back in the bag, I give him a big smile. "Thank you so much Leo."
"No problem, Martina. Although I would suggest, next time, give the code to your driver so you don't have to walk all this way."
"I don't mind the walk," I say. I look at him, he looks like he's tired and I wonder how long he's been standing for. "So do you have to stand by the gates everyday, or is it just because I'm here?"
"Everyday," he says firmly.
"Oh," I say. "So you just kinda have to stand around all day until someone comes by to be let in?"
"In essence, yes," he leans against the wall next to him. "But the safety of Mr. Rossi, and now you, is my top priority."
"Cool," I'm about to turn back around and head to the house to eat, but I can hear my parents screaming at me in my head. "Umm, would you like a burrito?" I offer.
"Oh no, I couldn't," he says quickly.
I ignore him, already grabbing one from the bag. My parents taught me to feed everyone. "I'm giving you one anyways, so would you prefer a burrito, taco, or quesadilla?"
"You really don't-"
"Just tell me," I interrupt.
"Fine, burrito," he concedes, crossing his arms.
"Perf," I hand him the burrito before taking a seat on the ground and opening my taco.
We sit there in comfortable silence on opposite sides of the gate eating. Around a bite, I ask, "So is there any other staff here? Or is it just you? Because that house is crazy big, so it probably takes a lot to maintain."
"Today it's just me," he says, content from his meal. "But there is a cleaning crew, they come weekly. There's also a live-in cook, Ana."
"When do I get to meet everyone?" I ask, eagerly.
"Mr.Rossi gave them the week off this week, so sometime next week for sure."
I nod, grateful that I won't be alone in that big house all the time. "And Dante, he's usually gone all day?"
Leo pauses, unsure of what to tell me. He reaches some sort of decision, because he says, "Mr. Rossi is typically gone during the day, so you'll be on your own for most of the time."
I pump my fist in a celebration. Then I stand up, grabbing the trash. "Well Leo, it's been great, I'll probably come find you tomorrow too, so is there anything you'd like to eat?"
"Martina, you really don't need to order me anything."
"It's really no biggie," I brush the grass off my sweatpants. "I'm getting food anyways, and besides, I'm not paying."
He smiles at that. "Oh, before I forget, there's an intercom system in the house-"
He delves into some next level explanation for the system so I put my hand up. "Just give me your number and call me if someones at the door."
He agrees and I save his number in my phone before saying bye. When I'm at the front door, I turn and wave to him again. Surprisingly, he waves back.
I explore the upstairs part of the house. Really, all that's there is bathrooms and bedrooms. All of the doors are open except one, which is probably Dante's room. Obviously, I crack open the door.
His room is exactly what you'd expect. Dark moody colors, super clean, modern furniture. I shut the door. Snooping through his room is an activity for a later day.
His room is def the biggest in the house, so I search for the next biggest. I find it quite easily since it's next to his, at the end of the hallway.
Do I really want to deal with being next to him just because this room is bigger?
Unfortunately, I think the answer is yes because this room is gorgeous. It has massive windows looking out to the forest and the closet is the size of my room at my parents place. Also, there's a full size bathtub and a huge shower in the bathroom.
I take pictures to send to my mom because while the decor pieces and furniture aren't awful, they're not my taste. Since I'll be here for the foreseeable future, I might as well redecorate the room to my liking.
I unpack the few things I have with me, and get a text from Nonno saying that the rest of my stuff is being delivered throughout the week. Plopping down on the huge bed, I immediately place an order for Luca's ps5 and then do some shopping for myself.
At heart, I always was a material girl, however, being middle class and working at Marshalls, it is evident that I did not possess the funds to live as lavishly as I dreamed. Now, I have that opportunity so I am going to take it.
I can finally be a high-end makeup girly! (Not that there's anything wrong with drugstore, Elf and Maybelline have a special place in my heart). I load up my Sephora cart with all the products I always wanted but never bought and hit purchase. Then I do the same with a whole bunch of clothing stores.
I easily just spent like a thousand dollars, but since it's not my money, I don't really care. It's not like it's my money anyways.