SERA
My mind is twisting and turning after the chaos that they left behind. The past week has been nothing but trying to get things back on track and reform the company with the new board and directors. A company-wide message regarding the dismissal of Chairman Corwin and his associates was sent out, resulting in the media getting involved. Luca was able to keep the media from finding out the real reason behind the significant change.
If I didn't know how influential Luca was, I do now.
He's bought out the shares of the previous shareholders, leaving fewer shares in circulation. Not only that, he has become an investor to minimize risk and help finance the business. I was against it at first, but it wasn't until the chief of finance revealed everything that I discovered just how much these thieves had stolen from the company. Of course, Luca is using his methods to make sure that the previous board and shareholders pay back every cent of the company's lost profits.
The Corwin's have been cut off financially, and my main goal is to get the money he owes me back. Luca's men have been watching Corwin's every move, and that means where they go and who they meet. They haven't been let off easily because I am in danger as long as the Corwin family is around.
The attorney confirmed that I had inherited everything and verified Mr. Satoh's passing. Luca revealed to me that Corwin hired an assailant to threaten and kill Mr. Satoh in an effort to change his will. Furthermore, poor Ms. Miyazaki was killed for bearing witness to it. My heart hurts since I am the one planning their funeral.
~
My fingers glide across the keyboard, making tapping sounds as words appear on the body section of an email. My eyes catch the clock before going back to the main screen. The office day is coming to an end. I place my hand on the mouse and move the cursor over the send button before pressing the left click. Lastly, I pick up the pen and cross out an item from my checklist.
I let out a breath, feeling the accomplishment with every item that was crossed off. The business landline rings in front of me, and I answer by pressing the speaker button. My secretary lets me know that Luca, Armando, and Sebastian have arrived. I start tidying up by placing documents in their folders and writing utensils into a holder.
The door opens, and Sebastian walks in first, along with Luca and Armando. "Hey, boss lady!" Armando throws a hand up in the air to greet me. I stand from my chair with a tired smile. "So, what do we need to talk about?"
Luca walks up to me and pulls me to his side, placing a kiss on the side of my head. Sebastian and Armando take a seat in the lounge area, where Luca leads me to the two-seater couch. The two men look at Luca, waiting for him to initiate the conversation. I wait in anticipation, catching on to the fact that this is a serious matter.
"There's more to this situation than what I've told you." Luca looks me in the eyes, and I prepare myself for what he is about to say. "Corwin has been on my radar for awhile."
"What do you mean?" I question.
"Corwin came to my father not too long ago and asked for his help in taking down your family lineage by going into business together. My father refused for some reason. A couple days later, he went missing. Corwin was my only lead, which is why I asked Sebastian to gather information and go in as your assistant."
"Wait, you guys know each other?" I look between Luca and Sebastian.
Sebastian sits back in the chair with his arms and legs crossed. "Sorry to deceive you, President Hanada. My actual name is Sebastian Claude. Owner of Claude Tech, a cyber security firm."
I try to register the information as the panic starts to set in. Luca notices and takes my hand in his. "I'm not sure the reasoning behind my father's refusal, but we believe Corwin may have a secret, and I need to figure out if my father is alive or not."
How long have I been in the scheme of things? Honestly, I'm surprised I'm not dead yet.
"Do you think that secret has to do with the fact that he isn't my real father?"
"That's a possibility. At this point, we're just waiting for Corwin to slip up." Armando chimes in.
"Luca," I say, placing my hand against his cheek. "I'm so sorry."
He grabs my hand that is over his cheek and kisses the inside of my palm. "It's okay, fiore mio."
"Okay, I'm out of here, so you two can get lovey-dovey." Armando gives us a thumbs up with a lively smile.
"Same." Sebastian stands up at the same time, and the two walk out as Armando comments about how Luca is acting like some real-life prince.
"Idiot." Luca sits back, rests his head on the back of the couch, and brings his hand to the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. I notice how worn out he looks as a question comes to mind.
"Did you know I would be in Venice?"
Luca starts to explain that it was a coincidence. He went to Venice to visit his grandparents with his family for his grandmother's birthday and make sure everything was running smoothly in Italy business-wise. When he was planning to gather information about Corwin, he knew my name but not my appearance. The hopeless romantic in me feels relief that our encounter wasn't set up, and I can't help but wonder if our lives are connected for a purpose.
"We're not out of the woods, so we'll have to follow some protocols, and that means I'll have a security team escort you wherever you go." Luca stands up and pulls me up along with him. He holds my hand while the other goes around my waist.
"You're going to make me look like somebody important."
"Tesoro, you're very important to me. From the moment I laid my eyes on you. You have no idea."
"Did I make the big bad mafia boss fall in love at first sight?" A sly smirk appears on my face.
He lets go of my hand and places it on the nape of my neck. "Don't tease me, Tesoro. I am not afraid to show you what real love is."
—
The two-day traditional Japanese funeral that Mr. Satoh and Ms. Miyazaki requested upon their passing takes place throughout the course of the weekend.
The funeral features the recitation of sutras by a Buddhist monk, and an abundance of white lilies surrounds their grave as incense emits a tiny stream of smoke that burns constantly. I stand with Ms. Miyazaki's family and funeral guests as we all mourn for the deceased. Ms. Miyazaki's daughter cries silently next to her husband and teenage daughter. The guilt is consuming me because I know the true account of their deaths. Luca used his connections in the police force to keep the real reason hidden from the authorities.
Once the service is done, I say my good-byes to Ms. Miyazaki's family. Her daughter's eyes are brimming with red as I give her a firm hug. "Take care of yourself. Make sure to call me if you guys ever need anything."
She nods with a wistful smile and looks past me at Luca. "You too, dear. Make sure to live a happy life with your husband. You never know what will happen in life. We'll head out first, if that's okay. We'd like to get things done at my mother's house before we head home in the morning. "
"Of course." I wave goodbye to the family as they walk away.
"She called me your husband." Luca appears to have paid attention to what she said.
"I told her you were my boyfriend. I guess she forgot," I say as I turn to head back in the direction of the car.
"You've made it official for us?" He asks as we stroll along the cemetery road at the same pace, and Luca draws me closer to him. The afternoon sun is peeping through the trees, leaving shadowy leaf patterns on the ground.
"If you want a title," I respond nonchalantly.
A beautiful chuckle resonates from his chest. "Tesoro, our title could be whatever you want, as long as you're mine, and you know I've already established that." His words have a way of making my heart skip a beat. After he claimed he was not afraid to show me what true love is, I had absolute trust in his words. As long as he's with me, I'm prepared to face whatever comes my way.
We get into his car and begin our two-hour car ride home. My heart aches a little when we pass Mr. Satoh's empty house, but I imagine him and Ms. Miyazaki resting peacefully in the afterlife. I grin at how encouraging Luca is as he takes my hand and squeezes it gently. Pressing the power window switch with my finger, I watch the tinted glass slide downward. Fresh air enters the car, and I admire the view as we speed by. During the ride, I eventually drifted off to sleep due to the lack of sleep from the past few weeks.
—
"Sera," My eyes slowly open to face the voice when I hear someone calling my name. Glancing around, I see that we're parked in front of my house. A yawn escapes, and I cover my mouth with my hand. "Are you coming in?" I inquire, not wanting to be apart from him just yet.
"I would love to, Tesoro, but there is something I have to go take care of." Luca takes my hand and plants a few kisses on my knuckles.
"Okay." I smile and lean forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you for being here for me." I step out of the car, and he watches me go into the house before driving off. I climb the stairs and set up a soothing bubble bath with candles and a playlist. My controlled singing voice resonates through the bathroom as I gather a mound of bubbles in my hands, blowing them into the air. My phone buzzes on the wooden bath caddy in front of me, and I see that Amira sent me a text to tell me she'd be home in twenty if I want to do takeout and a movie.
I order food from our favorite burger joint and take a shower to wrap up my bath. I get dressed in my white lounge wear, go downstairs, and settle down on the couch to browse through movie options. I hear the chiming of the code being entered from the outside and watch as Amira walks in.
"What a long week. I've got some drama in the modeling world." Amira sighs, plopping herself on the couch next to me.
"Tell me. You've listened to all my drama so far." I turn towards her, resting my arm against the back of the couch with my hand supporting the side of my head.
"You know Elle Daniels, an icon in the modeling world." She starts her story as I nod. "Some newcomer thinks she's top shit and thought it'd be a good idea to try and walk ahead of her when Miss Daniels is the one closing the show."
"Sounds like the end of her career." I comment.
"Uhm, yeah!" Amira says it matter-of-factly. "Then security kicked the new girl out because she wanted to get physical. It's all over social media. She was kicking and screaming."
"Reminds me of Vivian." A scowl sets upon my face, thinking about her and what I had to deal with.
"I'm glad you didn't turn out like that." Amira comments.
"My grandparents raised me. Let's not forget that." I sense my resentment rising again. "I know we talked about this already, and I rant about it to Luca too, but it bugs the shit out of me that I don't know anything. I can't ask my mom or grandparents."
Amira gives me a sympathetic look and pulls me in for a hug. "I'm here for you, love. You're more than my best friend, but my sister and family. I haven't met Luca yet, but he seems like he'd do anything for you."
"Thank you." We pull away from each other just as the doorbell rings. I get up from where I am seated and open the front door to see my food delivery sitting by the front door. As soon as I pick it up, I observe a man wearing black sunglasses rolling up his window. Though I wasn't positive because of the darkness, I could have sworn he was taking pictures of me.
Shutting the door, I sit back down next to Amira and feel my stomach rumble at the thought of food. By the time we're situated with a rom-com, I forgot about what I thought I saw earlier. When credits start to run on the screen, I look over to see Amira cuddled with a blanket, fast asleep. I gather trash and empty glasses on the coffee table before walking into the kitchen. As I set the wine glasses down on the counter next to the sink, I let out a tired yawn.
Heading back into the living room, a sudden gunshot goes off, which is not normal in this neighborhood. My heart quickens in pace as Amira wakes up from the sound, instantly getting up from the couch to stand next to me. Taking my phone off the couch, I dial Luca's number. Amira laces her arm around mine as we slowly back up towards the back of the house. Eerie shadows are cast throughout the living room from the lone source of light coming from the TV. The natural linen curtains are drawn closed, and my eyes flicker across them, unable to see anything outside. The other line rings once before Luca picks up.
"Luca, a gun went off outside." I tell him, and as he starts speaking, something gets hurled through the window, causing the breaking of glass. An explosion of flames starts spreading aggressively up the stairs, walls, floor, and ceiling. Amira screams as I nudge her forcefully towards the back sunroom to go out to the courtyard.
"I'll be there in less than ten. Get somewhere safe." Luca sounds stern yet tense due to everything occurring unexpectedly. He starts to give Armando commands as Amira and I stand next to each other. My pupils constrict from the brightness as the growing flames reflect off of them. I am becoming emotionally numb as I observe the ferocious embers destroying my grandparents' house. The home where my mother grew up and where I spent joyful times creating memories is disintegrating.