Nick
As I'm walking to my office I hear a foreign feminine laugh echoing through the walls of the mansion. I know it's not Sofia's, it doesn't sound like hers. I know she doesn't have a friend over considering she hates bringing friends over here. And she's the only girl that lives here if you don't count the maids. But even then something tells me it's not them.
I follow the beautiful harmony curious to find it's owner.
I turn a corner leading farther and farther away from my office, my original destination. And I see a brunette with Sofia. I'm hesitant to introduce myself considering I haven't made up with Sofia, but I find myself approaching them anyway.
"And who might this be?" I ask Sofia but direct the question to the other brunette with captivating green eyes and pink lips that look as soft as clouds.
Sofia rolls her eyes and answers. "This is Hazel Larsen," she looks at me as if she knows something I don't and quite frankly I think she does. "Our future sister-in-law." A triumphant smile blooms on her face as my jaw ticks. "I didn't know Antonio is getting married?" "He's not. Enzo is." Her smile grows wider.
I turn to Hazel " You're marrying my brother Lorenzo?" I ask even though I already know the answer. "Seems like it." She responds. "Why?" I ask curious to find if she knows the real reason she's here. "For an alliance between the American Mafia and Italian one." She actually believes that.
My sister beside us gives me a warning glare as if saying 'play nice'. I bite "Well it's nice to meet you Hazel. I'm Nicholas Viotto, your fiancé's older brother." I give her a seductive smile and stick out my hand for her to shake. She does, but something in her eyes tells me she already knew the brief information I just gave.
I try to remember if I ever met this woman. Maybe at a Mafia Galla or party or meeting. But nothing pops up. Every thing about her looks unfamiliar but everything about her vibe feels to familiar. Those eyes, I've seen them before. But where?. I try to think of somewhere sometime but I can't and it feels like it's sitting right under my nose.
I brush it off convincing myself I'm paranoid.
I hear a phone ringing recognizing Sofia's ringtone.
"Hello" she answer. The person on the other line says something that causes a frown to grow on her face "yes I'll be right there." She hangs up and turns back to us.
"I have to go, something went wrong at the new house. But as your way of making it up to me: can you please give Hazel a tour. Pretty pretty please" she begs. And since I have nothing else to give her. "Fine, but Sofia I really am sorry." I give her a sad smile which she returns before going to the new house. She's a professional interior designer. She does everything else when we need her.
I turn back to Hazel taking this tour as an opportunity. "So what did you already see?"
"The kitchen, the many living rooms, the movie theater, the astronomy tower, and the garden."
"Well have you seen the library?" Her eyes sparkle at the mention. "You have a library." She ask holding a smile back and it makes something in my heart flutter. "Yeah a pretty big one with all sorts of genres." "Can you lead me to it?" This time she couldn't hold back her excited smile. "Yeah" I take her hands in mine not wanting her to get lost. Yea just because of that. Shut up you twat. She follows me excitingly.
*********
Hazel
Nicholas leads me to a bunch of twist and turns before finally arriving to a beautiful library.
I look around to stunned by its beauty to speak. I look at him with my eyes asking for permission to look around with the rest of my face still in a daze. He gives a slight chuckle that shows his dimples. Nicholas Viotto with dimples as cute as can be, never thought I'd see the day. He gives me a little nod that tells me I can look around with my hearts content. And I do...for a full hour.
By the time I look at the time on my phone it's already been an hour. I look behind me to see Nicholas sat on one of the couches by the window reading a book. A few buttons missing from his shirt, his suit jacket draped over the couch's back and his hair a slight mess. But for some reason all that makes him look even hotter.
I pick a book that has a description at the back that makes me want to read it and sit next to him and start reading. He looks up from his book and makes eye contact with me. "So how's the library so far Beauty" I blush at the nickname. "Amazing. It's so majestic I feel like I'm in a Disney movie" and I wasn't lying. The walls of the library are an old wood brown with big window on the walls. It looked straight out of a fairy tale.
As we were both reading I hear someone come in. I turn my head towards the sound. A maid pops up.
"Sorry to bother you Mr.Viotto and Ms.Larsen but dinner is ready and everyone is waiting for the two of you." She says in a sweet voice. Nicholas answers "we'll be right there Margaret."
He stands up and fixes himself up before offering his hand to help me up. I take it and follow him to the big dinning room with a round table where Sofia, Enzo, and a boy with caramel hair sits.Nicholas sits down and I sit between Sofia and Enzo where there's a plate.
"You must be my brother's new Fiancé." The boy with caramel hair states. "My names Antonio.nice to meet ya'." "Hazel" I give him a polite smile.
"So how do you feel about marrying a stranger?" He asks before eating his food. "Yea how do you feel about that. Me personally I would actually kill myself before marrying one of my brothers, like even if we weren't siblings 'cause they're like super annoying and super boring." Sofia states in a playful voice. I give a small laugh. "We are not that bad." Lorenzo says with fake offense.
"I beg to differ." An older woman with blonde hair comes in the dinning room. She looks like she's in her late 30s.
"Good afternoon to you too mom." Lorenzo says. My eyes almost widen before I control my facial expressions. But I'm pretty sure Sofia saw my change in expressions because she softly giggled before greeting her mother. Her mother looks so young and her skin looks amazing. I wish I have her skin when I get older.
"Relax I'm not here for you. I see you practically every week." She says to her four children. As I'm about to stand up she says "no no sit down." She gets Antonio to take her seat instead so she's sitting next to me. "Oh my lord. You are just beautiful. I didn't know Daniel had such a beautiful daughter." I slightly blush at her compliment, while I'm wondering when did they get into first name base.
"Well to be fair I didn't know he had a child at all. But anyway." She waves a dismissive hand in the air before turning her attention back on me while the siblings have their own conversations. "What's your name?" "Hazel, Hazel Larsen." The minute I said Hazel something flashed in her eyes but I couldn't figure out what it is.
She gives me a soft smile "Beautiful name for a beautiful lady darling." After that we didn't talk to each other much except for the little comments in whatever conversation we were having with the others.
While im having a conversation with Antonio my phone rings and i look at the name ID to see Luca.
"Excuse me but I need to take this." I stand up and walk out to the hall way outside the dinning room.
"Hey what's up?" I ask sense it's 7pm on a Wednesday night and he never calls me Wednesday as it's his "anti-social day". "Help I need help" now I'm alarmed and panicked and worried. "Do you need me to come get you or just stay on the phone with you. Can you tell me what's happening?" I start fiddling with my pearl necklace. I usually do that when I get anxious.
"Uhm so I might've or might've not gone out to a club today, and the guy who took me to his house to hook up uhm well...HE LIVES IN HIS GRANDMAS BASEMENT. Please send help he's in the bathroom and imma cryyyyyy" he dragged the y in cry in a whiny voice. I chuckled "okay, okay im coming send the address." "Oh thank god. I love you babes." "Yea yea love u too." I rolled my eyes even tho he can't see me.
I hung up as he sent me the address.
I then looked on google maps to see where exactly I am considering I slept basically the whole way here. Okay well I'm still in New York so that's good. I have a warehouse a few miles from here with some equipment. Including cars and bikes.
I walk back in the dinning room. "I'm sorry to be rude but my friend needs me so I'm gonna have to leave for tonight."
"What oh come on tell your friend she can fuck off." Antonio says in a annoyed voice as if he actually enjoys my presence.
"He,and sorry I can't but it was nice meeting all of you,see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? You're not sleeping here?" Lorenzo asks.
"No sorry but maybe tomorrow I can."
Okay well let me give you the address so you can find your way back. Wait can you drive?" He asks with a skeptical look. I roll my eyes.
"Yes. I can drive." He gives me a nod and inserts the address on my phone.
"Thanks. Good night."
I get out of the dinning room before going back in.
"Can someone take me to the front door?"
"Yeah I'll take you." Antonio responds. He gets up from his seat. "Follow me please." And I do afraid of getting lost.
He walks out and I follow close behind him.
"So what's up with your friend? He in trouble or something?" Antonio asks.
I laugh a bit at his situation. "Yea he went to the club and the guy he chose to hook up with drove both of them to the guys house and my friend found out he's living in his grandmother's basement."
"He's gay?" He asks scratching the back of his neck "Yup."
"And your okay with it?" He gives me a skeptical look and I give one back.
"Mhm"
"thank god" he lets out a relieved breath neither of us realized he was holding.
"I'm gay, I just didn't know if I should've told you or not." He admits and we both laugh a little at his confession.
"Well my friend is very much single so if you ever need me to set you up, you know where you can find me. His name's Luca by the way." I give him a playful wink.
Just then we reach the front door and he opens it and follows me outside to see the Uber I ordered waiting. "Well it was nice meeting you Hazel. See you tomorrow." He gently takes my hand and kisses the top of it like any gentleman. "Bye Antonio" before I leave he speaks up "And Hazel? Keep this a secret for me. Sofia's the only person who knows and I don't think I'm ready for the rest." "Your secret's safe with me." I give a reassuring smile and turn back towards the Uber.
I get in my uber after confirming it is my uber. I give him an address close enough to the warehouse I can walk but not close enough to suspect anything. As he drives I go on my phone to text Luca even though it's only been barely 10minutes.
"U good?"
"Girl no come and gettttt meeee"
I laugh at my best friend's dramatic self.
"Coming coming calm down. And don't you dare. Say. A. Word."
Okay to be fair the reason I'm dirty minded is because I spend way too much time with him.
As I get there I give him a tip and wait until he leaves to start walking.
I get there in less than 5 minutes and get in one of my fast cars
(I would tell u guys what car, if I knew anything about cars. But I don't. So ur going to have to go with ur imagination. Sorry babes)
I get in and check where he is. He's not that far away. So maybe a 20 minute drive? But considering the way I drive it's gonna be 10.
I get there and see Luca talking to an old woman on the front porch.
I park the car and get out. "Hey Luca"
He practically jumps on me. And I'm surprised I'm still standing. I'm still standing yea yea yea.
"Babes the minute I make enough money I'm buying you a faster car 'cause clearly that one isn't fast enough." He points at my car.
"Oh calm done drama queen you literally made a friend with the grandma of your supposed hook up."
"Im not even gonna lie his grandma has more personality than him" "now that's just harsh"
I wave at the grandma bye and he does the same before getting in the drivers seat.
"No" "yes. You drive like a maniac on crack. And I don't know about you, but I very much want to keep my oxygen in my body." We both stare at each other and the look in his eyes tell me I have no chance of winning.
"Fine but this is the last time" let's ignore I've said that line to many times to count. "Mhm" he gives me a skeptical dramatic glance and snatches the keys from my hands before turning the car on. I go to the other side and get in the passenger seat.
He drives to my condo and doesn't say anything about the missing stuff and we binge watch Gilmore Girls for the tenth time. Fuck Dean by the way.