It was the same process as before. Daniel and I sat to share a beautifully prepared yet silent breakfast and he soon left afterwards for work. Only one thing was different, not one word nor syllable was exchanged.
When Daniel got home I made sure to rush into my room and pretend I was fast asleep. He'd come and open the door to check on me and would sigh when he'd see that I was asleep. Dinner wasn't a problem since the staff was very willing. They prepared it a little earlier due to my request. I'd eaten and nestled in my room until I heard the something that indicated the presence of Daniel in the house.
Guilt ate me from inside out. It was a very common feeling, guilt, but it was also a very upsetting one. I was just too humiliated to actually socialize with him. I felt like a coward, my lack of confidence and courage was slowly dragging me down and by the time I realized that, I would be too far under to pull myself back up.
Four days had passed by, the same events going down. It was now a nice Friday afternoon. Daniel had went off to work and I was basking under the hot rays of the glowing sun, within the walls of my room, through my window.
It was a pleasant day but it didn't feel like it. I was alone and highly unentertained. The house was huge and most of the staff were busy. It was lonely without Daniel and I soon found myself missing him, even if it was my doing that we weren't necessarily interacting a lot or much less, at all.
My eyes closed as I felt the sun warm the skin on my cheeks and chest as I stood in front of the paneled window. Taking a deep breath I opened the window and peered out, it was quite the suprise when I noticed the green scenery. Sticking my head out the window, I breathed in the smell of herbs and trees.
Memories of my mother and I gardening when I was younger rushed into my head. My seven year old self playing princess and bride with the roses and flower crowns my mother and I had picked and put together. Water gun fights and beautiful aragments of flowers were both factored into my head as I recalled the fun events of my childhood.
The memories brought a small sad smile on my face. I'd missed my mother and it wasn't often I thought of good memories between the two of us.
Sighing, I closed the window and made my way to the shower. After showering and scrubbing down my body, I put on a light pink halter shirt and a pair of jeans matched with nude ballet flats. I stepped out the room and made my way downstairs, making my way to the dinning table for breakfast. As I sat down one of the staff members hurried over.
"Mr. Morello will sadly not be with you during breakfast, miss." She said as she approached me. My eyebrows furrowed with confusion.
"And why might that be? He usually goes off to work about a good.." I trailed off as I glanced up at the clock resting of one of the walls. "Thirty minutes."
"I'm sorry miss but it appears that he'd left at about five." She said eyes wide.
"No, don't apologize. It's not your fault that I wasn't made aware of when Daniel was to set of for work today." She nodded and went to turn away but I'd grabbed her forearm before she left. "And please no formalities. Call me dite, if you don't mind."
"Ok, dite." She said and went of to fetch my breakfast.
After eating a nice warm meal of sausages and french toast, I'd wandered around the house looking for something to distract me from the impending questions of Daniel's rush to work or absence to his house.
I went up the stairs and from their wandered through the vacant halls of Daniel's room and many other one for guests. I went through and looked through room and room until I'd stumbled across the room of Daniel's office.
His large brown desk sat at the head of the room. Behind it, a large window and near it was a large lether couch. The desk was cluttered with papers but what grabbed my attention was the assortment of C.Ds and player on one of the shelfs. I went through them until I found one I liked, or liked how the outside cover looked that is, seeing that most of them were in what I assumed to be Italian.
Popping the disk out of its hard cover, I placed it into the play and pressed on the play button. Classy and elegant classical music flowed through the room, creating a soft and romantic atmosphere that contradicted with the stern demeanor of the office. A strident yet gentle voice sang with the tune in a beautiful yet foreign language.
I let the music swamp over me as I felt my legs move on their own accord. I twirled and and danced to my hearts content, letting loose a couple of giggles here and there. The music was enchanting, it's soft beautiful melody playing in the back round as I closed my eyes and drempt of being a carefree women, dancing with the man of my dreams in a large ballroom where everyone dressed in classy evening wear and the food being served on dainty platters. A big chandelier located in the center of the celling and everyone under it danced with grace and unison. A tall, dark yet modish man dancing with me.
My body twisted and turned in every direction, although the office wasn't as large or vast as the other rooms, it was still a big room with a decent amount of free space that was now occupied by my bizarre dancing. Sudenlly my leg collided with the wood of what I presumed was the large desk. I abruptly turned as my body fell towards the hardwood floor that was lucky covered with a large deep beige colored rug. My hands flew out to catch myself and my hip met the floor. I groaned as my head also made its descent due to the impact of the fall.
Flipping onto my back, I looked up at the bland celling while I slightly panted from all the dancing I had done. The music had faded down before another one sounded, blaring like the first. Sighing, I made a move to get up but my leg hit the desk again and a black envolope came tumbling down and landed on my belly. My name was scrawled onto the back in silver ink, making the letter appear eery and mysterious, although it already was.
The first thought that came to mind was, of course, Dean. But I tried not to worry to much, it might just be something from my dad. Although it was highly unlikely, I wanted to consider it just so I would muster up the courage to actually open it and check. I ripped open the side of the envelope and emptied out its contents.
Luck is what happens when preperation meets opportunity.
A white letter fell out and I unfolded it, reading the sleek black ink etched onto the thin white paper.
Apgrodite,
You're getting strong and brave, working out and learning how to handle a gun. For that I applaud you. However, you have also managed to kill two of my men or three with the help of that Morello bastard. For that I am dissapointed in you. You have a week, or lover boy is a thing of the past, a distant memory. Meet me at the large house on the end of 44th Street. Come alone, he lives, come with help, no more lover boy. After all every bad deed deserves punishment.
- Love your dear friend, Dean.
The letter dropped from my shaky hands as I grabbed a smaller stack of hard paper that was hidden inside it. Frantically yet fearfully, I peeled away all the surrounding paper.
Photos of one of my close friends, Christian cartson, sat in my hands. I flipped through them. There were ones of him and I about a year ago at the garden cafe, enjoying two cappuccinos. And a couple of us at our college campus. The stack also Included some recent ones, ones without my presence. Tears gathered up in my eyes and a couple escaped, I angry wiped at them while bitting my lips to silence my sobbing.
Christian and I had meet about three years ago in one of the creative business classes at stanford. Being the only heir to my father's company caused me to study business at Stanford. Although it wasn't necessary, my father insisted it would be much easier when I would take over. My father mostly worked from the office but when he heard of Daniel he started working from home and pulled me out of school which led to the start of my anonymous writing career under the pen name Natalia Martin. After I had left school, Christian had came to visit quite often. We become close friends and developed some feelings for each other. It was obvious. From our not so subtle goofy glances and yearning looks, it wasn't too hard to figure out we were infatuated with each other. About a year ago he had told me of his feelings but I downright rejected him telling him that I couldn't be involved romantically because I had the weight of the company and its future nestled on my shoulders and dating would distract me. Heavy hearted, christen tian complied and ad time went by I felt my feeling fade. I still loved him as a close friend but Christian still fancied the idea of a relationship occurring between the two of us. I hadn't spoken to him since my father had sent me off and I missed him tremendously. Now I was fearful of wouldn't be able to see his smiling face as he shoved ice cream in my face. Or his cheerful appearance as we went out for brunch or a casual friendly stroll.
I clutched the photos as my tears fell onto them. My sobbing grew louder even as I heard the office door open.
"Aphrodite? Aphrodite!" I heard him shout loudly over the music that was still playing. I felt muscular arms engulf me as Daniel hoisted me up onto his desk. I kept my eyes sealed shut as clenched onto the photos harder. "Please talk to me, cara." He said softly. It was a side of Daniel I'd rarely seen. He was sweet and caring.
His fingers lifted my sticky chin up so he could see me properly. My tears had stopped but there were still a couple sniffles. "There she is." He'd said once my eyes meet his gorgeous grey ones.
My mouth formed into a tiny smile at the amount of sweetness Daniel was showing at the moment. It wasn't a daily occurrence when Daniel showed me he cared, but when it did happen, I took the time to bask in
It. "Tell me what's wrong, dolce?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
I looked down at the pictures of Christian that were clutched in between my sweaty palms. Worldlessly, I jumped down from the desk and grabbed the letter of the floor. It was soiled, the hot tears that had fallen out my eyes and off my face had splattered across the paper, creating spots of smudged ink and wet places on the paper. Not looking up I handed Daniel a picture and the letter, keeping the rest of the pictures with me as I glanced at them once more. I'd spotted our cheerful faces as we enjoyed our meal again, but looked away hastily, not wanting to cause more tears. I quietly focused my tired, sad eyes on Daniel as his stern appearance returned while he read the letter. He glanced at the picture I'd handed him and looked up at me.
"Who's he?" He asked, turning the photo around. The photo was of us at college, walking to our cars, books and bags in hand. I breathed in a deep breath to calm myself down before I wiped at my already blotchy and sticky face.
"Christian Cartson, a very close friend." I said with a sigh. The tears had stopped and there was no way I was letting them fall again in front of Daniel. Everytime he was around he turned me into a bailing mess. It was as if he unlocked the gates to my features, permitting them to show any distinctive emotion I felt.
Daniel sighed and moved towards me. "I'll call and make sure he's safe tomorrow morning, if he isn't we'll find him, dite. I'll make sure of it." He said looking at me as if he saw through my supposed strong exterior.
I scoffed with a small smirk, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't make a promise you can't keep, Morello." I said, noticing the music was still playing in the background. It wasn't loud but it was still on.
"It wasn't a promise, Ritalianza. It was a goal. One I intend to accomplish." He said also noticing the music playing that I was slightly moving along with. "Now what were you doing in my office?" He asked sternly with an eyebrow raised.
I winced, ready for another scolding from Daniel. Sometimes he reminded me of my over protective father. "I was bored and lonely, so I explored again and I found a nice aragment of music and.. the letter." I said sadly but still swayed to the music. "The classical tunes are quiet lovely though, I must say." I said after a pause.
He smiled, something I had missed when we weren't interacting for a couple days. "They're italian." He said smiling into the distance as he spoke.
"My father had the aragment put together." He said still smiling but now looking at me. "They were ment for my wedding day, just in case he wasn't there to see it he would be with me through the music." He explained then moved even closer and picked up my hand, setting it on his shoulder. He held my other hand as his remaining hand grasped my waist, heating it up unintentionally. "Dance with me." He said, pulling us back towards the shelf so he couls turn up the music a bit.
A blush flourished through my cheeks and burnt bright on my creamy skin. "I can't. I mean I don't. I, I." I sighed before I cleared my throat and resumed talking. "I don't know how to." I concluded.
His eyes crinkled in the corners as he let out a deep laugh, eyes glinting with amusment. "Then, I'll show you. Follow my lead." He said and guided us to the center and swayed us to the beautiful classical music.
I hesitantly started swaying with him and after a while I became more confident, moving gracefully with him. "See, not hard at all. Just look at me and not at your feet." He humored.
I looked up with a smile as we swayed together. "Tell me more." I said calmly to break the silence.
"About what?" He asked, twirling me. I spun around and Daniel caught me and we started swaying once more.
"Your father." I said. "What is he like?"
Daniel's features were easy going as we swayed to the music. "Well for one, he's very close with your father which is why you're under my protection. My father owed yours a favor so my father agreed and took you in." He said looking down at me.
"I'm sure they had a strong friendship, so when Mr. Ritalianza asked my dad for this 'favor', he didn't refuse." He paused and looked at me hesitantly, still swaying.
"Spit it out, Morello." I said with a smile. He smirked a bit.
"Do you miss her?" He asked.
"Who?" I questioned. I had a feeling who he was asking about, but I wanted to make sure.
"Your mother." He said. I looked down as we swayed. There was an eery silence as the song ended and the next one came on. "Aphrodite you don't have to-" He stared but I interrupted him.
"Its okay. I had to think for a minute but to answer your question, I do. All the time. Actually I thought about her this morning." I said looking back up at him as we started to sway again.
"What did you think of?" He asked and I proceeded to tell him of our gardening adventures as we laughing when he imagined little me in a princess dress and flower crown playing bride.
It was a Daniel I didn't get to see a lot. A light hearted caring Daniel. He got my mind of off Christian for the night and I knew I would have to deal with with it the next morning, but right now I was focused on getting to know the big bag ruthless mafia boss who wasn't as bad as one would think.
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So this chapter was pretty long, I know but you get to see more of Daniel's kindness and find out more about Aphrodite as well.
Tell me what you think!!! I love getting comments and please vote. It will make my day and inspire me to update sooner.
Love you guys. Merry Christmas!!
Ex oh ex oh, Joly!