INFORMATION: I know a few of you are probably confused as to where Maria and Paulo are. I skipped a month to where Gabriel and Leah arrived, and they left in that month. I should have probably explained that but I forgot... *whispers* I'm sorry.
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Alessandro
I stalked down the long hallway with my hands fixing my blazer collar, making sure everything was perfectly straight, as I wanted to keep my strong reputation of always looking presentable while working. My sweatpants and baggy shirts were comfortable but I could never stay in them for long.
I'd gotten used to my suit. My armour. It had become like a shield from the world — something to show my strengths. And people had gotten used to my suits too.
It had become like my identity.
Gabriel and Leah were supposedly in their bedroom. I needed to speak to Leah about Arianna and I also needed to discuss business with Gabriel. It was going to be a busy day but I was ready for anything that came my way.
As always.
Finally getting to their bedroom, I knocked on the door and hoped that I wasn't interrupting anything. A maid had warned them that I would be coming a few hours prior, however, and so they were expecting me.
"Come in."
I opened the door and saw the two of them sitting on the bed. They gave me warm smiles and Leah walked over to close the door behind me. "You want the two of us?"
I nodded my head and looked over at Gabriel. "I was thinking of speaking to you about business."
Gabriel nodded and got off the bed, walking towards me, as I swerved my head towards Leah.
"But I need to speak to you about something too. Separately."
Leah looked at Gabriel before setting her eyes back on me.
"I'll leave you and then I'll come and find you later." She finally spoke with a genuine smile, beginning to walk out of the room, leaving Gabriel and I to speak alone.
Gabriel fixed his suit too — and raised an eyebrow in my direction. Curiously. "What's the issue?"
"No issue," I waved my hand to brush away his assumption. "I just need to speak to you about business. Office?"
Gabriel didn't need to be asked twice. He began to walk towards me and then gently gestured towards the hallway, both of us walking together to the opposite end of the hollow corridor. He asked me questions as we walked — questions about Eva, Arianna, the years of my life that he had missed.
I agreed that we had to catch-up some time soon. All of us. Together.
Gabriel was once my best friend. Like my brother. And by the heart, he still was. But both of our lifestyles had caused us to drift from one another. It was the sad reality that had to dawn on everyone at some point in their life; the best things usually don't last forever.
Either way — I was going to make sure that we rekindled the strong friendship we once had.
As I walked into the office, I noticed Leon leaning on the edge of the desk.
"Why are you always here?" I asked him with my eyes rolling in annoyance, as I walked behind my desk.
"It's a nice atmosphere in here." Leon told me with a cheeky grin in Gabriel's direction. They both knew that I got annoyed and somehow they found amusement in that.
A brother thing, I guess.
"Well we need to discuss some business." I responded, leaning back in my leather chair and watching Gabriel do the same thing with the opposing chair.
Leon hopped off the desk and slowly strolled towards the door. "It's okay," he chirped, looking over his shoulder for a brief moment. "I have some business of my own."
The door closed and Gabriel and I looked at one another confusingly. Leon was confusing at times, but I chose to brush it off. It clearly wasn't serious because he had the biggest grin on his face.
Gabriel leaned his hands on the desk and looked up at me. "So?"
I exhaled and took the whiskey bottle from the desk, pouring myself a glass and offering the bottle to Gabriel, which he politely refused.
"You know about everything that has occurred?" I checked — though I knew that I had told him everything over the phone. He leaned back and nodded his head.
"I need to find a way to spill blood," I gritted through my teeth. It was crazy how angry I got when thinking about his ugly face smirking down at me... at everyone that I've ever loved. There was nobody that could provoked me like he did. "But quickly. And effectively. I can't wait any longer. He's already planning the same thing on me and my family."
Gabriel slowly bobbed his head and narrowed his eyes in deep thought.
"I need to attack him before he attacks me."
I'd wanted the same thing for months now. It was frustrating that barriers kept getting in my way. Whether it's the people that stab me in the back or simply the weather... there's always something stopping me from attacking that disgusting pig.
It was a heavy weight on my chest and I wanted nothing more than the relief of destroying it.
"You're not going to like this." Gabriel warned me eventually. I raised my brow cautiously and tilted my head to the side. He took a deep breath and bowed forward, leaning his hands on the desk and looking at me confidently. "But I think we need to wait."
Wait. I was sick of waiting. He was always there and the sooner I got rid of him — the sooner I could move on with my life.
"Gabriel." I almost growled.
His hand stopped me before I could give him anymore of my resistance.
"Just let me explain." He spoke calmly. Something told me that he was pretty confident about whatever he was thinking about, but it didn't change the way I was thinking.
Stubborn was an understatement when it came to describing me.
"Antonio is expecting you to create some kind of plan to destroy him. He is always ready because he knows you're close... if you wait — it'll confuse him and make him less cautious. Perhaps even distract him and then it's the perfect time to strike. When his thoughts are erratic."
I allowed his words to absorb into my head. Everything made perfect sense and I almost agreed... but then I realised something.
"And what about if he comes for us?"
"We stay prepared. Waiting doesn't mean we completely dismiss the situation. It just means that we defend instead of attacking."
A defeated sigh left my mouth. Gabriel was right.
"Besides, I know how that asshole works," Gabriel added with disgust plastered on his face. "He comes across arrogant and confident but when people start messing with his head, that's when he becomes weak."
My mind was made-up. I was going to do what Gabriel suggested. It seemed like a strong concept and I didn't have much of a choice, anyway.
"Sorted." I held my hand out and Gabriel gladly shook it with a smile on his face. A proud smile. One that was proud that we managed to keep our promise in the end — even if the years did come between us.
Gabriel leaned back and raised an eyebrow. His facial expression was laced with suspicion and I chuckled to myself. "What?"
He smirked and shrugged his broad shoulders. "I was just remembering the evening we arrived. The way you looked at that lady of yours. Seems you've become soppy once again."
"Soppy?" I exclaimed with wide eyes. My whole body tensed at the use of the word to describe me. Soppy. I've never been soppy.
Gabriel erupted in laughter. Clearly amused by the way I shot out of my seat. I threw him back an annoyed glare and that made him grin to himself. "First Elena... now Eva..."
"Shut up," I rolled my eyes with my eyebrow raising towards him. "You never even knew Elena."
He nodded his head. "I didn't but Leah did."
My eyes widened in his direction. In shock. In disbelief. But mostly confusion.
"What do you mean?" I asked him with my eyebrows furrowed. Was he trying to piss around?
"Leah was close with Elena when I first met her. Elena came over to Italy a couple of times and I met her... she was very beautiful." He told me with his hands locked infront of his chest.
"Then how come I never knew of this? Surely I would have found out if my fiancée was friends with my old-best-friends wife."
"Not really," He shrugged and shook his head. "Elena and Leah were close when they were teenagers but not as much when we both ran away to Italy. So Elena probably never even suspected that I was your old friend. You never told her about me, right?"
I shook my head and finally realised that everything was piecing together. But I still couldn't believe that Leah knew Elena. That was crazy.
I prayed that she didn't discuss her with Eva. I wanted Elena a distant memory — something that Eva didn't have to worry about — but if she's always the topic of conversation, the worries are hard to prevent.
"What happened when Elena died?" I asked Gabriel.
"We only found out last year that she died. Leah tried to get in contact and Elena's parents told her that she died because of Antonio," Gabriel explained with a sorrowful sigh. "That's when I found out that she was your wife. I was going to contact you but Leah said you'll be mourning and it's best to leave you."
I brought the glass of whiskey to my mouth and the warm liquid slipped around my mouth and down my throat — making my chest feel comfortable.
"But I can tell that Eva makes you happy." Gabriel added with his head bobbing.
"She does." I smiled to myself. More than happy. She made me crazy. Her twinkling eyes; her kissable lips; her angelic voice; her pretty smile. There wasn't a single thing that she could do that would make me fall out of love with her.
"Are you going to marry her?" He asked with the corners of his mouth quirking up.
My heart stuttered at the mere thought of marrying Eva. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I wanted to hold her every night and kiss her lips forever. But something inside of me said that the time wasn't right... that somehow we weren't ready.
"One day," I told him truthfully — knowing that I would someday make the commitment for good.
He grinned to himself and grabbed the whiskey bottle, pouring the liquid into a glass and clinking it against mine.
"Cheers, brother." He spoke with friendliness in his voice.
•
Gabriel and I spent a couple of hours chattering and drinking whiskey. I caught up with his life and the same with mine. He told me about Giovanni and his childhood, and I told him about Arianna and mentioned how I was going to ask Leah about therapy. He seemed to support the concept.
Giovanni was a soft-hearted boy. Apparently he was compassionate and his heart was filled with kindness. I told him that Arianna was the same but she had fire inside of her. Just like her mother, she was kind but strong-minded.
They had seemed to make a friendship between them — Arianna and Giovanni.
It was sweet and I was happy that Arianna finally has some company her age. Guilt often filled my heart when I thought about how I have guarded her from the world. How she knows nobody but the people within her Estate.
She deserved to make friends with people that understood her... people that she could grow up with and have relations with. Giovanni was an amazing start.
After I finished my meeting with Gabriel, I made my way towards the living-area where Eva and Leah were laughing and gossiping.
"Alessandro," Leah chirped when she noticed me standing at the door. Eva had her back to me but when she heard my name, her head spun around and she smiled softly at me. "Are you ready to speak?"
I nodded my head and walked over to the opposite couch. Both of them followed my movements before their eyes settled on my seated position.
"It's really quick. I just wanted to speak to you because it's something that is worrying me."
Eva looked confused at first but then she realised what I was talking about, and her facial expression became sorrowful. "Arianna..." Her voice was soft and gentle as she looked over at Leah.
Leah looked at Eva and then quickly darted her eyes across to me. Worry coated her facial expression. "Arianna? Is she okay?"
My hands rested on my lap as I nodded. "Yes. Most of the time."
Leah raised her eyebrow in curiosity and glanced at me expectantly.
"Arianna was very young when her mother died," I began to explain in the best way I could. "And she had to witness the death in a brutal way."
Leah lost the happy sparkle in her eyes and they became deeply hurt. Clearly because of the memory of Elena.
"It seems that she's been affected psychologically. And she frequently gets night-terrors and flashbacks that leave her completely terrified. Screaming and crying for hours... I have no idea how to get rid of them, and I'm scared they're going to affect her for the rest of her life."
Leah nodded. "So you're asking for me to counsel her?"
Why did I feel so guilty for asking? It was almost like I was asking for an unbelievable favour. But I didn't know how long the counselling would last. It could last up to a year and perhaps that was too much on Leah's shoulders — considering she had other clients too.
Cautiously, I nodded my head and prayed that she didn't get offended by the request.
"Of course I will," Leah eventually spoke, calming the storm in my chest. "How frequent are the nightmares, exactly?"
"They used to be weekly but recently, they're rare."
Leah raised an eyebrow and looked over at Eva. "Ever since Eva came to work at the Estate?"
Looking over at Eva, I nodded and then realised the truth. Arianna really had stopped having those nightmares ever since Eva became part of her life. I had no idea why but now, it was clear that Eva had a significant part to play in the whole ordeal.
Leah hummed and nodded. "I think I know the source of the problem... but I'll counsel her."
Her generosity was almost overwhelming. Leah didn't have to help Arianna; in fact, I wouldn't have been surprised if she would have refused.
"Thank you so much. I'll pay you good money — you can count on it."
Leah widened her eyes and exclaimed. "Pay me?"
Eva laid her hand on Leah's arm and pleaded with her eyes. "You need to take the money. This is like private work."
"You're letting me stay at your Estate," she spoke in a shocked tone. "In fact — don't think of the counselling as work. Think of it as some kind of way for me to say thank you for your hospitality."
My stomach churned uncomfortably. There wasn't a chance that I could allow Leah to sacrifice her time without some kind of money in return. It wasn't in my nature to take advantage of people like that.
"Leah, please-"
"No." She interjected sternly. It was clear she wasn't going to budge. And though I wanted nothing but for her to just accept the money — I knew she was going to remain stubborn.
Eva and I looked at one another and we both sighed.
"Honestly. I appreciate how warm you two have been towards us — along with your workers — so please, just let me repay you with this one little thing." Leah softly spoke and I exhaled a heavy breath.
"Besides," Leah added with her face blossoming into a loving state. "Arianna is the sweetest little girl I've ever come across. I'd help her, even if you weren't letting me stay here with you."
Eva wrapped her arm around Leah and brought her into an embrace that Leah gladly accepted with open arms.
"We appreciate your help." Eva said once she had pulled away from the small hug.
"We really do." I added with a serious voice.
Leah looked between us and smiled kindly. It was nice to have people like her in my presence. Kind-hearted and generous people that I knew would never betray me.
I'd had too much experience with back-stabbers before. More than I ever expected so when I was in the presence of someone completely opposite — it was like a breath of fresh air.
The rest of the day was peaceful and calm. Arianna and Giovanni spent most of the day in the garden with their imaginary games keeping them busy — whilst Eva watched them, Leah keeping her company.
Gabriel caught up with Vito, Matteo and Oscar in the kitchen for the remainder of the afternoon. Laughter filled the whole Estate — bouncing off the walls from the kitchen. But that was how it always ended up when we reunited. Rowdy and uncontrollable.
Leon and I took some time to relax considering the hectic state of our lives at the moment. We stayed in the office and had casual conversation before the night slowly began to engulf the surroundings of the Estate.
Time seemed to fly these days. The evening passed by and before I could even process anything — I was getting ready for bed with Eva again.
Her shiny brown hair was curly and seemed to naturally cascade down her back. Her bright eyes gazed at me. "Must you stare?"
Was I staring? I smiled to myself and shrugged my shoulders, throwing my pants over the bed.
"It's not my fault you look like that, babe," I slurred with a cheeky raise of my eyebrow.
She pinned her hair in a high ponytail and shook her head, getting into bed and looking at me, amused. "You're so soppy."
There it was again. That goddamn word. It angered me for some reason and I didn't know why. Perhaps it was my ego bruising itself whenever someone would claim I'm anything but dangerous and dark.
"I'm not soppy." I growled, laying next to her and giving her a stern look.
Her long eyelashes fluttered at me innocently. "Oh really?"
Eva enjoyed teasing me. She found my growls and anger somehow amusing — and that was completely fine — but I was going to show her one day that I'm not one to mess with. That I loved her immensely but my darkness was never too far to reach. In the best way though, of course. The mere thought made me grin to myself.
"What?" Her melodic voice urged when she noticed my absent-minded smile.
I looked over and saw the curiously burning in her eyes.
"Do you believe I'd fight for you, Eva?" I asked her with my body turning so that I was completely facing her. Her face softened at my question and then she looked me dead in the eye.
"Without a shadow of a doubt."
My fingers moved towards her lips and I brushed my index finger over her mouth. Satisfaction filled my heart.
"I mean, you already have," Eva whispered against my fingers.
My eyebrows furrowed and one of them raised up expectantly. My hands remained wandering her face but my eyes locked with hers.
"You've already fought against my demons, chased them away, gave peace to the storms that once raged inside of me," she explained, my heart pounding against my chest with every word she spoke. "You've fought for my heart and you've managed to capture it — though it's not the easiest thing to catch."
Her face moved towards mine and I allowed her to. Invited her gladly. Her lips connected with mine and our kiss was gentle and soft... caressing one another with love burning through our hearts. And then she pulled away and rest her hands against my bare chest.
"You're the strongest man I've ever known. The most tragically beautiful person I've ever come across..." She kept her face close to mine as she spoke, her minty breath fanning over my nose. "And I'm so in love with you."
Looking into her tipsy eyes, I wondered what I had ever done to deserve the love that she gave me. What had I done in my life that showed that I deserved her? I had killed men and spilled blood multiple times. I had been brutal and merciless. But yet — an angel managed to wander into my presence, and somehow she fell in love with the monster that I was.
"But you're still soppy," Her playful tone once again made an appearance. I narrowed my eyes at her and she laughed through the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.
Life was good.
Life was really good.
~
My heart is singing....
Alessandro has decided to wait on his plans to mess with Antonio's head. This means that though Antonio will still be mentioned throughout the story — it's not as frequent as usual. The story is going to focus on building up friendships and relationships, and that'll be just as exciting. And then of course, I'll go back to Antonio and we shall find out which blood is spilled...
Don't forget to vote.
Lots of love!
xoxoxo