Bon Appétit! :D
@ Elizabeth's house
Elizabeth's POV
The head-splitting noises woke me up with the glaring sun rays aimed straight at my eyes. I shut my eyes tight, hoping it would shut out the noises as well. That didn't make much sense, did it? But what did make sense at the hellish hour of eight am in the fucking morning?
Echoes of metal clanking with metal entered my ears and at first I thought there was a construction going on in my state of grogginess. But the sound was so clear, like it was coming right from the house, from my kitchen.
I threw the pillow roughly onto the floor and looked around with one open eye, still adjusting to the blinding Sun. My eye scanned the space, mentally making a promise that the source of noise will receive a slow death for disrupting my sleep.
Three brave morons stood in my open kitchen, having a war with my pots and stoves.
I thought only old people are morning people. Who knew royal princes and their assistants are such monsters?
"Do you know what are your sins?" I muttered, throwing on my pair of shades to block out the glare.
"Morning, sexy." Rafael smirked as he scanned me up and down.
"Coffee, tea or me?" Julian shamelessly said to me, his square smile at its brightest.
The greasy pick up line momentarily made me forgot we had a severe argument some time ago. I could only stare at him in sadness for he has been infected by the two royal prince.
"My condolences, matchstick." I patted his shoulder and the red-headed teen returned my condolences with puzzlement.
I rubbed my temple as the headache throbbed like some energetic professional drummer killing those drums. The only regrettable part of absorbing Black Bear's signature alcohol like a sponge is the hangover.
Tsk! Hangovers happened because the brain is jealous of people having a good time drinking.
A huge blank answered me when I tried to recall what happened last night. The last thing I remembered was venting to Black Bear at Cheese In The Trap.
Just what's going on?
"What's my sin?" Angelo took advantage of me spacing out, trying to figure out things and groped my waist. He pulled me in with one arm, the other occupied by a spatula.
Rafael and Julian must be in luck, to witness such an interaction between their OTP couple so early in the morning.
"Sins. Plural, boss. You guys are guilty of trespassing, wasting my electricity and water and disturbing my beauty sleep. Oh and being morning people." I looked up to his amused face, his icy blue eyes twinkling.
Honestly, I was mentally screaming with Rafael and Julian when Angelo spoke in my ear, "What's my punishment?"
Goddamn it, calm those tits Elizabeth. He's just messing with you.
I elbowed him in his abs to get away from that crazy bastard and walked to the stoves to see what they were up to. The loud cheering and laughters pushed my bad temper to another level.
Rafael placed his warm hands on my shoulders and guided me to the dining table, a feast laying on it. Angelo produced toasts, pancakes, mushroom omelettes and tomato salads that watered my mouth.
"Are these poisoned? Is this my punishment for calling Julian a smart alec? I thought you were better than that, Makatski." I pouted, my stomach growling at the appealing food laid infront of me.
"Never mind, I will happily accept death from eating these goodies." I tucked in immediately without waiting for the boys, satisfying my hunger. The hunger made the taste ten times better and my mouth could not get a break from all the chewing.
The three boys allowed me to enjoy the food in silence as they took their seats around me, forking food onto their own plates. Though they started later than me, they finished their food first and waited patiently for me to catch up.
"So, I'm not feeling any dying sensations...?" I trailed off, my eyes moving from Julian to Rafael to Angelo. The three boys laughed and Julian got up from his seat. He took out a cake box from the cooler box that I have missed in my hunger and put it infront of me.
Are they going to smash my face into the cake?
He reached for the ribbon tied around the box and lifted the lid off and bowed. Julian's cheeks were stained red as he smiled sheepishly and bowed, "I'm sorry for saying those mean things to you, Eli."
My eyes drifted to the cake, looking at it for the first time. The word, 'sorry' was written in chocolate ink on the cake, a chocolate sad face beside it. I cooed at the sincere attempt, touched that someone actually went that far to show their apology to me.
"We should have known that you will never give up on MJ." The Valentine prince added onto Julian's apology as he handed me a knife to cut the cake.
I turned to Angelo who has propped up his face with his left hand, observing me. He continued to stare at me with an amused smile, not having the slightest intention to say he was sorry.
"Would it kill you to say you are sorry?" He begin drumming his fingers on his face when I frowned at his lack of response. I rolled my eyes and cut the cake, ridiculing myself for thinking I can witness the phenomenon of the Mietitore prince apologising.
Hold on, this is all wrong. How did they know I am still investigating the murder cases? I kept my tracks hidden well enough that no one should have noticed anything.
"We have The Oracle, Elizabeth. Don't waste time with the hows." Angelo answered the burning unasked question.
I would have believe him if I did not know The Oracle personally. The argument three weeks ago would have prevented The Oracle from checking up on me any further, for he wasn't one to backtrack.
I ransacked my mind for what could have cause the change but nothing came up. More and more suspicions drilled into my head, the longer I stared at Angelo.
I shrugged off the mystery, putting it aside for the time being. His conclusive tone made it clear that he did not want anymore questions about it.
"You guys can't get involved even if you already know I'm investigating. Too many eyes are on all of you." I tried for a grumbling tone. What I said was partially true, their identities are very attention-seeking.
Angelo smirked at me like he knew what I was going to say. He was well-prepared,"We'll manage this on our own, Raf and I will not touch our families' resources. I don't doubt our abilities."
Having the princes on my side would be a big help, no questions there. They are not the same as their families but they don't lack behind by far. One look at the lack of progress in the past few weeks and I knew it was an enticing offer.
I shook my head at his plan, family or not, the princes are still big shots in the Mafia world. Their faces are VIP passes to almost all Mafia businesses, it will be difficult to activate them for on the ground duties.
I knew it was just me being stubborn. There are a lot of ways for the princes to hide their identities and get the necessary work done. With Julian and I, it was no difficult feat to cover up their tracks.
"Sometimes fear is the biggest obstacle in our way." Black Bear have said that last night, something that had stuck through the alcohol haze.
Black Bear is right. I knew it was my own fear talking. I was scared of seeing anymore blood spilled because of me.
I nodded my head at Angelo, pushing away my own fear for once.
"Excellent. Now pack up your clothes and move into my apartment." Angelo grinned.
What in the Hollows is he on? I blinked my eyes at the nonsensical command. I was half expecting some kind of tv personnel knocking down my door and recording my reaction, telling me that I just got pranked. But there was no tv personnel, no cameras.
Rafael snorted and threw in a 'good luck, bro' before clearing the dishes with Julian. I turned to the two other boys in the house and watched them do the dishes like nothing has happened.
Have they gone deaf? Or did they inhale too much gas to react properly? This was the worse hangover I have ever been through, it even brought on hallucinations!
I padded to my bed, pulling the blankets over my head. Enclosed in darkness, I chanted 'I'm dreaming' over and over. This must be a dream that I was having in my deep sleep.
Other girls would kill for Angelo to tell them to move in with him. Literally tearing out wigs and pulling off fake eyelashes to live under the same roof as him.
Not me. The recent exchanges with him were already too hot to handle. I rather set myself on fire and watch my skin melt off than to be in the same breathing air as him 24/7!
The blankets were roughly pulled off and Angelo's chiseled face loomed over me. He stared blankly at me as I bit my lips to stop myself from screaming my head off.
"Are you coming with me?" He tried again, his eyes narrowing.
I shook my head violently, not daring myself to speak. No way in hell was I going to stay with Angelo. Not even over my dead body.
Angelo quirked his brow and nodded. Without turning back to the two boys, he instructed as he looked at me,"Get her stuff to the office." The two boys saluted in sync and got down to work.
"What the fuck, Angelo! Are you crazy?" I pushed his chest angrily, but my hand lamely pressed on his chest, too weak to push him away.
It was so unfair that he has a brick wall for a chest!
"Crazy enough to do this."
The Mietitore prince slid his hands underneath my back and thighs and lifted me up easily. He did not even break a sweat as I swung my legs hard, trying to break his grip. I stopped trying to punch his chest when my knuckles reddened from the impact. This has only made him whistle away happily.
I panicked at how useless my struggling was as his car came into view at the carpark.
Desperate times calls for desperate measures, Elizabeth!
"The most handsome man I have ever seen is you, Angelo Mietitore. Please set me down, my dashing angel. Please baby, we can talk this through nicely. It hurts my heart to see you carrying me in your strong arms. Please don't hurt yourself over an insignificant me." I crooned, pushing out my double chin at the level of cringe.
His knees gave way for a second there, almost dropping me to the ground. Angelo stopped midway and stared at me. His eyes shone with emotions that I could not decipher. His grip loosened and I excitedly looked forward to standing on my feet again.
Desperate times indeed call for desperate measures. But one shouldn't throw away their intelligence when adopting said measures.
My eyes widened when Angelo tightened his grip on me and swiftly made his way to his silver Maserati. He had on a wicked grin which made me want to find the nearest cliff and jump to my death.
Angelo kept one hand on my waist as he unlocked the car door. I stood my ground at this losing battle, holding on to the last shred of dignity.
"I'm not going to move in with you, Angelo." My voice already sound defeated, snitching on my thoughts.
"You can sit in the passenger seat. Or choose the better option to sit in my lap, which I'm more than happy to have you in." The barbarian leaned against the car, looking like he has all the time in the world.
My face heats up and the urge to punch something felt so, so strong. The warning left my mouth as I slide into the passenger seat, "You better sleep with both your eyes open, Mietitore."
I woke up fifteen minutes before we reach the destination. My eyes bulged in nasty shock at the completely foreign environment.
The White Coffin was a huge mansion by itself, with endless trees surrounding it. Its neighbour was nowhere in sight as the mansion rests in isolation and peace.
However, the view in front of me had no mansion that came out from the fairytales. It was three skyscraper buildings set in a triangular shape, surrounded by high metal fences and a guarded gate.
"Are your eyes not working? This is no white coffin." I stated the obvious, hoping Angelo could see what I meant. I did not anticipate much from him anymore as he displayed zero sense of mental capability today.
He greeted the guards at the main gate and drove into the carpark. The sunlight was chased away and darkness replaced it in the interior of the car. I peeked at him as he parked the car right in one try.
Angelo made no attempt to turn off the ignition and tilted his head to my direction instead,"I never mentioned the mansion. All along, I said my apartment."
I must have been too distracted by the idea of moving in with Angelo to focus on where I was moving into. The stark mistake registered itself into my brain the moment I tried to recall our conversation.
His apartment, something that I was not aware of, despite conducting the most intense hacking session while gathering information for his profile. From the conversation he had with the boys, Angelo had intended to keep this place a secret that only he was aware of.
I don't know what to feel about that. He was bringing me to this confidential place whereby even his best friend knew nothing about.
"Why?" The word was enough to express all the question marks I had.
"Your house is not safe anymore." Short and succinct, enough to satisfy question marks that mattered.
I should have stopped there, because it should have been enough.
"Could have sent me to Raf's or Julian's. I don't see the need to come here." I pointed out, looking past the windshield to the empty carpark.
You have forgotten the pain when the wound has healed, Elizabeth. I reprimanded myself mentally, praying that Angelo had not heard the hope in my words.
He explained slowly as if he was saying it to me and to himself,"Julian lives in the mansion and I can't expose you in a place where our families are involved. Secondly, don't forget Beth, you are bounded by contract to me, not Raf."
Angelo turned off the ignition and stepped out of the car, signalling for me to do the same. He took out a duffle bag from his truck and came to my side. He saw through my hesitation and pulled me by my arm to the lift lobby, not wanting to have me running away.
"Let me go, I can walk on my own." I tried to pull out from his steel grip but Angelo ignored me and held on. The lift opened to the only door on the level, granting Angelo the privacy he sought after.
His apartment was a beautiful two-storey penthouse, cream and gray were the two main colours in the house. The afternoon rays flooded the first floor through the windows, which open my eyes to a scenic city view.
I looked around in amazement like a kid at the zoo for the first time, each and every corner capturing my attention. If I had bothered looking at its owner, I would have seen a genuine happy smile.
"Come, I'll show you your room." Angelo announced and climbed up the stairs. He informed me that he did not have a housekeeper around, so I had to do everything by myself. I pictured a domestic Angelo cleaning the house and doing laundry by himself, the scene beyond my wildest imagination.
A grand silver piano filled up the open space on the second floor, the player positioned to look over the first floor. At this point, it will be like hearing old news if Angelo told me that he can manoeuvre a one-wheel bicycle.
Angelo opened the second door and moved to the side, gesturing for me to go in. The room was simply decorated with a four poster bed against the wall, a sofa and its coffee table set. There was a small window on the left side of the bed, a glass vase of white baby breaths bathed in the sunlight near the window.
"Wash up and meet me in the living room," He set the duffle bag on the bed and left me to gather my thoughts.
Thirty minutes later, I was smelling like fresh lavenders and stomping down the stairway. The Macbook and iPhone boxes were stacked up in my hands, ready to be returned back to the giver. I had discovered the two products in my duffel bag, hiding underneath the white eyelet sundress, sandals and towel. On top of the boxes was a silver envelope with a cheque worth three thousand dollars.
"Take these back." I threw them into Angelo's lap, startling the blonde who was watching tv.
He sighed and shifted the boxes to the side,"You deserve all these."
I did not understand what Angelo had in mind.
Is he showing pity?
Is this his way of apologising?
If it is the way he says sorry, then he have only fuck up his chances of asking for forgiveness. He made me feel cheap, like I was some gold digger easily appeased if he dangled gold or money notes in my face.
"I don't need them. I'm fine on my own." I crossed my arm, scowling at the air.
"Why are you so stubborn?" The blonde blocked my view as he stood up and all I could see was his chest.
I peered up at his face, displaying all my unhappiness,"Why assume you could buy me with money and gifts? I'm not a fucking gold digger, drooling over materialistic things."
The lasers shooting out from his eyes would have cut me into pieces if he was superman. Angelo angrily snatch up his leather jacket from the sofa and said in a cold voice,"Absurd! I won't take a gift back, do what you like with them." He roughly pushed pass me and left the penthouse.
I stupidly kicked the sofa in anger, the pain of stubbing a toe on a piece of furniture translated into endless swearing. The vulgarities that left my mouth would have made sailors worship me.
I wasn't sure if it was directed at the pain or at the disrespectful prince.
---
@ The Red Devil, Angelo's pub
Third person's POV
The Mietitore heir was on his fifth glass of liquor when he noticed the beauty walking in. She commanded all the men's attention with her satin red dress, which was like a second skin on her toned body. The lady in red made Angelo forget about the petite girl running through his mind for the entire night.
He trailed her subtly with his eyes, in contrast to the loud catcalling some pitiful men have made. The other ladies in the pub displayed their animosity with sneers, but it was the general consensus that the red lady was the spotlight of the night.
The red lady confidently strut to the bar and sat a few seats away from Angelo. Crossing her smooth sun-kissed legs, she sips on her martini and gracefully rejected the slaughter of men intending to buy her drinks and her time and maybe something more.
The hot desire in his gut deepened when he heard her laugh, it was a melodious one that he thought he would never get sick of. It was not the first time he met a beauty like this at the pub and every time he had followed his own instincts.
"Dry gin and a martini for the lady," Angelo muttered close to the red lady's ears and returned to his own stool, sipping on the gin without a care for the world.
Angelo knew that women like her were never short of men eagerly interested in having a chat. He would have to be different to stand out. He focused on his gin, refusing ladies like she did with men and let the game play out by itself.
An old player like him successfully captures the interest of the red lady as planned and Angelo watched the lady walk up to him. Their admirers backed away, it was the end of their share of the game.
"Alone?" She purred and tipped the glass of gin into her mouth.
"You would know from all that staring," Angelo smiled playfully as he took her hands and guided her to the seat beside him.
That same melodious laughter reappeared as the red lady sat down and crossed her long legs. Her sinful dress slips up a little, making Angelo wonder what it would be like to run his hands down her body.
"Are you not going to ask for my name?" The red lady leaned in and trailed a manicured finger down his bicep, her eyes expressing the same desire Angelo had for her.
"Depends," The Mietitore prince have never exchanged names with his one-time partners. It was sufficient for them to know his, as many would recognise him as the owner of the luxurious pub. He had never found someone who made his curiosity extends beyond a night of pleasure.
The red lady put her arms around his neck and kissed the prince with fervour. The prince returned her favour with equal intensity, sinking into her kiss.
The passionate couple left the pub in a hurry as every touch set their skin on fire and their physical desires intoxicated their minds. They stumbled into a nearby hotel groggily, their eyes only having each other.
The heat of their desires turned them animalistic and they spent a wild night in bed.
Hours later, the couple laid in bed, snuggling against each other. The Mietitore prince was on cloud nine, the experience was out of the world.
They were catching up on the pre one-night-stand conversations and Angelo realised they had a lot in common. The red beauty attended The White Mountain Academy for one year before migrating to the next city, the Trench. Now she is back for good and would be starting again at the academy.
It felt like a fairytale, happy things knocking on his door one after another.
"What's your name, sweetheart?"
"It's Jessica Gold, my love."
Oof, looks like Rafael and Julian's OTP couple is in trouble!
Thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter! :)