A/N: If you read until this chapter, thank you so much! Please let me know if there's grammatical error, thank you. Enjoy!
I turned my head towards Lio's view. There were three tall, strapping men approaching from the end of the entrance hall to our private room. They wear complete formal suits. The attire they wore complemented their well-built frame. If I were another person, I'd be drooling over their appearance.
Lio and I both stood up. Lio introduced me to the person on the far left. "Alessandra, this is Dante, he's my second oldest brother." Dante smiled and shook my hand. I saw tattoo on his wrist, the back of his right palm, and his neck. It seemed that he had tattoos covered his entire right arm. "Greetings, Alessandra. Nice to meet you," he greeted me with smile.
"Nice to meet you too, Dante." His demeanor really opposed what I had in mind about him.
"And this is my younger brother, Damien," the person in the middle. Well he looked the youngest of them. Damien shook my hand without a smile at all, and I did not feel any hospitality emanating from this young man. His cold attitude was very different from that of Elio and Dante. Are they really siblings?
As for the last man ... his eyes that are as sharp as eagle's eyes did not stop watching me from the first moment he saw me. As if peeling me from the outside, I felt skinned by his eyes. It sent chill down my spine to be near him. Somehow, he gave the impression that he was a dangerous person.
"And this is Angelo, our eldest brother."
-
This time I ordered steak. Yeah I know I'm such a glutton. I can't have this luxury at home, what's wrong with enjoying to my heart's content? you only live once. After all, Elio wouldn't fall into poverty just because of this. I remained silent while Elio was babbling with Dante and Damien.
"Alessandra, how's your life going?" Dante tried to break the awkward atmosphere between us.
Like shit. Mama hasn't come home until today, her mysterious job, my father whose whereabouts was still unknown, my mother who can't be open to me, debt collectors who constantly showed up, bullies who couldn't leave me alone, rumours that kept spreading at school—
"It's fine, thanks for asking."
He just nodded.
"Elio often talked about you. You're the brightest kid at school, I heard you're the only one scholarship grantee?" he asked again. It was very apparent that he attempted to try to get closer and break the transparent ice wall that existed between me and them.
"Yes, that's true," I smiled a little.
"Woah that's cool. How about the way he teaches? Is it easy to understand?"
"Yes, my friends admitted it too."
"I told you, no need to worry. I'm a great teacher, bro." He declared it proudly.
"You've never taught anyone before, it's only natural we want to know," said Damien while cutting his Foie Gras.
After we finished eating, they ordered for a dessert and wine. Because I am still underage, I could only drink orange juice while eating choco lava. I was too absorbed in enjoying my dessert, until I didn't realize that there had been a pair of eyes that didn't stop observing me. Like a tiger lurking its deer.
"How was your school, Alessandra?" his deep voice came out. I looked at the owner of that voice sitting at the end of the table, right next to me. His chin rested on his two interlocked hands. This man managed to intimidate me with just his voice.
"It's ... fine. The others are nice, there is no social disparity among us. We are all good friends." I tried to give him smile.
"Then ..." he brushed off a few strands of hair covering the red stain on my jacket. "What is this?"
I felt like room temperature dropped a few degrees drastically. It's cold even though it's dry season. Silent. No one spoke, even though I had heard Dante and Elio joking with laughter earlier. I widened my gaze ahead, four eyes fixed on me. Damien's gaze was very sharp and piercing, worse than before. There was no hospitality at all in Dante's eyes, he seemed to be replaced by someone else. They are all waiting for my answer.
All I could do is holding this dessert spoon tightly and staring at the remaining half of chocolava. I gulped.
"A mosquito perched on my jacket. So I patted it." I replied softly, while stirring the dessert in front of me without looking away from it. After hearing my answer, he clicked his tongue.
"At least look into the eyes of your interlocutor, Alessandra. That will make you sound more convincing." Checkmate. He is like a snake that is strangling its prey, which is me. My breath hitched. He can't possibly know the truth right?
I looked at him spontaneously. Even this body cannot refute his orders. His jaw hardened; eyes darkened. It was clear that he didn't accept my answer earlier. Maybe he loathed being lied to. But why does he have to be this angry? he doesn't need to know the truth, that was none of his business.
"But It's true, though. There was indeed a mosquito that landed on my jacket. I immediately patted it unaware of its blood that could stain my jacket," I tried to speak loudly without shaking in fear.
The look in his eyes immediately changed as he took a deep breath. He looked ... relented? From the tail of my eye, Dante seemed to want to speak but changed his mind, while Damien clenched his right fist on the table while shaking his head.
"What the fuck?!" he opened his mouth to bark. It startled me. His whole body trembled from repressing his rage. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His eyes bulged, his fingers that were clenched now pointing at me. "This kid is obviously lying!" he was furious over something he shouldn't be concerned at all about. "There are people who hurt her and—"
"Damien." His name was called by the man who sat at the end of this table. His calm expression was in stark contrast to Damien who already exploded with wrath.
Although Angelo spoke without a high note that could rival Damien's voice, his voice was very much heard by all of us.
"Control yourself." Short, solid, clear, and absolute. Like a bomb that has been successfully defused, Damien lowered his hand. He rolled his eyes, sighed violently and shook his head. Why did he have to be so angry?
Compared to Damien who was very temperamental and could explode at any time, Angelo's calm nature that showed no expression was far more sinister.
We never know what kind of monster lives in that calm water, and how deep the water is. If you made a wrong move, you can be trapped and eaten by the monster or sink and die.
That's my first impression about him.
The atmosphere was so tense and divided when Angelo straightened his seat and stood up. We followed his move. "Nice to meet you, Alessandra," he said.
We left the restaurant. Damien and Dante have got into their respective sports cars, so did Lio. I was going to Lio's car, but Angelo's voice stopped me.
"I advise you not to cover up those who have hurt you, it's pointless." Then he walked and got into the same car Dante got into.
During the trip to my home, I intended to pry some information. The way they behaved and treated me was strange. Especially the oldest one. Lio was also weird, there is no way a normal and sane person would buy luxury goods to a stranger they just met and then introduced the said stranger to their family on the fourth day after getting to know that person.
Also, why were they abnormally curious about me? I'm just nobody for them. It didn't make any sense.
I squeezed my skirt and tried to steal a glance at Lio. I cleared my throat. Trying to break the silence.
"Is there anything you'd like to ask?" he spoke, without glancing at me.
Tons. I squeezed my skirt tighter.
"I don't understand. You only know me for a few days but bought me this and that. You even introduced me to your family. What's your intention?" I knew asking this is like digging my own grave. Usually, if the target has sniffed the villain's evil plan, chances are the target will be killed. And I must play their game if I want to survive. Instead of expressing their plans so openly.
That's what usually happened in movies, isn't it?
"Besides, what do you want from me? If you planned to abduct me, forget it. I won't be of no use to you. Or do you intend to harvest my organs and sell them at the black market? If you do, can I meet my mother for the last time?"
He bursted out laughing.
"So that's what you have in mind?"
"Yes! isn't it obvious?! No one in their right minds would do this to someone they just met. If you were in my shoes, you'd be rightly scared. Well, stuffs like this always happened in movies," I explained.
"You watched too many movies. On the contrary, we aren't like that. We mean no harm to you at all. So, toss aside your prejudices against us, okay?"
"It still doesn't answer my question."
"Which is?"
"Your reason behind all of this."
"Because I'm a good guy," he answered inattentively.
"That still doesn't explain anything," I didn't want to back down.
"It doesn't have to, since there is no need to explain anything." Neither did he.
"In that case, how am I supposed to be sure that you all mean no harm to me?" I dared him to answer this question.
"If we really intended to do bad things to you, we would've done it before you know it. Moreover, you are merely just a kid." Well, he got a point. I fell silent, relented.
Silence struck again. But my curiosity is still there.
"Damien said you never teach anybody before. What's your previous job?"
"I'm an accountant, teaching is only a side job."
"What about Angelo? Is he always like that?" why did he act like that towards me in the restaurant?
"Like what?"
"Analysing and judging people he just met. His attitude is so cold and so authoritarian, why is he like that? Is that really necessary?"
"Yes. There are several factors behind it. But in broad outline, it's the circumstances and his job that makes him that way. He bears enormous responsibility on his shoulders."
"What does he do?"
"He manages our entire family business."
My curiosity is getting out of the roof. "Business? What kind of business?"
We entered the main road, then stopped in front of a small alley. My house is in a small alley and a car wouldn't fit into it. He just drove me to the front of this little alley. I was about to open the door, he answered:
"It's confidential."
-
"The way he teaches is easy to understand. Handsome, smart, totally my type, hehe." Vanessa said with sparkling eyes. "He always tended to look at you in the class, didn't he? glancing at you on various occasions." It's currently our break time, we sat together face to face in cafeteria. She bought a hamburger and I could only buy sweet iced tea.
Well, she got a point. That person is really strange. My mind drifted back to that day when he bought me many expensive stuffs, he made me wandering around the mall until late. Luckily, mama hasn't come home yet.
Until today.
"How would I know, you can ask him in person. He's right behind you."
She looked back spontaneously, and back at me, sour-faced. "Damn you, Les." I bursted out laughing.
Suddenly my legendary not so smartphone vibrated, notifying me I got one WhatsApp message. I looked at its notification that appeared at the top of the cracked screen. From mama.
Mama
[I can't be home tonight. I have extra works and can't be replaced by other staff here. If you need anything, I already saved some money for you in the usual moneybox. Don't forget to lock the house, honey. All windows must be locked too. I'm sorry for just telling you now. Please be careful, my love.]
It's the fifth day and Mama hasn't come home yet. I was worried sick because I hadn't heard anything at all from her until this message appeared. What exactly is she doing?
I hope she doesn't fall ill and is always careful. I pressed the notification button that showed the chat preview andy typed the reply message.
[Okay ma, please take care. When will u come home?]
Delivered 10:15
"By the way, did you know? I heard from my father that The Plastic was expelled from school yesterday," she said. Vanessa's father is a Vice Principal here. The information that came from her mouth about regarding this kind of matter is certainly not a hoax.
"How come? Didn't they have privileges that can't be contested?" no matter how delinquent they are, there shall be no penalty imposed.
"Well, maybe not anymore," she shrugged. My mind shifted to what Lio said back then:
But if they really bothered you, just give me names.
So this is what he meant?
But I didn't tell anyone what happened yesterday.
How did he know?