Gianna Romano
Emery led the way as I helped Devonte up to his room. Thank heavens he has an elevator in his home otherwise this would've been a mission. Some of the other staff were going to bring his bags up but my main focus for now was getting him situated so that I could clean and redress his wounds, then he could take some medicine and relax for the rest of the day. Emery made sure that I had everything I needed before exiting the room, leaving he and I alone.
I stood in front of him and he watched my every move as I slowly removed his shirt. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time which made me a little nervous and sent all these funny sensations down my spine. Once I'd gotten his shirt off, I helped him lay flat on his back on the bed before sitting on the edge next to him. All the while his eyes remained glued to me. I grabbed everything I needed off the bedside table and started the process of redressing his wounds.
"So tell me," he started, watching precisely what I was doing "where did you learn all this?"
"Well, when my mother died shortly after giving birth to me, my father needed someone to be there for me while he was gone. After all, he was still the boss. He hired Vittoria. She's pretty much to me what I assume Emery is to you. She became my motherly figure and she helped me keep in touch with my roots seeing as though she's half black like myself. She was a nurse before being hired by us and taught me everything I would possibly need to know."
"Damn, I ain't know all that. Sorry to hear about your mom."
I shrugged. "It honestly doesn't bother me much, though I do wish I'd gotten to meet her or at least be in her presence just one time. Vittoria helped me a lot though."
"I feel that. Not so much the same scale as you, but Emery is a second mom to me. I don't see mine very often nowadays but we speak on the phone here and there. Our relationship wasn't always strong, I was too close to my dad for that. She never wanted me on be in this life, more so after what happened to my dad. I think that's why she stays away." He sighed and scrunched up his face a little as I carefully applied alcohol to the wounds. "I can't blame the woman though, this shit took away the love of her life. No matter how rocky their relationship may have been at the time, I knew she was more than heartbroken."
"Wait..so you don't see her anymore?"
He shook his head. "Sometimes. She calls on birthdays and all that but it's never quite been the same since dad passed. Our grandma got sick last year and ma's been on Florida ever since. She loves us and we love her, that much is true."
My chest couldn't help but tighten. It hurts to know that someone has a whole mother, perfectly alive and well, yet they barely interact with her or even get to see her. I'm used to not having my mother in my life but I would do anything to see her and speak to her, even if it was just once. I want to know beyond what my father has told me. I want to feel the warmth of a mother's hug and have those petty little arguments - what I wouldn't give to experience it all. At least I know in my heart that she's in a better place and that I'll never walk this Earth alone. She's my guardian angel for sure.
I finished up cleaning and dressing Devonte's wounds before cleaning up my mess and discarding of the rubbish in the small bin next to his bed. Then I quickly grabbed the medication the doctors at the hospital had given us and made sure he took all the necessary pills - ones for pain and ones that would prevent any possible infection. He lay there and stared at me once again, but I watched as his eyes became heavy.
"You're tired?"
"A bit." He replied with a yawn.
"Get some sleep then."
"You sure?"
"Yes. And don't worry about me, I'll call Jordan to show me around."
"Okay." He smiled weakly as I stood up. "And Gianna.."
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For all of this."
"You're welcome. Now get some rest, okay?"
He chuckled but rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, letting out a little sigh. I left his bedroom, shooting a text to Jordan to come show me around the house. I stepped out of the room and jumped immediately when I turned around and Jordan was standing right there. He starting laughing at my shaken expression and I immediately sent a hard punch to his stomach. It knocked the wind out of him. He coughed uncontrollably and clutched his stomach.
"You idiot! I could've stabbed you or something!" I stressed.
"But you didn't." He replied, still laughing his ass off. "You probably don't even have a knife."
"It doesn't even take a knife to stab someone, you should know this."
"Mmm true. So, you want me to show you around huh?"
"Yes sir." I mused, he laughed.
"Well let's get to it then."
He started walking and I did my best to keep up with him while still taking everything in. Devonte's house was nothing short of beautiful. I'm certain he didn't design it though, he had to have hired someone or something because everything just feels like it has had a woman's touch. I mean it's just so beautiful and modern. I'm not saying that a man can't be good at interior design but this house just feels..womanly? Either way it was gorgeous.
There were eight bedrooms - each one was big and beautiful with its own en-suite and of course, with it's own style.
Four offices.
Two separate living rooms - one big one downstairs and a smaller, cosier one upstairs.
A full sized gym.
A games room.
A kitchen to die for.
A more than adequate dining room.
An enormous garage that held many luxury cars.
And much to my surprise, a library.
I'll have to remind myself to ask Devonte about that...let me find out someone as cold and heartless as him likes to read.
"That's pretty much it." Jordan said, concluding the tour on the back patio. "There's a pool and jacuzzi which you're all good to use if you want. The pool house has two extra rooms and is a good space to go if you need some time to yourself. And you'll find the tennis court down the stairs over to the right."
"Y'all have everything, huh?"
"I guess." He laughed before pulling something out of his pocket. "This is a key card. You use it to swipe in and out of the house. It's specifically programmed under your name. It's the same for everyone and is for security purposes."
"Thank you."
"So now that's done, how about I challenge you in the games room?"
I smirked. "Be prepared to lose."
_ _ _
For an hour or two Jordan and Gianna bonded over versing each other at all the different games Devonte had. Jordan won majority of them but Gia was a great competitor for him and made his usually easy wins a lot harder - he'd typically win because he knew these games like the back of his hand. It was safe to say that they'd made a solid connection and a friendship had most definitely formed. They parted ways when Jordan was called by Andre to handle some business a the trap, so Gianna took some time to walk around the house again and get familiar with all her surroundings; mainly the rooms that Jordan pointed out it would be good for her to remember.
On her way down one of the long hallways she bumped into Devonte's head maid Emery. The woman smiled warmly and quickly pulled Gianna in for a hug. Gia was taken back at first but soon wrapped her arms around the lady and hugged her back, feeling a sense of comfort in Emery's arms.
"Thank you for being here for Devonte my dear, it means the world to me that someone cares for him the way you do."
Gianna's eyebrows raised. "The way I do?"
"Oh chile, I see the way y'all look at each other. It's quite clear to an old woman like me. Y'all like each other."
"What? No. Absolutely not."
Emery laughed. "Deny it all you want to sweetheart. The heart wants what the heart wants and if it's Devonte that yours wants then it'll find it's way to him and he will find his way to you." She smiled warmly. "Anywho, let me take you into the kitchen with me. I'm sure you're probably hungry."
"Starving actually." Gianna giggled.
"Great. I'd also like to get to know our new house guest a little too, if that's okay with you dear."
The two headed to the kitchen where one of the chefs was already preparing lunch. Something Italian as requested by Devonte as a gesture to thank Gianna and make her feel more comfortable in his home and this situation. The fragrant aroma tickled her senses immediately and her mouth practically watered at the sight. Everything looked and smelt amazing. A welcomed thing for a girl so far away from home. Once she was seated at the counter, the chef served her and put everything up before leaving for the day. That left Gianna and Emery alone.
Gia said a quick prayer over her food (something she found herself doing a lot more since the shooting and now the stabbing) before taking her first mouthful of food. She moaned in satisfaction at how perfect the dish was. It truly did take her on a trip back home. Emery smiled to herself while beginning to wipe down the other bench tops. She waited for several minutes before finally asking Gianna the first of many questions.
"So dear, what made you come to America?"
Swallowing her mouthful, Gianna looked up at the woman. "University. The ones back home didn't cut it for me and if I am paying so much money for an education, I'd rather it be at a facility that is of good quality. Columbia has the best business program there is and so after a long talk with my father, I ended up here."
"Well you certainly are ambitious." Emery laughed. "It must be hard though, being away from your family. Your mother and father especially."
"Actually...it's just me and papa. My mother died not long after I was born."
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine, you weren't to know. It's an honest mistake that many people have made. I guess because I'm so well put together for being raised with just a father but I had some good women in my life. It's definitely not enough to fill the space of a mother but it was enough to show me how a young woman should be."
"You remind me of my daughter." Emery smiled a little as she did her best to fight back tears that threatened to fall, though this was not visible to Gianna. "S-She was very much like you. Headstrong. Confident. Fearless. Caring."
"She must be a terrific woman then."
"Oh she was. She definitely was."
"Was?" Gianna questioned with her eyebrows raised.
"She..she fell in love. She fell in love with someone she shouldn't have. At least that's what she told me."
Emery paused as the memories of her daughter came flooding into her mind. The tears began to fall. Gianna quickly got up from her seat and walked around the counter, wrapping her arms around Emery who silently sobbed on Gia's shoulder.
"We h-had an argument. The next thing I knew she was gone. She left without a trace a-and I never saw her again. I-I don't know w-what happened to her and I'm afraid that I never will. It's like she vanished off the planet."
"I'm so sorry."
"Don't be sweetheart." Emery said softly and pulled away to wipe her tears. "Some things just happen the way you would never imagine. I loved my daughter, even after she left - I still do. She obviously just loved the man she met a lot more than I thought and I just hope he treated her right, although if she left her family for him I'm sure he did."
Gianna was about to say something when none other than Jessica walked in holding a basket full of washing. She instantly looked at Gia and rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Emery who'd noticed the girl's attitude to Gianna; she wasn't surprised though, Jessica had always been like that with females who seemed to be close to Devonte. She was one to get jealous over small things even though it was clear that Von would never be in any type of relationship with her or even look at her in that way.
"Devonte said to prepare these new sheets, are they to go in his room?"
Emery shook her head. "No, those are specifically for this beautiful young lady right here."
"Oh."
"Mmm so go ahead and make her bed up and then I'll show her up there. Put some extra pillows on there too."
Jessica huffed and started walking out of the room. Gianna snickered lowly and Emery smirked.
"And Jessica?" The girl turned to look at the woman. "It's Mr Wilson, remember? Devonte doesn't like others addressing him by his first name. Maintain that practice at all times honey."
As expected Jessica stormed off. Instantly Gianna burst out laughing, not believing how insanely cool Emery was. For an older lady she sure could be mischievous and cheeky when she wanted to be and Gia was certain that they'd grow close in no time.
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Questions + Responses:
Von's room in MM
Y'all got a little backstory on Gianna's mother 😭
Thoughts on Devonte's mother?
Jordan? 🤣
The house?
Thoughts on Emery? 👀😅 I love her!
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