Don't Lie To Me

“The Donatello's must be the ones behind my attack. I rejected their deal, and now they want me dead.” Alessandro mused, taking a sip of his steaming black coffee.

While Salvatore, his uncle, took another calming puff of his Cuban cigar.“You just took over the family, Sandro. You need a show of strength.” 

Alessandro laid his steaming coffee on the side table and reached for the inner pocket of his blazer. “Yeah, that, but I need to handle something first.” He pulled out the student ID card from his pocket, motioning it to his bodyguard, “Track this lady down.” He ordered, and burly Jax nodded, taking the card from him.

“Okay, boss,” he responded and walked out of the room.

***

                                                  

At the other end of the city was Camilla, standing behind the counter with Ruby sitting idly on the chair in the bakery.

“I can't believe you lost my college ID,” Ruby whined, and for the first time all morning, she looked away from her phone. “Why are you so careless?”

“Careless?” Camilla scoffed while pressing icing sugar on the cupcakes, “Next time, carry your purse with you when going to meet another of your hotties.”

“My hotties, you say,” Ruby laughed, “at least I'm not the one who stood all night without a glance from the rich, hot guys, or even the broke, obese ones.”

Camilla stopped icing the cakes and raised her gaze to meet hers with an arched brow. “Point of correction. This hottie standing before you,” she said, pointing at herself, “got approached by another hottie. Hell, I kissed him, and he disappeared. I think he was stabbed or something. It was weird.”

“Holy hell, Camilla. You don't have to make shit up to impress me.” Ruby responded with a smirk and continued playing a game on her phone.

Camilla exhaled in annoyance, “Yeah, like I'd make that up.” 

She finished with the icing on the last cupcake, moving over the counter to get the flour for the pie. Her eyes scanned the room, and she grimaced at the sight. “Come on, Ruby, clean the table; it's a mess.” 

“I'm having a hangover. Do it.” Ruby yawned, and Camilla's breath caught in her throat at her excuse.

 “What? A Hangover? Are you not playing a game there?” She said in a low voice, fighting the urge to yell.

“Yeah, it seems the hangover lets me play games only.” Ruby responded, and a scowl smeared Camilla's face.

“Come on! Clean the darned table.”

“The table is gross. Clean it yourself.” Ruby shot back with a raised voice, not ever unplugging her gaze from the phone.

“I won’t do it. I can't do everything alone. This is OUR business. Together.” Camilla stretched the last word, and Ruby rolled her eyes at her and sprang to her feet.

“Yeah, we were best friends when we set up this stupid bakery together, but like I always told you, I'm a college graduate now. Things have changed. Since you have barely finished high school, you might never understand what I mean until you get to that level.”

Ruby's words cut through her resolve and self-esteem like a red-hot sword: “Yeah, thanks for rubbing it in all the time.” She muttered between gritted teeth, and Ruby laughed as she strode out of the bakery.

“Can you at least deliver this?” Camilla ran after her and handed her the well-packaged cupcakes.

After a thorough once-over, Ruby snagged the box from Camilla and walked out the door. Camilla prayed vehemently for an opportunity to conk her head, to conk some sense into her as she walked around to the counter.

***

Ruby squinted her eyes against the bright landscape once she got outside.

“Shit!” She screamed when a car almost jammed into her, “Can't you see?” She shouted at whoever was driving.

Her jaw dropped on the floor when she saw the car that almost hit her. It was a gleaming black Rolls Royce Cullinan. The type used to carry movie stars. She knew it was well worth over a million dollars.

An elderly man with salt and pepper hair stepped out of the driver's side and walked around the back of the car to open it.

And she lost her breath when she saw the rugged profile of the young man who stepped out of the car. His height, combined with his broad shoulders, made him intimidating and undeniably attractive. 

“Is this yours?” He reached out to give her her identity card. “Ruby Rose?”

She took the card from him and looked at it. It is truly hers. “Yeah, who are you?” Ruby asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“My name is Alessandro Morano. You saved my life.”

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but it only worked like a fish, and no word tumbled out.

“Here,” he said, giving her a check, “consider it as a token of appreciation.”

“Okayyy,” she collected the check from him. SHIT! She screamed in her mind when she saw a sum of a hundred thousand dollars written on the paper. Camilla wasn't lying when she said she had saved someone, and now this rich eye candy thinks she is Camilla. I'll pretend to be the reincarnation of Elvis for that much money, Ruby thought.

“It's wonderful to see you again,” Ruby said. “Take this; it will make you feel better.” She gave him the box of cupcakes Camilla had given her earlier, and he took it from her and gave it to his driver.

“And if you ever run into trouble, give me a call,” he said, stuffing his hands in his blazer pocket and giving Ruby his business card.

“Okay,” Ruby responded, and he and his driver entered inside his car.

***

“Drive me to the Afro Palms,” Alessandro ordered his driver and zoomed away from Ruby. After a few minutes, they arrived at Afro Palms. It was his personal retreat. He and his driver were leaning on the car as they discussed.

“This tastes like the ones Nonna used to make.”

 Alessandro groans in pleasure when he bites into the cupcake.

“Yeah, I remember those days,” the driver smiled as he recalled the memories. “I used to sneak it out of the kitchen whenever she looked the other way.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Alessandro replied with a small smile.

“Hey, give me one of those,” the driver asked, and he saw the switch in Alessandro's eyes. His eyes had a dangerous glint to them. “You don't have to give…”

“You have been serving this family for years,” Alex interrupted him. “I'm sorry it has to go down this way.”

The driver raised his brows in confusion, his mouth agape, “What? I don't understand.

Alessandro sent him a deathly stare, leaning in close to him. “I know you are the one who gave away my location on the night I was attacked,” Alex said, and the driver's heart missed a beat. “You broke my heart,” Alessandro finished and leaned away from him.

“No! No! No!” he protested. Before he could utter another word, Jax shot him from behind, and he crumpled to the floor. 

Alessandro felt a sense of guilt wash over him for killing yet another person, but he shook it off. His death was well deserved. He plucked one of the cupcakes from the box and put it in the driver's hands and mumbled in a low, rumbling voice, “I hate it when people lie to me.”