OliviaWe watched as Rachel joined the men, her body swaying from side to side.Anna’s narrowed, but she said nothing. Before Rachel could get Leonardos’ undivided attention, his phone must have rung as he excused himself and took it out, walked away from the group with his phone in hand.“Well, well, it’s time for us to mingle and be merry.” Anna’s voice was light and without a catch of jealousy in it. I nodded as she pulled me along and introduced me to the ‘right people’ as she framed it.Her definition of the right people turned out to be more of the De Luca women. It was now easy for me to spot them. We all had the same wristwatches. And for what it was worth, most of them were pretty decent and friendly. They didn’t seem to mind that I was an addition to Leonardo’s fold.As the night wore on, Anna’s confidence rubbed off on me and I had a good time, and forgot how I got there.Leonardo was now talking and to Rachel, who, from the looks of it, was not having a good time.Anna le
LeoI took long strides as I entered the warehouse. My shoes made an irritating sound against the concrete floor. The closer I got to where I knew Stan was keeping our guest, the air smelled of sweat and fresh blood.As I approached the door, I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt. The difference between the event I was at and the hell-hole I was about to enter, the irony of it all, did not escape me. Stan immediately came over when he heard me. “Hows our guest, the usual, I hope.” I asked him. “I’m sorry boss, this one doesn't have any of the marking on Diablos’ man, and he won’t say who sent him.” "Ok. interesting." They all kept their mouths shut at first, in the name of honor. But they always talked in the end, always.If he was not ready to play along, we just needed to wait it out.The smell of blood filled my nostrils as I entered the lit room where our guest was.“My men say you refuse to talk.” I said, no time for pleasantries.“Who the fuck are you?” the man shouted from
LeoThe cold of the night as we stepped out of the car in a deserted field made me wish I had taken a thicker coat.Stan threw the shovels to the ground, took off his jacket, and started working. I didn’t envy his job.While he worked, I walked around the empty field, thinking of all the possibilities of how I was going to stick it to Diablo when he discovered I knew of his secret graveside.When I got back, Stan was knee deep into what was supposed to be a shallow grave. Maybe the man was wrong about this spot, but I refused to let my hopes fade.“Anything?” I asked Stan.“Nothing yet, Boss.” Stan stood and wiped his brow. Although the moon was out tonight, it was not enough to give us light. I had brought with me a flashlight to make the work run more smoothly.I took out the small paper where I had made notes while the man was talking. “We are in the right spot.” I said, more to convince myself than anyone else.Not only were we at the right spot, in fact if the man was right, the e
LeoMy car came to a stop in front of the mansion, the front door opened and Anna came out. She needed to stop doing this, waiting for me.“You didn’t have to stay up.” I say to her.“Where you able to fix the problem?” She asked, and I stopped. “What problem?” I was being deliberate in not giving into what she wanted. “Stan said there was a security breach at the warehouse.”“Stan has a big mouth, that’s all.” I didn’t feel like fishing about what else Stan must have told her.“And did you hear what I said? She is gone, Leo.” She reminded me, holding my hand. I knew that because it had been the only thing I could think about all the way from that deserted field.“She couldn’t have gone far, ill send some men to go look for her.” I removed my hand from her grip and walked ahead.“Was the problem that bad?” she took gigantic steps behind me and we entered the mansion. “Trust me, you don’t want to know any of it.” the night’s events were the last thing I wanted to talk about, even t
Olivia The sound of birds chirping woke me up, and I stirred. I’d been sleeping against a tree and my body felt it, but that was the least of my troubles. I felt the damp earth from underneath me and sighed. I looked at the golden sky. The sun would be out soon. Standing on my feet, I picked up the duffel bag and threw it on my shoulder. I needed to get moving before the morning rays shone through the trees. This morning was better than last night. I could navigate better in the light than I did in the dark. I shifted the duffel bag to my other shoulder. It weighed a ton than it did last night. All the little trinkets from the estate, a ticket to my freedom.Now that I knew which direction the sun would come from, I started walking in a new direction but away from the estate. I needed to hitchhike and get as far away from Leonardo’s claws as possible.Another decision I had come to during the night when my buttocks froze against that tree trunk was how much of mysel
OliviaI threw the duffel bag to the ground and stood against the nearest tree.“It must be heavy.” A voice said, and I tried to take hold of the bag once more, but it wouldn't budge.Leaves rustled against the new comers weight and I looked around for something I could use as a weapon, anything. I saw a twig, and I grabbed it and waited.“I have a weapon, mister.” I voiced out loud, hoping I could scare them away, whoever they were.“And I have a gun.” The man said. Sounding amused.Now he was playing games with me. My eyes darted from side to side. I needed to do something, but what? I shifted against the trunk of the tree and waited.He peeped his head from behind a tree. Damn it, It was the last face I wanted to see“You don't look happy to see me,” Leonardo said. What an understatement of the century.“Just great. What now?” I threw the twig to the ground and folded my arms.“Here we are. You trying to escape and me finding you? I call it fate. What do you think?”“I call it a ni
OliviaTwo days passed since the encounter at the bar and I tried to forget about the strange man and his proposal.But it was hard, who was he and how did he find and I didn't buy the crap about his friend.Soon I put him out of my mind. It was a Saturday and Eliza and I killed the time by going to our local market, looking for antiques.Although ill be gone for an entire year, that didn't stop us from doing what we loved the most, browsing.Eliza wondered around while I inspected an ugly but interesting china set. “Looks like the thing my grandmama would have loved.” A voice said.Without paying much attention, I smiled, “Mine too.”I couldn't help but think of my grandmother and her sunny kitchen with outdated flower wall paper.There had been so much love in that kitchen.I looked around some more and noticed that Eliza was busy somewhere else. Our tastes differed, but when we had had ou
Leonardo Finding Olivia in my room was no surprise. I was only surprised that she had taken that long to snoop around. It seemed everyone in their right mind was always interested in seeing what one got up to. Maybe they thought I hanged dead men and skulls everywhere. She jumped when I showed up, a bit on edge; maybe the shopping I heard about with Anna hadn't gone well. My security system had alerted me to someone opening my room; my gut feeling had told me already that it wouldn't be Rosa so late, and I knew Anna wouldn't overstep this boundary. This left only one person who didn't know about the Sentrum. Olivia. “Let's sit.” I said and guided her to a comfortable couch the moment I realized she looked like she was ready to pass out. Despite the intrusion, when my eye saw the exposed delicate skin, I couldn't deny how much I wanted her. I brushed my face with my hand; I was making a mess of an already tricky situation. This was not how things were supposed to go. S
OliviaThe rest of the shopping passed in a blur. I couldn't eat or enjoy the day.As soon as we arrived back at the mansion. I was soaked in cold sweat.“Are you okay?” Anna asked.I'd been quiet the entire drive. "I'm not sure.” I said.“The dress sizes messed up your day, hey?” She asked.“Yes. Something like that.”“I'm sorry and for what it's worth. I can't even see the weight.”My weight was the last thing on my mind. I couldn't give a rat's ass if I weighed five hundred pounds; in fact, I would welcome it more than the misery I was in.“I think I'll lie down before dinner.”“Okay, sweetie.”Nothing made sense; how the heck did I go from being a slave to being a spy?I didn't care who said what; this was a suicide mission. Leonardo would kill me on the spot if he found out.When sleep didn't come, I got up from the bed and went downstairs.I didn't even know the mansion that well.“Hello, Rosa.”“Miss Olivia.” She abandoned her shopping bags and walked over to the island.“Shoul
Olivia “You’re up early,” Anna remarked as I appeared on the landing. “I could say the same thing about you.” I said, I hadn't seen much of her. “Where did you go yesterday with Leo?” She asked, walking to the breakfast table. Yes, yesterday. My entire day was spent with Leonardo, beginning at the Zeus family club. Later, when his ride arrived, he changed his mind about taking me home and going to the office, instead we enjoyed a city drive. In the evening, we ate at an Italian bistro. The atmosphere of the bistro alone was enough to have my tongue wagging about my life. And that had been the highlight of the evening for me. “Some Italian bistro downtown; I can't remember the name.” I said vaguely and Anna made a face. Anna was a princess kind of girl and wanted to be treated like one everyday. “The things Leo sometimes does can leave one wondering, what do they do with all that money?” “What money?” “The family wealth, duh, but once we marry, I'm going to bring
Leonardo We made it to club Zeus, one of the club that the family owned. I wouldn't have chosen it for today, but it was the closest to the restaurant.“What are we doing here? It's a club?” Olivia asked as she looked around the quiet opulent space.“I know. I thought you might need a breather from those shoes.” I said, and she looked at her feet, which I was sure were on fire by then.“Yeah, I could do with a rest and then you tell me why you stopped my business meeting.”“Then come this way.” I said and led her upstairs to an office I used when I came to the club.“ You know this place well.” It was a statement and a question all in one.“Yes, I do.”I opened the door, and she walked in. Since my mom handled the interior design of our businesses, I happily shared the space with her. This office, while less furnished than my others, featured a couch near a window with a view of the busy street below.I took a chair behind the mahogany desk that I kept bare except for a desktop, and
Olivia When I opened the menu, I realized I wouldn’t have been found dead there. The prices would pay for my share of the apartment, and I would still have some change left. “Who did you say we were meeting?” Leonardo asked. I bet he was thinking the same thing about the prices, although I knew he could afford anything on the menu without batting an eyelid; he was curious as to who my date was, just as I was. “I didn’t. I said I was meeting someone to discuss business; you were not invited. You were supposed to be my escort and not ask questions.” I looked at my wristwatch; Vincent was running late.Half an hour later, the server cleared our plates, and I noticed Vincent walk through the door and look. “He’s here.” I said and got up from my chair. He walked over and shook my hand. When I turned to introduce Leonardo, the atmosphere had changed; he looked like something carved out of stone. “De Luca,” Vincent said, his hand outstretched. “What a pleasant surprise.” Leonardo di
Olivia The rest of the day, I waited for Leonardo to come back home so I could confront him about his words, but he didn’t. I sat the whole day and night until the early hours of the morning waiting for his car to pull up in the driveway, but neither he nor his minions showed their faces. Rosa had left right before nine after she had asked me about a million times if there was anything she could make, but there was none. I didn’t feel like chewing anything. Once convinced that they would not be returning home, I made my way upstairs; there was no point in waiting. I went through my closet and found the business card I had brought back with me. I looked at the business card in my hand. The clock next to my bed said it was four; most people I knew would be asleep, but Vincent hadn’t struck me as most people. I walked out back downstairs; the only place I had seen a phone in the house was the kitchen. Although I had no use for it before, I dialed the number on the card and waited.
Olivia Although Leonardo had left me more confused than ever when he spoke with riddles, there was only one person that I knew who could decode the whole message for me. I walked through the house and to the backyard. Anna was sitting under a gazebo painting. This was the first time I had seen her doing anything other than sipping a cocktail. “Hey you,” she called to me as soon as she heard me coming. “Hey,” I said, looking at the canvas in front of her. “This is really good. I didn't know you painted.” I was surprised at her hidden talent. “Sometimes,” she put the paintbrush in a liquid solution. “I was feeling jittery with nerves; I needed something to calm me down.” “I see.” I moved into the shade, picked a foldable chair, and sat. “That knitted brow on your face tells me that there is something you want to get off your chest. What is it.” I was not aware that I was such an open book. I straightened my back and sat up straighter. “As a matter of fact, there is.” I said.
OliviaI woke up feeling hungry and exhausted from the tossing and turning I did last night.The white light that flooded the room didn't help matters, but the smell of fresh coffee and toast had me smiling to myself.Rosa. Rosa.I put my feet on the floor to slip into my slippers, stretched and my tired bones gave that wonderful crackling sound. To say I had a poor sleep would be an understatement of the century.I had a nightmare after nightmare, all starring the same person.As I turned around with a loud, unladylike yawn, I almost jumped out of my skin. The starring of my nightmares had manifested into reality and was sitting at my dining nook.Leonardo had a cup of coffee in one hand and a paper in the other.That must have been the coffee I had smelled.“Are you going to stand there and stare or?” He asked.Judging by the way his body didn't move a muscle, I hadn't realized that he was aware of me standing there.“I think the relevant question is, what are you doing in my room?”
Leonardo I looked at the dark liquid swirling around my glass. My mood was just as dark. I was not one to be taken over by emotions, but I was having a hard time ignoring what I was feeling. The feeling tasted something like rejection. I had been in a good mood before dinner, and afterwards I was totally something else. I refused to let one woman have such power over me. Sitting at the table and watching Olivia turn into different shades and stiffen in my presence had taken the joy out of my evening. What if she regretted our time together this afternoon? I had no way of knowing, and to ask her would be letting her in on my feelings, something that was not about to happen. A light knock sounded before Cici poked his head in the door. "Drinking alone?" He asked. Walking into the library. "Care to join me?" I beckoned for him to come over. "Why would a man living in a house with two beautiful women hide himself in a library?" "You said it yourself. He lives with two women, as