Who Reaches Whom

That certain pair of icy blue eyes were wordlessly gazing at the huge image of her on the screen in front of him on the wall. His gaze took its moment to analyse every detail of her face. From her forehead to her straight pointed nose to down towards her heart shaped full lips. Her sea-green eyes were holding the allure which was gleaming the tender smile on her lips. Her cheeks were slightly raised, giving a beautiful justice to her round shaped face. 

"Flora Aniya Alfanso…..the daughter of Riccardo Alfanso and Aniya Alfanso," his ear caught his second in command, John, telling him about her but his eyes remained fixed on her face until.

"But Riccardo Alfanso is not her biological father," hearing those words from his man, he finally looked at him.

"Our sources say her mother Aniya Meier used to be a prostitute before meeting Riccardo Alfanso. She escaped from the brothel after she got pregnant with her and when Flora was three, she met Riccardo Alfanso and they both got married a few months after meeting each other," He thoroughly listened to everything.

"Riccardo Alfanso divorced his first wife, Valery Laurier, to marry Aniya Meier as the rumours says Aniya Meier had turned pregnant with Riccardo Alfanso's child when he was married to Valery Laurier because soon after marrying him, she gave birth to his son, Rican Riccardo Alfanso," John continued to inform him and he keenly listened to him.

"Riccardo Alfanso accepted Flora as his own daughter and gave him his name and not only this, Riccardo Alfanso didn't choose his own blood to claim his throne but he chose Flora Alfanso to rule his place after him and for that purpose, he has been training her from the age she turned 10," he revealed every single information to his boss who still didn't part his mouth to utter a single word.

"But in all of this, this world still doesn't know who is Flora Alfanso's biological father," 

Hearing his man, he tilted his head to gaze at her picture again. In complete silence, he continued to peer at the image until his phone started ringing. Taking it out of his pocket, he looked at the name flashing on it. 

Picking up the call, he pressed it against his ear.

"Speak,"

"The information was right. She has come here in this mall with her friends," he heard the informant telling him. His eyes were still focused on her picture.

"Keep your eyes on her every move," he uttered, without taking his eyes away from the picture even for a second.

"Yes, I am keeping my eyes on her. She will…." He heard a loud voice of thudding and his informant words remained incomplete. 

"Listen to me carefully, you fucker," his grip tightened around his phone as he heard that feminine voice seething out at him on the call. That was the first time he was hearing her voice but he already knew who was the possessor of that voice…Flora Aniya Alfanso.

"Be man enough to come in front of me if you want to kill me instead of sending your goons after me and my family," his jaw tickled, listening to her every word. His icy gaze filled with more malice which were peering at her image while his ears were hearing her words.

"But the second I reach you, I will fuck up your entire existence, Armando Zelvasco," 

His knuckles turned pale the way he was fisting his palm. 

"Flora," he heard another female's voice from behind on the call, confirming for him that it was her and after that the phone got disconnected.

Gritting his teeth, he clutched his phone in his grip and pulled it away from his face. 

John silently witnessed the phone's screen cracking on his boss's hold whose eyes were still fixed at her image on the screen. After that, he found his boss throwing his phone on the ground and then he punched the screen, shattering the glass. Her picture faded away from his gaze.

"Let's see, who will fucking reach whom first, Flora Alfanso,"

……………

As Flora didn't return from the trial room for more than 10 minutes, Niley went there to check on her. She looked for her but her eyes enlarged in shock when she finally found her. She was grabbing the neck of a man and was holding him against the wall.

"Flora…." Niley's startled voice made Flora tilt her head. That man took the opportunity of her distraction and pulled onto her long hair harshly as she turned her head. She hissed. The phone fell from her hand whereas her grip loosened which made him shove her away forcefully and then he ran away.

"You…." She tried to run behind him but stopped hearing Niley.

"Flora, are you alright?" Niley dashed towards her and placed her feet over the phone. 

"No….step away from this phone, Niley," Flora slightly pushed her away but it was too late. The phone's screen had already cracked up completely under her feet. She picked up the phone and it looked completely destroyed.

"I am so sorry, Flora. I just panicked by seeing you like that," Niley seemed extremely worried and anxious. Flora sighed. This phone could be off their use to track something about Armando Zelvasco as they still knew nothing about him except for his name and the fact that he wanted her dead as she was Riccardo Alfanso's next heiress.

"It's okay," she said, seeing the guilt and fear on Niley's face. It was not her fault though.

"Are you alright? And who was he?" She questioned Flora. She again exhaled a breath. 

"Let's go from here. I will tell you everything later," 

Niley reluctantly nodded at her and both the girls left from there.

…………

"This phone is completely damaged but I will tell our man to try to retrieve its data," Dario uttered, seeing the broken phone of that man which Flora was showing him and her father.

"Any update about him?" Flora asked her uncle Dario. He shook his head.

"Still nothing. It's like no one knows how he looks or where he lives. We just have the unconfirmed information that he has a huge mark or scar on his left arm which reaches his chest and he overpowered the Zelvasco Cartel after his father's sudden death. It's like he is not even in existence except for his name," 

"Or it might be he lives using different identity or identities, so that no one could ever track him down," Flora spoke out.

"Yes, it could be a possibility and if it is then this thing can result in very much harm. He could be anyone, even someone we know or someone between us," Dario stated, filling Flora with more concern.

"We need to be really very careful now," 

Flora nodded at her uncle and then looked at her father who had been silently listening to everything till now. 

"I will try to retrieve this phone's data," saying that Dario took his leave.

Flora stood up on her feet and walked towards her father. 

"Are you having any second thoughts about sending me away from here, papa?" She asked him, directly. Her bond with her father was more like a bond of a deep friendship. She never had to mould her words in front of him for any reason. She heard her father sighing and in his sigh, she got her answer.

Flora embraced her father because she could clearly sense his fear too. No matter what, before everything, he was her father and he could never compromise with the safety of his child's life for any reason.

"I will drop the idea of leaving if you would want, papa," she said. She would do everything for her family and Riccardo was aware of that. He wrapped his arm around his child.

"You don't have to sacrifice your dreams, especially because you are my daughter, piccola mia," he uttered, caressing her head. Riccardo was aware of her daughter's childhood dream of receiving her higher education in abroad.

"You focus on completing your dreams and…" he paused and took out her face from his chest.

"I will focus on shielding my piccola and her dreams," he pecked at the crown of her head. A smile formed on her face. She never cared about her life because she knew her papa was always around her to protect her from every evil of this world. This might sound like being dependent but she loved this dependency. It provided her with a sense of safety and security.

"Please don't tell momma about what happened today in the mall. She is already stressed about that last attack," she requested her father. He nodded at her, smiling.

"It would be a top secret between me and my Ora," 

Flora giggled at his words and again embraced him and closed her eyes, feeling her father's warmth securing her. This was the serenity every child needed.

…………..

"Ready to leave for the airport?" 

Flora heard her father asking her. She nodded at him and then looked at her mother who was standing at the door of her room. Tears were shimmering in her eyes. Flora's heart turned heavy. She hated this part of goodbyes.

She walked towards her mother and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Don't make me cry, momma. My eyeliner is not waterproof," she tried to lighten up her mood. She felt her mother hugging her more tightly. Riccardo walked towards them.

"Sissy, your friends are here," Rican came and then informed. Flora noticed even her little brother was trying to mask his sadness. She opened her one arm for him.

"I want a group hug, Alfanso family," she uttered and both her father and brother embraced them. They lived a family hug for a moment.

"Now don't be sad. It's just a matter of a couple of years and I will try to come back during my holidays or probably on weekends," she wiped her mother's teary eyes. 

"Or if you would miss me then you all can come there to visit me then we will do a family trip together," 

Aniya smiled for her kid and everyone else beamed too.

"Now let's go or else you will turn late for your boarding," Rican stated, earning a nod from her.

"Take care. I love you all so much," she told her parents and brother. Both her parents kissed both sides of her temple.

"We love you more," 

"I love you too, sissy," Rican hugged her. Chuckling, she hugged him back and then after bidding her goodbyes to her entire family, she left for the airport with her friends.

…………..

"Yes, she has left for the airport with her friends and family," 

He read the text on the phone which caused a barbaric smirk to appear on his face.

"Now your wish of reaching me will get fulfilled very soon, Flora Alfanso,"