1 | Lucrezia's Past

It had been ten years since the last time Lucrezia saw that guy, yet he was still lingering in Lucrezia’s memory. Growing up as a lady, Lucrezia never lacked handsome and wealthy men around her. However, inexplicably, only one guy who could attract her heart. The guy wasn't even from a noble family. He was just a gardener in one of the mansions of Lucrezia’s family in Verona.

When she was sixteen, Lucrezia fell in love with flower. She often lingered in the garden owned by her late grandmother. Many roses thrived there, also daisy and lily of the valley. All those beautiful flowers made her life less stifling.

The insistence of being the perfect young lady of Verga, one of the distinguished families throughout Italy, made Lucrezia not free to be herself. Her appearance could not be blemish. Her behavior had to be perfect and was not allowed to deviate from manners. Her grades in school should be high. Her friends should not hear her complain. And most importantly, she had to be able to become an example for his two younger sisters, Clara and Clarissa.

It was at that time, someone came up to her in the garden.                                                                                              

"Do you know the meanings of flower, Miss?"                                                                              

Lucrezia looked up. A dark brown-haired young man spoke to her. His face was more exquisite than the marble statues of Greek gods that engraved on the gate of her mansion. The young man was dressed in shabby clothes. A loose white shirt was opened up to the third button, unbranded. And a pair of jeans happened to be torn in some parts. Surprisingly, none of that faded the young man's beauty in Lucrezia's eyes.

The girl's heart beat wildly. Her cheeks flushed. She tried to answer stammeringly, like a stuttering girl who had never learned manners. Her brain froze. Not a word came out of her mouth.

"If you want, I can take you walking around the garden while explaining about the meaning of these flowers." Said the young man again.

Without thinking too much, Lucrezia accepted the young man's offering hand.

The grasp of the young man's hand was so warm and calm. His hands were big and strong. Likewise, his body was burly for the size of an eighteen-year-old teenager. It might be caused by the demands of the job, Lucrezia thought, while she was trying to normalize her ever-hunting breath beside the young man.

"Do you work here?" Lucrezia asked after she finally managed to rediscover her voice.

The young man laughed as he looked at the odd Lucrezia. "Of course, Miss. I've been working here since you were eight years old. Maybe you don't know me, but I know you very well."

Lucrezia gaped in disbelief. There had to be a handsome young man who lived in her own house since eight years ago, but the girl never knew! How futile.

"What's your name?" Lucrezia asked.

"Luciano Romano, at your service." The young man replied politely, while bowing his head slightly.

"Romano? Like the billionaire surname Romano?"

Luciano laughed. "No, miss. It's just a coincidence that the name is the same."

Lucrezia nodded in trust. It's impossible for the famous Romano family to let one of his children work as a gardener, right?

***

Since that time, Lucrezia had been going to the garden more and more often. She was always excited to go home after school. Her friends were often taking her to hang out or just going to the coffee shop, but Lucrezia chose to spend her time in the back garden of the mansion. Together with Luciano.

Luciano had been just graduated from high-school. Lucrezia did not expect that in addition to being very handsome, Luciano was apparently also a bright student. Every day, for months, Lucrezia held an afternoon picnic in the garden. Sometimes, Luciano taught her algebra. If she wasn't in the mood to study, Luciano would pluck the guitar and play beautiful songs for her.

"Didn't you have piano lessons today?" One afternoon, Luciano reminded her.

Lucrezia sighed lazily. "I don't like the teacher, Luciano."

"Why?"

"He's a flirtatious guy trying to seduce me." Lucrezia sighed again.

The look on Luciano's face turned thick. "What if I come in your piano lesson? He wouldn't dare to mess around if you weren't left alone, would you?"

Lucrezia smiled sweetly. Then, her smile turned into a carefree laugh. "Boy, what's the matter? Are you jealous, Luciano?"

Luciano was amazed "Wh-what do you mean? Why could it be me-"

"It's okay." Lucrezia looked amused at the sight of Luciano's face that was already as red as a boiled crab.

"It's okay?"

"It's okay if you want to accompany me on piano lessons." Lucrezia retorted calmly.

Luciano nodded. He immediately sorted out their picnic equipment deftly. Cloth blankets, rattan baskets filled with foods, as well as bottles of fresh fruit juice. The piano was nothing new to him. When in school, he often secretly sneaked up on learning piano in music classes.

"And it's okay if you're jealous of me." Lucrezia said again. This time, her sentences successfully made Luciano drop the bottles in his hands.

***

Lucrezia's closeness to Luciano grew more intense. The heartache and loneliness of being left behind by her mother who remarried to a film producer made Lucrezia need a friend. She couldn't let go of Luciano who understood him very well.

And she could not let go of Luciano, because she was aware that she had fallen in love with the young man. Her feelings were so strong that she didn’t care about what others want to say.

Her relationship with Luciano was first sniffed out by her nemesis, Dona Zappa. At school, Dona came to Lucrezia overtly and cornered the girl.

"In front of all the friends, let's say, do you have a boyfriend?" Dona lured Lucrezia.

Lucrezia remained silent and lowered her eyes. She didn't choose this. She didn't want to be hostile to Dona just because her family had a business competition with Dona's family.

"I heard that you are dating your own gardener, Lucrezia. Is it true?"

Lucrezia was taken aback, but remained tight-lipped.

Lucrezia's silence confirmed the truth of it. The gossip immediately spread widely and reached the ears of Primo Zappa, Dona's older brother who was planned to be betrothed with Lucrezia to strengthen the relationship between the two families. Primo could not accept and complained to his father. Then things got out of hand when Primo's father complained to Lucrezia's father.

That night, Lucrezia was severely beaten by her father. Not stopping there, her father also threatened to hit her younger siblings if Lucrezia would not break up with Luciano. Luciano was fired, but he would not leave. In the past, before his mother died, she worked in this mansion. The Verga family mansion was a home to Luciano. He couldn't leave all her mother's memories here.

And neither could he leave the sweet Lucrezia.

Therefore, Lucrezia's father gave Lucrezia an ultimatum. "If you don't succeed in driving the f*cking kid away from here for good, I will finish him off. Keep that in mind, Lucrezia!"

***