I storm through my front door, my briefcase sling over my shoulder, and make a beeline for my office. I have a lot of work to do and couldn't afford to waste any time. As I pass through the kitchen, I hear Clarisse's voice calling out to me, but I ignore her, not wanting to be distracted from my task. "Hey, Ben! Where are you off to?" Clarisse call out, her voice following me into the hallway. "Are you okay? You look a bit flustered." I grit on my teeth, feeling my irritation grow. I have forgotten that Clarisse is staying with me for a few days, and now she is bothering me at the worst possible time. I do not have time for this. "I'm fine, Clarisse," he call back over my shoulder, not stopping to acknowledge her. "I have a lot of work to do." Clarisse's voice follow me into the office, her footsteps padding behind me. "But Ben, you're not even going to say hello? You're just going to ignore me?" I sigh, my frustration growing. Why couldn't she just leave me alone? I have important
The tenacious look on my face doesn't go unnoticed by this man who I assume just figured out he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Did you follow me?" My informant frown as he furrow his brows."Did you think I was just going to hand you a bag of cash with no real answers?" I reply, keeping my focus on the guy dressed in black."You should not have done that." Mr.Black threatens as he take a step back. "Kill him." He instruct the man on my side who swings at me with a wavering arm which I catch mid air with my one arm while my other elbow come down on it and with that known sound it snaps and he quickly quiver towards the wall grabbing his injured arm with his free hand. "Who is next?" I grin, my body flood with adrenaline, reminding me that I don't do this enough. Feeling eager to put my skills to the test."Alright tough guy. Let's see what you got." He grin taking three steps back for me to enter the room completely before two others join him, their aggressive stances givin
Clarisse just settled comfortably into the passenger seat when an idea pop into my mind and a mischievous grin spread across my face. An impulsive thought crosses my mind, and in the moment, I cannot resist the temptation to add a little spontaneity our drive and without warning, I step on the brake and expertly swirl the car around, veering onto a different path. The sudden maneuver send an immediate jolt of adrenaline through Clarisse, causing her to grip onto the armrest tightly. A blend of surprise and fear glow from her face as she struggle to make sense of my impromptu decision."Grazie, what are you doing? Where are we going?" Clarisse ask, her voice sprinkled with concern as she desperately seek answers, wanting to understand the reason behind my spontaneous change of heart. Ignoring her questioning, a mischievous sparkle dance in eyes and I continue to drive with determination, taking us further away from my initially planned destination. The wind rush through the windows, pl
I sit across from her, the air between us feeling heavy, as a storm brews silently beneath the surface and I take a sip of my coffee, trying to calm my own growing annoyance. I observe her closely, her eyes darting nervously around the room, avoiding my gaze. "Clarisse," I finally speak up, leaning forward slightly. "Do not lie to me. I knew you had some alternative motive from the moment you came back into my life and now is the time for you to tell me the truth. What are you not telling me?"Clarisse fidget with her coffee cup, her fingers tracing patterns on the ceramic surface. Her voice wavering slightly as she respond, "Grazie, it's complicated. I've been going through some things, and I'm just not ready to talk about it yet." I feel a mix of frustration and anger bubbling inside me. At a time I was the one Clarisse turned to when she needed support, but that is also a long time ago, now she seems closed off, shutting me out and I can understand why she wouldn't confide in me, b
I do as I promise bending over the table after Simon has thrown out some of the white powder onto the mirror like glass table. I have never done this before, but I have seen it been done many times. This is how Clarisse first started long before she moved onto injecting herself with cheaper drugs. I gatehr a small amount of the powder to one side, before shaping it into a line of around three cenitmetres. I do the same with the second line using the card he handed me and once I am done I remove a bill from my own pocket role it into a staw like object and sniff the powder right into my nose. The burning effect quickly replaced with a feeling that feels to me like I have snorted all the self confidence, not that I needed any of it. He have heard stories of people experiencing profound changes in their mental state after taking cocaine, but to me other than feeling like myself, but a hightened I dont exactly feel very different until I did the second line. The cocaine started to take ef
I stand in the crowded and vibrant nightclub's kitchen, music booming in the background when I take out my phone and dials Achille's number. "Ciao, brother. What's up? Why are you calling me when you know it is time for my novela and what is that noise in the background?" His voice ring into the phone laced with some humor. "Brother, you won't believe it, man. I'm at the club, and something incredible has happened. I need your help, and I have some new information to share with you regarding Mia.""Woah, slow down, Ben." He interject. "Take a deep breath and start from the beginning. What happened and are you okay? You sound... Different." Even over the phone Achille notices that I am not one hundred percent completely myself."I can't explain it, Achille. I'm not feeling like myself tonight. It's... It's something I cannot explain." I lie, and poorly at it too."You don't say?" I can hear the judgment in his voice, maybe mixed with some concern. "That's...unexpected. Are you sure ev
Achille appears to be very frustrated and determined as he takes a step closer to me as I take in a deep breath in an attempt to get my breathing under control. "Ben, listen. I phoned Manfredio. I had to try to reach Mia, to know if she's safe. But he denied my attempts, he wouldn't let me see her." "Are you out of your fucking mind, Achille? What were you thinking? You've put Mia in danger by contacting Manfredio! How could you do something so reckless?" Anger burst through me and my voice rise as a result. "I know, Ben! I know I took a risk by reaching out to Manfredio. But I had to try! We've exhausted all our options, and I couldn't just sit back and do nothing while Mia is missing." Achilles tries to defend himself taking in a deep breath as he acknowledges my anger."Did he say anything? Is Mia okay?" I question him hopefully. "No, Ben. He didn't say a word about Mia's well-being. But I'm telling you this now so that you know Manfredio might be expecting you. When you do deci
I storm out of Dr. Reynolds' office, my face twisted with anger as I yank open the car door and slam myself inside. Achille, sitting behind the wheel, I imagine, notices my intense demeanorand bracing himself for what's to come. Tomasso, sitting in the backseat, is all too eager to join in the action. "Achille, get everyone ready. We're going on a saving mission. We're bringing Mia home, no matter what it takes." I order my voice mirroring my anger and Achille accustomed to my strong-willed nature, nods with unwavering determination."Understood, Brother. I'll assemble the team right away. We're with you, every step of the way." He nod as he starts to scroll across the screen sending our a broadcast message.Tomasso, unable to contain his excitement, chimes in with a hint of humor and an enormous grin on his face. "Finally, a real adventure! I've been waiting for this moment, Ben. Ready to rescue damsels in distress!"Achille chuckles, realizing the gravity of the situation yet apprec