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12. The Boss
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Kaugnay na kabanata
The Boss's Obsession 13. I am not marrying you
Aria's POV I am the last to arrive in the dining room, Louisa gives me a scathing look before she disappears to the kitchen. The buzz of conversation ceases as soon as I walk in. Don Giovanni is seated at the head of the table. He looks like the king presiding over his loyal subjects. He sits in his chair, hands resting on the table, tapping the golden signet ring on his small finger rhythmically on the wooden surface. My heart matches the rhythm of the slow tick, tick, tick on the table. The silence is deafening. All eyes are on me. Stefano is seated to the right from the Don, the blonde from earlier next to him. To his left is a young girl. The young girl jumps up from her chair and runs to embrace me. “Hi, you must be Aria. I am Lilliana.” She says, looking for recognition from me. When I remain indifferent, she continues. “I am Stefano’s sister, Silly” she says and grabs me by the arm. “You can sit next to me” I follow Lilliana to the open chairs across from Stefano and the bl
The Boss's Obsession 14. Interrogation
Stefano's POV The thought of having both Aria and Amber here together both terrifies and excites me. That sweet little lamb with the big eyes has been on my mind since that night in the club. There is so much I want to say to her and do to her. This interrogation is going to be a welcome distraction. “Let me take care of this” I say walking to the centre of the room where Marcello’s henchman was placed. My father stands back, raising one brow to me. “Very well, get us the answers we need” he says, leaning against the wall. This is going to be so much fun. If memory serves me correctly, I think his name is Joe. I casually stroll over to the centre of the room, while on the table behind me an assortment of tools and devices are being prepared. I take my time, first lighting a cigarette. Joe just stares out into the open space in front of him acting brave, but I can see the fear in his eyes. The eyes never lie. “Hi, Joe. Is it okay if I call you Joe? Somehow, I remember that bein
The Boss's Obsession 15. You have overstayed your welcome
Stefano's POV Johnny sure did not waste any time in getting here. We have barely finished our breakfast and the leech is already knocking on the front door. Aria’s face lights up the moment she hears his name. I watch as she runs to the foyer to greet him. She launches herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Johhny looks over her shoulder at me. I do not miss the way he pulls her closer burying his head into her hair. Don Marcello enters right behind them, making Aria pull away from Johnny before I could rip them apart. She runs to Marcello and hugs him tightly. “Welcome to my home Marcello” My father says appearing from out of nowhere. “We both know we are not here for pleasantries Giovanni. Can we meet somewhere more private?” Marcello asks looking pointedly at Aria. “Come through to my office” my father offers. “I will stay with Aria” Johnny says. “Me too” I say quickly making sure to give Johnny my signature smirk. There is no way in hell that I am leaving her alone with
The Boss's Obsession 16. I do not need you to teach me
Aria's POV Once again, I am staring out the window admiring the outside world. Uncle Marcello and Johnny just left. I touch my lips where Johnny kissed me earlier. He said he is going to get me out of here, but once again, I am all alone. Johnny is good at whispering sweet nothings into my ear, making me feel special and loved, just to moments later pack up and go, leaving my heart bleeding and in pieces. He gives me whiplash with his back and forth emotions. A little sparrow sits on the windowsill in front of me grooming his feathers, he looks so carefree. I keep waiting for that moment when my life will finally begin, but it forever remains just out of reach. I watch the little sparrow fly off into the woods, joining the chorus of birdsong surrounding the house. How I yearn for that same freedom, to just spread my wings and fly. I yearn for the freedom do decide my own destiny. I want to live my life on my own terms. I sigh as I look over the landscape. If I were not a prisoner h
The Boss's Obsession 17. I am leaving
Aria's POV I run to my room as fast as I can. I am leaving tonight. I grab a small backpack from the wardrobe and stuff it with a few items of clothing and essentials. This forest spans over miles of wild and unclaimed land. I need to be prepared. Hopefully no one will come looking for me until morning. That gives me enough time to find a main road and hitchhike to the nearest town from there. This is a really stupid idea but staying here is worse. I make my way downstairs and rush to the back door of the kitchen. On my way out, I grab a handful of fruit and stuff that in my backpack. “Aria!” Stefano’s voice echoes through the house. That was quick. Why is he looking for me? I have come too far to turn back now. The servants in the kitchen look at me, either too afraid or too shocked to react. I make a run for the door before one of them decides to stop me. I run across the grass lawn that surrounds the house, straight into the cover of the forest. When I am out of sight, I crouch b
The Boss's Obsession 18. Guild of the Guardians
Aria's POV Inside my room Stefano heads to the on- suite bathroom and sets me down there. I am shocked by my image in the mirror. I look like a swamp monster. My hair is caked with mud and leaves, my clothes are brown and torn. My body is littered with scrapes and bruises. I will never survive in the wild. Stefano, however, looks like he just walked off the runway. His clothes are in pristine condition, not one hair is out of place. He must really know what he is doing out there. Stefano opens the shower and starts running the water. I wait for him to leave, but instead he takes off his shirt and starts undressing. “What are you doing?” I ask “What does it look like princess?” he says with a smirk. “You cannot shower here. You need to leave! Besides, you do not even look like you need a shower” I say frustrated with the amused look on his face. Stefano undresses casually. He takes his pants off, drops them by my feet, and strolls leisurely to the shower. “Are you coming? You def
The Boss's Obsession 19. Trust No One
Aria's POV Stefano has been very excited to show me my father’s factory. The very first factory he opened when our family first arrived here from Italy. Stefano has his mind set on getting my memory back. He thinks coming here might trigger something from my past. As we approach the building, I am surprised to see how big it is. It is far from the little crummy factory I had pictured in my mind. Instead, a beautiful, state of the art, six storey building towers over me. Nothing about this looks familiar. “So, what do you think?” Stefano asks rubbing his hands together excitedly. I walk closer to the building still in complete awe. My family built this magnificent place from nothing. I can clearly see my father’s input in the design of the limestone façade of the building. His love for eighteenth century roman architecture is clearly evident in the large columns and arches that embellish the entrance. “This is amazing!” I say “I knew you would love this” he says as he leads me ins
The Boss's Obsession 20. Too much of a city girl
Stefano's POV The past few days my father and I have tried everything to put Aria’s mind at ease, let her know that she can trust us. My father is yet to tell her what happened to her parents. Something is holding him back. I just wish I knew why he cannot talk about what happened the day Aria’s family was murdered. Perhaps he is hiding something that he does not want exposed. I walk towards the place where I asked Aria to meet me in the garden. I want to take her into the forest today. She needs to know how to keep her own out there. “Beautiful morning for a hike. Don’t you think” I say watching her jump up from the grass. She has grass all over her. Her hair and clothes are covered in it. Was she rolling in the grass? “Beautiful morning indeed” she says smiling brightly. She shakes the grass from her clothes and starts marching towards the thick bushes where the forest begins. She looks so much more at ease here among the trees and the grass. “Wait! Hold on. You missed a spot” I
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The Boss's Obsession 37. It seems so surreal
Aria's POVI can hear his screams so clearly. The pain in his voice sends chills through my spine. Deep, sorrowful sounds echo all around me. It is dark, I cannot see him, but I instinctively know it is Stefano that is calling out to me. I call out his name, but he cannot hear me. I run around frantically trying to find the source of the painful screams. A violent tug makes me bolt upright.“What is happening?” I groan clutching my head between my hands. Everything is dark.“We fell asleep. Aria, you were screaming at the top of your lungs just now. Are you alright?” Lilliana asks concerned.I look around the room, I am still trying to catch my breath. It seems so surreal that it was just a dream. I feel like I can still hear a faint echo of the screams that were surrounding me just now. I cover my face with my hands.“Hey, are you okay?” Lilliana asks, pulling my hands away from my face.“It was just a nightmare” I say, but I feel like it was more than just that, I feel like Stefan
The Boss's Obsession 36. Tensions are reaching boiling point
Aria'a POVI never thought I would ever be this happy to go back to Westwood. On the ride back home Lilliana and I fill Johhny in on everything that happened. We tell Johnny how Don Giovanni was killed and how that same Boss that killed him, is also looking for us. We tell him about the meeting at the factory and how this boss wants to overthrow the Giudici. We even tell him about the secret fortune and the Guild of the Guardians. All the while we talk Johnny just sits rigidly in his seat, soaking up the information. The car goes quiet. I turn to Johnny.“By the way. How did you get away from the house that night? Stefano had you locked up in that room” I ask Johnny. He has not said a word the entire time Lilliana and I were talking.“Well, I actually used your tried and tested method. While the guards outside my door were fighting off the intruders, I escaped by climbing down the vine next to the balcony. From there I made my way to the main road and caught a ride into town” Johnny s
The Boss's Obsession 35. Is someone following us?
Aria's POV“Just exactly how do you think we are going to get into that basement. I don’t even think the president has that much security?” Lilliana asks sceptically. And that is exactly why we need to see what is going on there. What are they hiding? And who are these people?“Just give me a moment to think. There must be a way” I say. I look out the window, there are armed men everywhere. Going outside is not an option and approaching the basement from inside the building is not an option either. If there was just a way to go inside the walls like back at the mansion… wait a minute.“We can go through the air-conditioning vents. Look at them. They are huge. We can easily fit through there” I say pointing to the vent above Lilliana’s head.After a lot of convincing her and getting lost a few times, Lilliana and I have managed to find the air-conditioning vent that supplies the basement. We have a good view of the room. There is a large table set up in the middle of the room. Men in b
The Boss's Obsession 34. I always expect the worst
Aria's POV I tug on the edges of my pencil skirt, adjusting it to right above my knees. Isobel lent us some of her work clothes. This reminds me of the times I used to sneak into my grandmother’s wardrobe and play dress-up with her old clothes and hats. It has that same familiar smell of lavender oil that granny also used to wear. I remember playing for hours imagining to be a wealthy aristocratic Lady who fell deeply in love with her wealthy husband who loves her even more than life itself. I release a deep sigh. I almost want to laugh at that idea now. I never in a million years would have thought that my future would include an arranged marriage. Although, Stefano has slowly been creeping into my heart. Little by little he has taken small pieces of it. “Are you girls ready?” Isobel asks, peeking her head around the door. Lilliana and I are both dressed as miniature versions of Isobel in our pencil skirts and white blouses. We have tied up our hair into tight buns, just the way Is
The Boss's Obsession 33. It's getting stranger by the minute
Aria's POV Lilliana and I spent the night in the stolen car, parked in front of a convenience store right across from my father’s old factory. “It is Saturday. Isn’t the factory supposed to be closed today?” I ask Lilliana confused. From our spot in the parking lot across the road, the factory looks anything but closed. “Yes. I do not understand” Lilliana says equally confused. The staff parking is filled with cars and every now and again a limousine arrives with tinted windows. I have counted ten of them entering thus far. “We need to get closer. I must get into that building. Why are there guards here?” I ask. “Honestly, I have no idea. We sell furniture for goodness sake” Lilliana says. “They look an awful lot like the guards from back at the house. Could it be the same people?” I ask. This is getting stranger by the minute. “It sure looks like it” Lilliana agrees. We walk around the factory, looking for a place where we can sneak in, but the security is tight. The thick wal
The Boss's Obsession 32. A Moretti Never Surrenders
Stefano's POV “Please come with me” she says. The way Aria is looking at me right now makes it hard for me to leave, but father and Lilliana need me more. “I will come back for you. I promise. I will lead them off your trail” I say. I give her a soft kiss on the forehead. The worry and fear etched on her face is something I enjoy seeing on the faces of my enemies but seeing it on her beautiful features does not sit well with me. Her inner struggle keeps her here, unable to move. I give her a gentle push in the direction of the waterfall. There is no time to waste, the gunmen are not far behind, and I dread to think of what will happen if they lay their hands on her. I can easily take down a small group by myself, but there are hundreds of them crawling around the forest right now. I cannot keep her safe. As soon as Aria makes it deeper into the forest, I run in the opposite direction, making as much noise as possible. I need them to follow after me. I take the path where the forest
The Boss's Obsession 31. That's one way of doing it
Aria's POV Lilliana was right. From inside the walls, you can hear everything that goes on in the mansion. Stefano was taken to the Boss’s house, and they are sending their search parties deeper into the forest to look for Lilliana and me. The man who murdered Don Giovanni is called The Butcher, he is the one running the search at the mansion and reporting everything back to the Big Boss. We still do not know who this boss is. It is almost dark. We have decided to wait until it is completely dark outside before we attempt our escape. When the time is right Lilliana leads me through the tunnel network within the mansion’s walls. We follow the old service tunnels until we reach the one that leads out into the forest. We are too far from civilisation to escape on foot. We need to find a vehicle if we want to get out of here. Lilliana knows the forest as well as Stefano does. They are very much alike. She leads in front of me, expertly placing every step carefully to avoid making any sou
The Boss's Obsession 30. The Secret Stash
Aria's POVBefore I know it, I am standing in Don Giovanni’s office. It is surprisingly easy to move about the house without being seen. Most of the guards are all outside looking for me. I just need to stand clear of the windows. I want to get a better look at the painting above Don Giovanni’s desk. Why is everyone so focussed on who the Guild of the Guardians are? Do they not know that it is just a series of paintings? Or is there actually a guild? And what is it with the treasure? I never knew of a secret treasure my family supposedly had.Looking up at the painting, I still cannot understand what all the fuss is about. The painting is the second in the series of oil paintings called the guild of the guardians. It features three old men sitting around a table, smoking cigars. They look fat and bored with their lives. It is not a particularly pretty picture, and the colours are dull and lifeless. There is no X marks the spot to indicate a treasure. There really is nothing significan
The Boss's Obsession 29. I cannot linger any longer
Aria's POVThe only hiding place I could find was under Don Giovanni’s bed. The night frill curtaining the bed gives me enough cover to not be seen yet is still sheer enough for me to see the pair of polished shoes now standing right next to the bed.“Old friend. It is such a shame to see you like this” the owner of the polished shoes says to Don Giovanni.“You only have yourself to blame for this Giovanni. You should have handed the girl over while you still had the chance. I do not know why you are protecting her. She hates you. You have always protected her and look at where that got you. You did it back then and you are doing it again now, but this time she is going to be the reason you die” the man says, and I cannot help to wonder what he means by this. Is Don Giovanni protecting me?The man walks over to the window. He is standing with his back towards me, his hands are in his pockets as he stares out the window overlooking the forest. I have seen this man once before.“Soon we
