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18. Guild of the Guardians
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
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
The Boss's Obsession 21. Let's have some fun
Aria's POV When we get back to the house Don Giovanni is waiting outside on the terrace. I quickly let go of Stefano’s hand. He looks from Stefano to me, a wide grin spreads across his face. It is like he knows something. My hair is a mess from the time I spent under the waterfall with Stefano. I drag my fingers through the curls trying to make them look presentable. I can already feel the heat spreading to my cheeks. “Well, what do we have here?” Don Giovanni says as we approach. He puffs small little clouds of smoke from his cigar into the air. “I was just showing Aria around” Stefano says. “I am sure you were” Don Giovanni says with that grin making its way back to his face again. “Oh, daddy leave them!” Lilliana calls out from behind the Don. “There is a carnival in town. Would you two like to join me? I plan to go there tonight” Stefano turns to me, his one brow raised in question. “Yes, I would love to go” I say, excited to get to see anything other than this house. “It i
The Boss's Obsession 22. Are my eyes deceiving me
Aria's POV I blink my eyes fast trying to clear the mist. Are my eyes deceiving me or is it truly him? From the shadows Johnny comes striding towards me. “Johnny” I say in a weak voice. “Aria are you okay? I have come for you” Johnny says, picking up his pace towards me. Before Johnny can reach me, Stefano comes from out of the shadows, charging in like a raging bull, tackling Johnny right off his feet, popcorn flying everywhere. They form a cloud of dust and dirt as the two of them roll over one other on the ground, finally coming to a halt with Stefano above Johnny, pinning him to the ground. Thomas is still holding onto me, keeping my hands in a tight grasp. Stefano tightens his grip around Johnny’s neck, making his face turn a ghastly shade of purple. I want to say something to make Stefano stop, but I am still unable to move, my mind knows the words, but my mouth is completely numb. From the shadows men in black are rushing in from every direction, forming a circle around us.
The Boss's Obsession 23. Smothering me with his concern
Aria's POV Stefano has his arm draped around me tightly. I lift it up slowly making sure not to disturb his sleep. He has not let me out of his sight since we came back from the carnival, he is smothering me with his concern. I grab my nightgown and head for the door, calculating my steps carefully. These floors are centuries old. One wrong move and the creaking floors will give me away. I must find Johnny. I need to know what is going on. Once I successfully make it out of the room without waking Stefano, I look down the hallway. Where would they keep Johnny? Knowing Stefano, he is in the furthest part of the house as far away from me as possible. That would put him in the west wing. I turn to the left. I have been wandering these halls so often now, I can do it with my eyes closed. I know I have found Johnny’s room when I see the guards placed outside one of the many rooms. There is no way they are going to let me see him, I will need a plan to get in there. I trace my steps back,
The Boss's Obsession 24. I hate surprises
Aria's POV I did not get much sleep last night with the conversations I had with Johnny and Don Giovanni on replay in my mind. I truly do not know who to trust anymore. Just all this thinking has me exhausted. It does not help much that Stefano decided to drag me out of bed before the sun even made its appearance on the horizon. “Where are we going?” I ask “You will see. Now hurry up and dress nice” he says looking at his watch. I jump back in bed and pull the covers over my head. What is the rush? “Oh, no! Get up. We must leave within the hour” he says, pulling the covers back, leaving my hair a static mess. “Where are we going? Stefano you are killing me. It is too early!” I say dragging my hands over my face. “It is a surprise. Now, stop being so dramatic and get up!” he says, pulling me to my feet. “I hate surprises” I say dragging myself to the other side of the room. I could not care less what I look like, I grab the first thing my hand lands on in the wardrobe, which ha
The Boss's Obsession 25. You are not my Boss
Aria's POV The helicopter whizzes through the air, taking us to yet another secret destination. The sun is low on the horizon, streaking the clouds with golden orange patches. “Where are we going now?” I ask Stefano. “Look” he says pointing towards a small island, just off the coast. “Don’t tell me you own an island” I say. “Okay, I won’t tell you that I own the island down there” Stefano says with a wicked grin. I roll my eyes. This man impossible. There is only one house on the entire island. We land on the helicopter pad next to the mansion. It is situated right on the beach, looking towards the thousands of sparkling lights of the mainland. Once the helicopter is gone, we are greeted by the serene sound of the waves slowly lapping against the shore. The entire pathway is lit up with dozens of lanterns and candles, showing us the way. The house has a beautiful modern design. Everything is made with glass and wood, keeping to the beach theme, and blending spectacularly with th
The Boss's Obsession 26. Something is very wrong
Aria's POVThe house is deathly quiet when we enter. Mrs Wells, the housekeeper, rushes towards Stefano, her face has red blotches from crying, her expression is grim. It feels like every step she takes towards us brings us closer to an impending doom. I shift in my spot, unable to fight off the restlessness growing in my stomach. Stefano takes my hand in his, anchoring me to the spot.“Mr Moretti. It is your father, he…” she says, falling silent, unable to form the rest of the words. She looks down under Stefano’s intimidating gaze.“What is it? What happened?” Stefano snaps impatiently.“Sir, he was fine this morning. We served him lunch. When I went to call on him for supper, he did not respond. I found him in his office. He is awake, but he cannot move or talk. He is in a lot of pain. We have made him as comfortable as possible. The doctor is on his way” she says, before dropping her gaze.“Phone the doctor again. Get him here now!” Stefano barks as he storms past Mrs Wells, pulli
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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
