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24. I hate surprises
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
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
The Boss's Obsession 27. We are under attack
Aria's POVFurious with Stefano, I storm off to my room. If he hurts Johnny, I will never speak to him again. As I move through the house, I notice it is darker than usual. The light from the crescent moon is too feint to light up the hallways. The house is so quiet. It is making me uneasy. The stillness causes the sound of my footsteps to echo off the wooden floors. Even the forest outside seems to be holding its breath. I feel a chill creep down my spine. I pick up the pace, racing towards the safety of my room. Something does not feel right.As soon as I enter the room, I lock the door behind me. Everything looks exactly the way I left it. I release a deep breath, feeling a bit silly for letting my imagination run away with me like that. The curtains sway rhythmically in the soft breeze coming from the open windows. I quickly rush over to the window to pull it closed. I pause, just then realising, I never opened my windows. I was away all day. The uneasy feeling from earlier return
The Boss's Obsession 28. Longest night of my life
Aria's POVThis is the longest night of my life. After the last gunshots went off, there has been nothing but absolute silence. The cave is dark and humid. There are bats screeching and flying over my head. The space is so small, I often feel them brushing past me, their leathery wings flapping in my ears. My thoughts are running wild with me. I think it would have been better to stay in the house, even if they shot me, I would have known what was going on. I cannot stand being here all alone and not knowing what is happening. It has been hours since Stefano and I split up. Why has he not come back for me yet?I wait until dawn, and still, everything is deathly quiet. Thankfully, the bats are settling down and the birds are starting to appear. The cave is also starting to light up and I can finally see my hand in front of my face again. I wait until it is late morning, and the sun is shining brightly through the opening in the cave. There has not been any movement outside the cave, so
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
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 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 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
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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
