All Chapters of Affair with the Billionaire: Chapter 11 - Chapter 15

I have never been so close to a helicopter in my life, and neither have I ridden in one before. My legs turned into jello as I climbed in, and I left sweaty handprints all over the cold leather seat. I was worried I'd throw up or faint. Making a fool out of myself wasn't a nuisance in Cosimo's eyes, but I wanted to keep my cool and not ruin this adventurous day. The driver, who was a boat captain, turned out to be also the copilot. I wouldn't be surprised if the man turned out to be also the chef and his masseur as well. He had chiseled features and always wore sunglasses, so he might very well be Cosimo's bodyguard. He fit the profile with his tall, buff figure. I stared at the two, holding my breath as they carried out all the safety checks, looking like professional pilots with years of experience. Cosimo rotated his seat a bit towards me and smiled. "Non aver paura, signorina (don't be afraid, miss). It will be just a short ride," he said, his tone ringing full of enthus

I looked at my watch: five minutes to eleven o'clock. One hour had passed since we entered the guest parlor—one painfully long hour. Sitting down didn't suit my nerves, so I walked around studying the decor. No dust, just a bitter scent of old reigned all throughout the opening. And even though the walls showcased amazing portraits and incredible landscapes, the atmosphere inside stayed undeniably rigid. Four large windows let the warm sunlight in, the abundant brilliance reaching into all four corners of the room. Beautiful, except I didn't find it romantic anymore. I pondered in silence, lost in my thoughts. I noticed the police captain approaching only when the floor screeched beneath his footsteps. "You resemble the Bella Dona di Pontefici," he said with a straight face. "Did you know that?" "It was painted over four-hundred years ago. So... I highly doubt that." "You can't take a compliment, do you?" "It's an unrealistic one at best. Because of the style of the arti

Cosimo would hear our conversation if I called her. So I typed a brief email instead, hoping he wouldn’t catch what I was up to. Hi. How are you doing? I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I need background information on a certain Irina Vlad. She’s in close relations with the Medici family, she does modeling in Florence, and she’s a Romanian national. That's all I know. Dig up the skeletons in her closet, will you? Looking forward to your reply. Regards, Tamira. I put my phone away, somewhat relieved. We work with an old-school private detective. He might be outdated, but he’s just as resourceful as McGyver when it comes to sniffing out dirt on a client. The best thing is, he works for us incognito. And considering the fact that the Medici pretty much-controlled everything, not just in Citta del Salvatore and Pontefici but also globally, we had to do it without their knowledge. Then I remembered it would be beneficial if I knew a bit more about Luca too. I pulled my device