One of the boys watching, scread praises, as he spun his chair around in glee.
It rolled round the first ti, but on its second trip around, he jerked as his gaze fell on the boss.
"Carpo!"
The other boys quickly turned, to see Luciano standing behind them.
"Carpo!" They chorused, as their heads, trembling alongside their bodies, bowed altogether.
Luciano rolled his eyes. "Send the footage from seven days ago. The one from the doors that lead to the elevator," he ordered.
Their heads were still bowed, when he walked towards the door.
He stopped, and looked over his shoulders at the screen.
She wasn’t in the fra anymore, but knowing it wouldn’t be long before he saw her again, tugged the corner of his lips to form a twitch.
His gaze switched to the boys who still had their heads bowed, waiting to be punished.
Wouldn’t that just make a hypocrite?
The question swirled in his mind, as he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.
Luciano’s phone rang on his walk through the path he had co from, back to the main house.
"Vitto, what is it?" He asked the second he answered.
"The girl is on her way to the dining room?"
His brow furrowed. "Which?"
"Morning carpo!"
The voices of his boys echoed as he walked past each one of them.
He nudged his head a little in acknowledgent of their greetings, but his attention remained on Vittorio at the other end of the line.
"Natalia. Elio is bringing her to the dining room."
"Okay. The other one?"
"I asked Sonia to fetch her."
"et you there then." He ended the call, and turned towards the direction of the dining room.
****
Valentina felt exhilarated as she plopped on the bed in the room, kicking her feet into the air.
She hoped her little show had sent a clear ssage to Luciano, whether he had watched or not.
The ssage was clear and simple. She wasn’t going to cower or be intimidated by him.
There was nothing she had done wrong, so why did she have to fear?
It didn’t even matter if they had managed to pry the truth out of Natalia. Although she still had hope Natalia was strong enough to resist them.
A knock sounded on the door, amidst her rolling all over the bed in celebration.
She paused, and waited to confirm if it hadn’t just been her mind playing tricks on her.
Her nose scrunched when another knock followed the first.
"Ugh!"
Sliding out of the bed, she pushed her legs back into the ugly slides of which they found two pairs in the room when they first ca in, and strode to the door.
"What now?" She muttered, as she opened the door.
Valentina’s eyes widened a little when her gaze fell on the sa girl from earlier.
"Hi miss Valentina," the girl said shyly.
Her heart instantly softened towards her. She could admit she might have co off standoffish at first, because she was upset at the prospect of Natalia being taken away to be interrogated.
Now, she could clearly see how cute and friendly the girl was, and it ward her heart.
"Please, call Val."
She bit her lips nervously, as she shook her head negatively. "I can’t do that. You’re senior."
Valentina’s eyes squinted. "I’m pretty sure we’re about the sa age," she argued.
"No, I an–high–higher."
"Oh—" Valentina bobbed her head, finally understanding what she was trying to communicate. "Look Miss— Sonia, is it?"
"Yes!" She nodded eagerly.
"Good. I’m a prisoner here in case you haven’t noticed. You’re a maid I guess. You know what that makes us technically? Equals. Just call Val, please. I prefer it, okay?"
"But carpo—"
Her nose wiggled aggressively. "Who cares about car-whatever. That’s what I’m more comfortable with. Also this argunt is so pointless. Do you need sothing?"
She scoffed at herself right after asking that question. By all indications displayed, she was the one in need of help.
Sonia’s eyes snapped as she recalled what she was there for. "You have to follow ," she said.
"Yes! Finally! I thought it’ll never be my turn. But where’s Natalia? Is she okay? I swear to God if that bastard lays even a finger on her, I’ll–"
"Shhhh!" The girl placed a finger on her lips to silence her.
"Huh?" Valentina’s head doubled back.
"You’ll get in trouble. Let’s go." She turned around, ready to move.
Valentina’s nose stayed turned all the way up.
However, she couldn’t fault the girl for being scared. By her assumptions, she was under the rcy of a gangster.
It was certainly important for her to stay loyal.
Not Valentina though. She didn’t owe anyone anything, and couldn’t wait to get her hand on a phone so she could report him and his establishnt for kidnapping.
The thought was a warm syrup for her dry aching predicant, and it gave her the much needed confidence to follow Sonia.
****
Natalia sat alone on the opposite side of the round dining table, with her head down, and her spoon held limply in her hand.
The food looked and slled delicious, but being in the midst of three n, all nacing in different ways, didn’t give her the comfort she needed to eat.
Her heart constantly slamd heavily against her chest, every ti there was even the slightest movent.
Valentina had still not arrived. She desperately needed her to navigate this new trial.
"You don’t like the food?" Elio broke the silence in the dining room.
They all moved their gazes towards her, and Natalia almost turned to ice on feeling their scrutinizing stares.
She didn’t have any response to give them. And couldn’t even look at them.
Her toes curled inwardly underneath the table, as she silently prayed for the ground to open and swallow her.
But an alternative path opened up, as the sound of clicking heels suddenly filled the air.
"Fratellone! My brother!" A girl who bore half a resemblance to Luciano burst forward.
"You definitely really missed him," another laughing voice followed.
The faces of the two latest arrivals beca visible.
One of the girls went straight to Luciano, and hugged him dearly from behind.
While the other girl, stopped in her tracks on seeing Natalia.
"Who is she?!" Her voice rose through the roof thunderously.
Elio’s eyes lit up. Finally, sothing entertaining to feed his soul.
Natalia looked up on hearing another feminine voice, only to be greeted by a scowl so great, it burned a hole in her skin.
"Yeah– who is she?" Aurora, Luciano’s younger sister asked, as she straightened up.
"Amore, would you at least say hello to everyone first?" Luciano said to Daniela.
"Fine!" She stomped forward, and placed a quick kiss on his cheeks, before stepping back. "Now who is she?"
Natalia’s face relaxed a little when she realized who the shouting girl was.
It was the sa girl she had seen standing close to her father at the party.
Valentina told her a bit about why the girl confronted her that day, and what her relationship could possibly be with Giovanni.
It made her believe she had a blood connection to her.
"That’s sweet Natalia, or Natty like her friend calls her. She’s one out of the two girls that crashed Giovanni’s birthday party," Elio blurted.
Luciano’s gaze t with Vittorio, who had an, ’Itold you to discipline him more’ look on his face.
"What the heck?! Why is a girl who tried to kill my father here?!" Daniela squealed.
"Amore, calm down. I’ll explain everything later," Luciano spoke up to quench the brewing fire.
"No, I don’t want to calm down," she hissed. "What will I see next? The girl that tried to steal you from ?"
The second the words left her mouth, Sonia appeared at the alternate staircase entrance to the dinning, Valentina following directly behind her.
Despite being locked away, her natural scent, pleasant and alluring, captivated the entire room, shifting their gazes up the stairs.
Amongst those eyes that watched her descend, were Luciano De Luca’s.
Valentina held his gaze strongly, revelling in the vivid fact that it was solely on her.
"Yes, look at . I’m your poison," she thought, a smile dancing in her heart, a swing in her hips, and a sashay to her walk, as she approached the table.
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