004
1351 Words
ALANA
I waited for whoever had knocked, but nothing came. The door never opened, and no one stepped inside.
A few more seconds passed before I slowly emerged from my hiding place. I grabbed my pillow, tore the seam open, and reached inside.
My fingers curled around cold metal… My gun and my decorative dagger.
I looked around and slowly pulled it out. I would be a fool to not have any weapons at Villa Concordia even when I know it's against the rule, but for safety's sake, I snuck this in.
And I know that Vincenzo will also sneak his in as well, and if he didn't…then he's a fool.
I contemplated which one to bring out. If I'm seen with a gun or caught on camera, it will create chaos, but with a dagger, it makes it less.
I stuffed the gun back inside and took out my decorative dagger.
I had it custom-made to look more like a princess's accessory than a killer's weapon. Which will be pretty enough to fool anyone and deadly enough to protect me.
I tiptoed towards the door and looked through the peephole but saw nobody.
I twisted the handle and pulled it open slowly, hiding behind it to see if anyone would walk in, but no one came, so I stepped out of the room and looked down the hall but saw nobody.
I glanced at his door, and the possibility of him playing such games with me was high. I felt the urge to go in there and give him a cut on his face, but I held back with one thought in mind.
What if he's not the one?
I decided to head down just to be sure all was well, and before I could reach the stairs, I stopped.
And there he was.
Leaning lazily against the wall as though he had all the time in the world with a magazine resting in his hands.
"What's he doing here?"
As if noticing my arrival, he slowly pulled the magazine down, and his grey eyes fell lazily on me before lowering to my dagger.
"Planning to kill me yet?" His voice dripped with amusement.
"I'm still thinking about it" I shrugged.
I ignored him and looked around, searching for any suspicious movements, but everything looked calm, so what the hell was that?
"I thought weapons weren't allowed in Villa Concordia?" I heard him ask.
Guess he finally remembered the rule.
"So now what? You want to report me to the elders?" I narrowed my gaze at him.
"Let me think about it....yes, I think I have to report the infamous Alana Bianchi for breaking rule one" His eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Well just so you know, you have no evidence against me, and your narration against me as well is futile because I'm a drama queen" I proudly said.
"Mmm....it seems you have forgotten that there are cameras everywhere in this villa except our rooms," he said, reminding me of the one thing my father said to me.
"Oh please!!"
"You clearly haven't witnessed my acting skills. I'd cry, faint, and convince everyone that I found this dagger in my new room" I flipped my hair over my shoulder, and he smirked.
"Well, noticed anything suspicious?" He asked, his voice suddenly serious as he closed the magazine.
Did he also receive a knock as well?
"Well somehow, since you're here, I will head back to my room" I started towards my room when a loud noise echoed through the villa as the floor shook beneath our legs.
The walls trembled, and dust rained from the ceiling, and somewhere in the distance, glass shattered.
Every instinct in me screamed at one thing... Run.
I turned, and our eyes met. No words were needed as we bolted down the stairs at the same time. The moment we stepped outside, chaos swallowed us whole.
Armed men sprinted across the courtyard with rifles drawn out.
Orders were shouted from every direction as smoke filled the sky, almost blinding my sight.
Somewhere beyond the gardens, flames danced against the night.
Vincenzo also stopped beside me, and when I glanced at him, his gaze was so dark and terrifying that I immediately looked away.
"Hey? What's going on?" I called out one of the armed men who headed towards us.
"Miss Bianchi. Mr. Vincenzo. The third wing has been attacked and fired on by a missile," the man said, his breathing unstable, and I gasped.
"What????"
"My best guess is that they thought you both were in that wing, and whoever it was surely wants the both of you dead right away," he added, and that sounded awful yet true.
"Please, give me a sec!" He ran past us and I crossed my hands around my chest.
I didn't imagine us to receive an attack so quickly, although I had expected it. Because the Bianchi heir and the Romano heir in one place is the best way to get at us and end the hopes of both families.
"Mmm... pathetic.." He hummed, and I turned towards him.
So that's his reaction after hearing about the attacks. Indeed, I don't know him.
"Quit staring" He sounded loud, and I immediately looked away with a red face.
"I wasn't staring" I looked away a second too late because he had already caught me even without turning to me.
I wondered if Dona Isabella and Carmella were fine or what wing they were in. Well, they're wardens, so they're probably out there reporting to their masters on the attack.
"I'm sorry to say this, but for now you and Mr. Romano will have to be moved to the east wing until we are clear," the manager said, and I frowned.
"And how sure are you that the east wing won't be targeted?" Vincenzo beat me to it because that was the same question I had in mind.
"The east wing is the only place in Villa Concordia that's built for emergencies like this. The artworks and the buildings are quite unique and different. So I was asked to move you both there for now," he explained, and I rolled my eyes.
"Oh my! Oh my!"
"It's not even a day yet, and now look at this? The so-called place meant to end wars is now a targeted place" I couldn't help but show my disbelief.
Because I still can't tell or put a finger on what's happening.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Bianchi. Believe me when I say none of this was meant to happen in anyway" He apologized quickly.
"Please come with me!" He started moving forward, and I followed.
"You know, I really don't need protection; I don't know about him, though, but he looks fragile, so I think he needs the protection the most" I teased, and the manager chuckled.
So men hardly laugh out these days and just prefer chuckling.
Ok then, let them just keep chuckling until they choke.
The deeper we walked into the East Wing, the stranger everything became. The walls were reinforced with thick steel hidden beneath polished marble.
Cameras watched every corner, and every door required multiple locks.
This wasn't a guest wing...it was a fortress.
He did some locks, and the door opened to us. The wings we were in had no locks, so this is indeed the emergency wing.
The room was quite enormous and big, and the bed was more than a king-sized. Maybe four king-sized beds combined.
"You both will have to spend a night here, and by tomorrow you can return to your respective wing and rooms," the manager said before shutting the door on us.
"What?" My jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Excuse me! You can't seriously expect me to spend the night in the same room as this monster!" I shouted, banging at the closed door.
"He's a Romano! They're basically venomous snakes!" I jabbed a finger towards Vincenzo.
"What if he bites me?"
He didn't even look up from his magazine despite my tantrums.
"Quit whining, you're not a baby!"
"I am a baby!!!!"
- Writer
