The Italian Tycoon's Bride

Glimpse of Defiance

After the encounter with his father, Giovanni strode out of the villa feeling depressed and torn apart by his father’s deadline. He could still not comprehend the fact that he was forced to live a life he didn’t want and proposed.

And as he walked along the street, the sound of merriment from a nearby bar caught his attention and he strode to the bar to drown his sorrows.

As he entered the bar, he was impressed by the high activeness of the bar and took a seat at the bar, ordering a glass of wine and striking up a conversation with a beautiful waitress.

Her features were a masterpiece of sharp angles and soft curves, her full lips inviting and mysterious.

He gazed at her and their eyes locked, leaving only the two of them drowning in the sea of time, and as he gazed into her eyes, he felt he had been drawn into their depths and couldn’t look away and tear his gaze from the piercing green eyes that seemed to see right through him.

But as they maintained eye contact with each other, the woman looked away with a sign of disdain and anger, leaving Giovanni dejected and confused as to what could be the cause.

He began to wonder if anything was wrong with him or his facial expression, but could not seem to place his hands on one and, with profound determination, he stood up and made his way through the crowd, his eyes looking for the sight or a glimpse of the woman and sighted her at a corner close to the window sipping a glass of whiskey and staring out to the city.

And with a sense of purpose, he stood over her table and for a moment they stared at each other, the world around seemed as if it was stuck in time, but then in a voice which was barely a whisper, the woman spoke.

“How can I help you?” She asked, her eyes never leaving his.

And at that moment, he, for the very first time, felt irrelevant and spoke or thought. All he did was to stare into her eyes which he couldn’t take his gaze from and, with the music and laughter swirling around them with their fixed eye contact, Giovanni knew that he had found something special and he needed to make it his, something that would change his life for the better and forever.

Her eyes seemed to hold a secret, a spark of defiance that drew him in and, without breaking eye contact, Giovanni reached out and took Alessia’s hand. It was a bold and profound movement, but he couldn’t hold himself and felt a jolt of electricity and a shiver run through his body and he, thinking that she would reciprocate nicely, was shocked at her angry outburst, looking at him with resentment and her eyes flashed with anger.

Alessia’s eyes flashed with anger as she jerked her hand out of Giovanni’s grasp. “Get your filthy hands off me,” she spat, her tone filled with anger and venom.

Giovanni in an act and gesture of surrender. “I apologize and I didn’t mean to offend you.” He said.

But Alessia’s expression couldn’t change and he looked at him with a mixture of anger and disgust, her eyes blazing with a fierce intensity and fury that made Giovanni take a step back.

“I’m Giovanni Russo,” he said, trying to introduce himself and win her over with his family status as he normally does to other girls, but was stunned again by her outburst, which made him surprised.

Alessia’s eyes seemed to blaze with anger at the sound of his name. “Russo?” She repeated, her voice dripping with venom “You are a Russo?”

And Giovanni nodded in affirmation, feeling a sense of unease. “Yes, I am,” he said.

Alessia’s face twisted with anger. “I should have known,” she spat. “You’re just like the rest of your family, arrogant, ruthless, entitled, cruel and completely devoid of respect for others.”

Giovanni felt a pang of surprise at her words. What had his family done to her?

"I’m so sorry if my family has wronged you in any way possible" he said, trying to make amends and apologizing for what his family might have done to her. Alessia laughed, a harsh sound that sent shivers down Giovanni’s spine. “You have no idea,” she said. “You and your family have been ruining my life for years now.”

Giovanni’s eyes narrowed slightly. What was she talking about?

“I don’t understand,” he said. “What has my family done to you?”

Alessia's eyes seemed to flash with anger. “You really don’t know, do you?” She said. “You are just as clueless as the rest of your family”.

Giovanni felt a sense of frustration. He didn’t know what was going on and Alessia wasn’t making any sense.

“Look, I don’t know what my family did to you, neither do I know what is going on between you and my family” he said, “but if you can tell me I am willing and always ready to listen, so can you please just tell me what is wrong or at least tell me your name.”

Alessia’s expression didn’t change. “My name is Alessia,” she said, her voice cold. “And I’m not going to waste my time talking with you” and with that she turned and walked away, leaving Giovanni in a sea of thought, standing alone and feeling confused and more than a little intrigued.

And with that he took a step forward, his eyes fixed on Alessia’s retreating back and burning with the determination of finding out what was wrong and planning to amend and make things right as soon as possible and also using that as a means to curry her favor and audience.

But as he watched her disappearing into the crowd, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was in love with a mysterious woman and, for the very first time in his life, had to admit it and asked himself “who was this mysterious woman and why did she seem to hate the name Russo”. He thought and wondered what his family did to her that made her feel this way towards them and with that he made his way home.