Lethal Combination

CHAPTER 11

Walter glared at his cousin without retorting to what he said. He didn't expect Alessio would take his words literally and answer him the same way. He planned to irritate his cousin but the result of his plan came back to him like a boomerang, so without a word, he reached for the combat knife on the glass table right in front of him before throwing it at Alessio's direction. Everyone wasn't shocked because such an occurrence between the Arcanes, especially the men, is normal in the Arcana.

They anticipated that Alessio would move out of the way like what he does most of the time or catch the knife if he was in the mood to do so, but before Alessio could do either of them, Ainsdale moved swiftly and caught the airborne knife. She stopped it by holding onto its handle before it came in contact with Alessio's shoulder blade and then she threw it back into Walter's direction without even wasting another second to spare. It happened so fast that each and everyone who saw what just took place were all rendered speechless. More so, Ainsdale herself was astonished at what she did.

The sound of the knife being embedded in the painting hanging on the wall behind Walter and the rest of their family members was heard over the silence before they even realized that Walter's right cheek had been cut by the knife itself. No one said a word and silence settled between them. They didn't know where to be surprised at more. To Walter, who intended to wound his cousin, even though he knew that he was still suffering from the gunshot wound he sustained last night? To Alessio, who stood there silently? Or, to the woman behind the Arcanes' current family head, who did such a feat? She did it as if it was such a simple thing to do when it was only a few months back that she cowered away at the mere sight of everything they use to kill those who have the nerve to cross and anger their family by hurting those who are not directly part of the Arcana but are one of those they protect nonetheless.

"s**t!" Ainsdale cursed in her mind when she came to realize what she had just done before she subtly hid herself from their questioning eyes behind Alessio, who didn't move an inch.

She couldn't help herself. Her instinct as an assassin who had killed even innocents, kicked in and her body moved on its own before she could even think about what she was doing. It was only a few months back that she was still active as one of the agents of the organization she and Stefano worked at. Sensing a threat, whether it was to kill or just harm, was something that was embedded into her blood from the moment she entered the organization and this time, she sensed Walter's intent to harm his cousin and everything about her body which moved out of instinct, to the moment she defended Alessio and hurt Walter started from there.

Ainsdale awkwardly tried her hardest to ignore their existence because she knew, and she could see from her peripheral vision, that even though Alessio's family members weren't saying anything, what happened was enough for them to question whether she was really Euphrosyne or another woman who had the same face as her. What would she do if the Arcanes learned that she was entirely a different woman from the one they knew and met a few months back - that she was not the woman whom Alessio was engaged with? What are they going to do if they learned that she is not a Simonetti but a Castiglione and Aizen's sister?

Walter couldn't believe what happened. Their family members didn't expect he'd be threatening his cousin today, but they looked more surprised at the way his cousin's fiancée reacted so fast, as if she had done it more than once. No one said a word. The silence that enveloped them was so deafening that they could even hear the drops of water from the fountain outside in front of the manor. There is one thing that they are certain about. Alessio's fiancée is capable of facing death without batting an eye.

Is that the reason why Alessio's attitude towards her changed? Because Alessio, being the head of the Arcana, realizes that she has it in her to stand beside him amidst all the chaos and danger that surrounds their family? Is that why she was able to survive the torture she underwent through Lucien on the first day? Because she was capable enough to defend herself alone? Is that why she was able to hold herself when she fought Lucien back then when they kidnapped her, or even last night when she fought Alessio himself? Because she had all the skill to do so? But then why is she only showing it now? Or is it because she felt threatened for real that she was left with no other choice but to show them her real self?

Walter raised his hand and touched his wound where thick blood rolled down his cheek like spilled red paint. It wasn't shallow but he could feel it was not that deep either. It's like Euphrosyne was able to estimate how deep she wanted to wound him even within that short amount of time. But how could she even think about it while trying to defend Alessio from his sudden attack which nobody anticipated? How can she even move so swiftly as that? More importantly, is she even the real Euphrosyne? Because no matter how much he wanted to rationalize things regarding her, he always ends up with the idea that she really is not the Euphrosyne they met whom Alessio really despised back then. It wasn't only him who questioned her identity. The old patriarch started questioning it when he saw the color of her eyes changed and Alessio's mother started to doubt due to Alessio's sudden change of attitude towards her. It's just nobody, including him, ever said a word about it in front of his cousin.

Alessio glanced down at the woman hiding behind him who was acting like she didn't just do something amazing. She tried not to look him in the eye because she knew and she was aware that she was doing what she shouldn't in front of his family members. She is pretending to be Euphrosyne and he lets her do exactly that. But time and time again, she kept doing things that say she isn't the woman she is pretending to be. Most of the time, she acts like the agent that she was trained to be because of the circumstances that faced her.

He gently held her face and made her look him in the eye. "Tutto bene, petunia? (Are you alright, petunia?)"

"Le stai chiedendo? Sono io quello che sanguinava. (You're asking her? I'm the one who was bleeding.)"

Alessio focused his attention on Walter and then glared at his cousin. "E puoi morire dissanguato per quanto mi interessa. Sei stato tu a tirarmi il coltello per primo. (And you can bleed to death for all I care. It was you who threw the knife at me first.)"

Before Walter could say anything, Don Alonzo's footsteps echoed in the receiving area along with those who stood guard behind him. He glanced at his two grandsons, looking for answers which none of them would want to give him. The others act like they aren't involved in whatever's happening as they look away from anything but them. He may have stepped down from the position of family head, but the members, most especially his grandchildren, who by that time crowded the receiving area, still revered him.

"What is happening?"

No one said a word, so the old patriarch squinted his eyes as he stared at his grandsons who were looking anywhere but at him.

"Do not make me repeat what I just asked."

Ainsdale sighed. It seemed like Alessio and Walter didn't plan to answer anytime soon, like children who have just been caught playing with fire but didn't want to say anything about who started it. It was actually quite fascinating how these mafia men act in front of their former family head, their grandfather.

"All'improvviso Walter ha pensato di giocare a sparare con il coltello. Mi scuso se ho finito per farlo sanguinare, ma sono certo che non morirà per questo. È solo che… non posso lasciare che faccia del male a Scion. Sono l'unico che ha il diritto di fare proprio questo e altro. (Walter just suddenly thought of playing knife shooting. I apologize if I ended up making him bleed, but I'm certain he won't die from it. It's just that… I can't let him hurt Scion. I am the only one who has the right to do just that and more.)"

The old patriarch was dumbfounded at what Ainsdale did, especially with what she just said while looking at him straight in the eye, because she said it so seriously that one would think she really meant every word that left her mouth at that moment. He was not able to retort and his anger towards his two grandsons who had just created a spectacle in the receiving area so early in the morning subsided immediately. She answered in a way that told of Walter's mistake, as well as in a way that she was aware she answered rudely, but the patriarch couldn't reprimand her because he was speechless and at that moment, he was being reminded of the young Euphrosyne so suddenly.

"Pfft…"

Ainsdale's head turned towards Alessio, whose hand was now covering his lips as he looked away from her. Did he just laugh? A smile etched its way out on his lips while his eyes were gleaming mischievously until he fully laughed out loud when he could no longer restrain himself.

Ainsdale stared at him. Alessio acting like he wasn't fazed even after someone just tried to harm him, reminded her of her brother for some reason. They didn't care about life. One which she disregarded before too, until the time that she decided to look for it. Only now that it was keeping itself away from her.

"Do you, by any chance, find this situation funny? Your cousin almost wounded you when you were just shot by me last night. Is it normal for you to get hurt that you'll laugh after you have just been threatened with being harmed? Or do you want to have both your arms in a sling? Should I have just let you get wounded?"

"Nah. I still need my arm to function so that I may be able to embrace you or hold you whenever and whatever way I want to. I can't be rendered incapable of doing that while you are around me, calla. I might end up biting you instead." He thought of something for a moment. "Ah, but then, if I remembered correctly, you threatened to bite me last night, so I guess we'll get by without any problems even if both my hands are in a sling."

Ainsdale frowned and then gaped at him when she realized what he meant. "What were you thinking again?"

"Love making," he answered without shame.

"What?"

"Oh, is it not? And here I am thinking of ways of how I could make love to you tonight. You know, without the blood and glass shards this time. My family might pass out if we bleed more than that."

Ainsdale raised her left eyebrow in question, which she noticed she had been doing a lot ever since she and Alessio came into a peace treaty unknowingly last night. She smirked, challenging him, and Alessio wondered immediately what she was about to say to him. He was not aware he had been looking forward to times like these. Was he surrounded by boring women all this time that he found Ainsdale a breath of fresh air in his life?

She smiled alluringly as she traced his jaw, then his lips with her finger. And to his astonishment, his body had responded to what she was doing immediately.

Shit! He's doomed for sure.

"Soft and gentle then? With roses, candles and wine? Shall I give you an idea?"

Alessio grinned as he held onto her waist and gently pulled her closer towards him while ignoring the rest of his family who were watching the scene while thinking about whether Alessio had completely gone crazy. He was never this affectionate towards the women he had been involved with. He is the type who f***s and forgets. The words affectionate and romantic are far from the description one would tell about him.

"Sure. I'd very much like it. I can do soft and gentle if that's what you prefer. I'll love you all night until you scream my name over and over again. I can make you enjoy it as much as you will with hard and fast that you're going to keep wanting more."

Luca, who had just come down from the grand stairs of the manor, groaned upon hearing their conversation as he held the car key tightly in his hand. "Can you two please stop talking like we don't exist? Per qualche motivo mi viene lo stomaco in subbuglio. (It makes my stomach churn for some reason.)"

"Sei solo invidioso. (You're just envious.)"

"Please, me? Have you somehow forgotten that I, the great Luca, don't run out of women?"

"Shut up."

"I'm the one driving you two to the hospital, so don't make me drive the car towards a cliff. And, if you don't plan on making these guys," he pointed at the ones who were looking at the couple with astonishment, "speechless for another minute, let's go."

Ainsdale smiled while her cheeks had a faint pink blush as she remained staring at Alessio's eyes. He chuckled before he kissed her forehead ever so gently. How can she be vulgar while looking so innocent and shy at the same time? When he looked over at his family, a triumphant smile etched on his lips upon seeing the reaction he wanted to get from them.

"Walter."

With a frown on his forehead, Walter, who was busy dabbing a handkerchief on his cheek to stop the bleeding, glanced at Alessio, who called out his name. "What?"

"Has there been any news about the Brovinos?" He asked, like he hadn't been threatened by Walter himself.

Maybe such things really are a normal occurrence in the Arcana. Especially since Alessio had just killed someone last night inside the vicinity of the estate the family owned and the rest were acting like it hadn't happened at all.

"They're moving. Dopotutto, ieri sera hai immediatamente inviato il corpo di Dian direttamente alla loro porta, quindi tutto è come avevamo già previsto. (After all, you immediately sent Dian's body straight to their doorstep last night so everything is as we had already anticipated.) We're currently watching them, actually. With Dian's death, they are already made aware that we knew what they have been doing all this time. I'll be assigning a guard to the members of the family, especially the women and children, because the Brovinos might strike back at us through them. You and I both know how they do business. They will drag even the innocent family members of those they consider enemies just so everything will end up in their favor."

"Ready the details, I will look over it when we get back. And assign Kian to guard your daughter. You'd be more at ease if it was him guarding Gavionne."

"Sure."

"Oh, I'm overjoyed that you bled today instead of me." He made sure to say before he guided Ainsdale towards the manor's main door behind Luca, who went on ahead of them.

"f**k you."

Alessio grinned. "Not today, Walt. Not today. We're still quite… tender due to our rough loving last night. It's what happens when I, the head of the Arcana, is very compatible with the woman beside me. You know what that means, don't you?"

Due to Walter's irritation, he picked up the closest throw pillow within his reach and threw it to Alessio, whose laugh echoed inside the receiving area as he closed the door behind him.

***

Luca glanced at the couple in the back seat while he was driving from the rearview mirror. The minute they were out of the Terra di Sienna's main estate, both made themselves busy with what they decided to do at that time during their trip towards the hospital where Khalil works at and completely ignored each other like they weren't just joking about their preference in love making right in front of the members of the family who were left speechless before they left the manor.

No words were said as Alessio focused his attention on his laptop while he was checking reports with regards to the conglomerates' business dealings these past few days while talking to his right-hand man, Luca's twin, Lucien, who is at the company building now. Even though he works as the head of Arcana when it comes to their underground business in the mafia, Alessio is still the CEO of the family-owned company established by the previous generations of the Arcanes, where he looks after not only the welfare of the company but also the welfare of over a thousand employees and their families.

On the other hand, Ainsdale couldn't help herself but glare at the screen of her phone as she read Lewis' report regarding those who were involved in the Black Lake incident. More of them were able to get out of prison even after all the evidence they presented in court because the court had been bribed with an overwhelming amount which only the ones involved knew of. She didn't question as to how Lewis was able to get a hold of that information because she knew a lot of agents working for the organization capable of retrieving such data if needed.

She sighed. Even without looking, she could tell Luca had been watching them from the driver's seat.

"Do you have something you wanted to say, Luca?"

"Hai qualcosa da dire, Luca?"

With that, she raised her head and looked at Alessio, who had the same reaction as her while he was looking in her direction. They stared at each other before they chuckled.

Luca's eyes went wide when both asked the same thing using different languages at the same time, before they looked at his eyes through the rearview mirror as if they could see him taking a glance at them even though they were both busy doing their own thing. How can they sync as if they share the same brain? It was like they were the same souls in different bodies who had finally found each other.

"What?"

Alessio's eyes questioned him instead of repeating the words he had just uttered and so did the woman beside him.

Luca sighed and then he shrugged before he turned the car onto the curve of the road and focused his attention back on his way.

"I'm just wondering, that's all."

"Didn't you know that curiosity killed the cat?" Asked Alessio, whose attention went back to the screen of his laptop and Ainsdale smiled in her seat which did not escape Luca's eyes.

Luca grimaced. His face went sour as if being compared to a cat made goosebumps crawl on his skin.

"I don't care. I'm not even a cat."

"Pfft…"

At that time, two pairs of eyes glanced at Ainsdale. Her mirthful eyes were now completely forest greens as she tried her hardest not to completely laugh at the way Luca answered. Even though the first sound had already escaped her lips, she now sealed her lips completely for her not to laugh even more because she might annoy Luca.

"I'm sorry," she apologized as she grinned with her eyes focusing on anything but them, then focused her attention back on her phone and immersed herself with whatever she was looking at there.

Luca stared at her openly before focusing his attention back on the road again. Silence then again made its presence known between them until Luca couldn't contain himself any longer. Just like the rest, he is wondering about the woman's identity the second he saw her when she had just freed herself from being cuffed on the bed. That memory brought a smile to his lips every time. No matter how much he looked at her, physically and everything, from head to toe, it screamed that she wasn't Euphrosyne.

"Ask, Luca. I don't want you driving this car towards a cliff because your curiosity hasn't been quenched. We're not cats. We don't have a spare of eight lives when we die in this lifetime."

The side of Alessio's lips moved but he bit his lip to stop himself from chuckling. He felt like they, as mature adults, had been quite enjoying the existence of cats since that morning. Should he gift Ainsdale one?

He ignored her words. "You are not Euphrosyne, are you?"

Ainsdale looked at him straight in the eyes through the rearview mirror and he saw how her eyes' color turned from forest greens to the color of his eyes. The longer she stared at him, the more vivid her eye color became ashen gray like his, and because he was driving, he had to look away from her stare first.

Ainsdale leaned back as she lowered her hand holding her phone on her lap. Her right arm was resting on the window sill of the car door beside her.

At that time, Alessio completely disregarded his work and waited for Ainsdale's answer. Is she going to tell Luca the truth or is she going to lie? He glanced at the woman beside him and he saw how a knowing smile slowly etched itself on her lips, challenging Luca, who glanced at the two from time to time through the rearview mirror.

"How do you think so?"

"Do you want me to enumerate?"

"Hmm? Sure."

"You were able to fight my twin in a hand to hand combat at an equal standing, which I'm telling you, Euphrosyne wouldn't be able to do in this lifetime. You were able to free yourself from the handcuffs when Lucien cuffed you on the bed using a bloody IV needle. You were able to survive torture during interrogation and you could successfully irritate my twin for some reason. Besides, I saw how you never cared about Euphrosyne's parents - she loved them to the bone that she'd follow every word they told her and you acting like you wouldn't care even if they were shot dead that day made me think otherwise."

"That's a lot of observation. Have you always been watching my back?"

"Oh, there's still more. You want me to continue?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Stefano somehow looks up to you, which is weird because Euphrosyne hasn't done anything her entire life to be looked up to."

"Have you done a background check somehow?"

"Euphrosyne's about to become the donna of the Arcana, of course we did, by the instruction of the don himself, the man sitting right next to you. And let's say, we found out a lot of things. One thing that stands out like a sore thumb was that she's a spoilt Simonetti who is rotten to the core. Besides, with missing information here and there that creates a dead end as if it was intentionally erased, her existence is questionable from the start."

Ainsdale laughed softly as she glanced at Alessio, who remained silent.

"Getting engaged to you is scary, my love," she teased.

Alessio smiled. "Oh, I'm sure you'll do just fine. If it's you, you'll survive standing next to me, darling."

Luca grimaced and didn't say anything. Here they go again. Alessio somehow really changed. A few months ago, he found it such a chore to answer Euphrosyne yes or no and most of the time he ignored her existence back then.

"Continue, Luca."

He thought for a second until the car went to a temporary stop because the traffic lights were in red.

"You were able to hold out while fighting Alessio to the death and… Alessio somehow started calling you flower names, which he never did even once from the moment he met Euphrosyne and never will if you ask for my opinion. Those things cannot be accomplished by the woman who was here a few months ago before she disappeared after the ruckus she caused in the family. Besides, you are the only person I'm aware of who has the guts to call Alessio by his middle name, something only the young Euphrosyne has the right to do according to what I heard from the old patriarch of the family."

Ainsdale remained tightlipped. She silently processed Luca's words. With all the circumstances that met her, the second she opened her eyes at the manor, she couldn't help but be the real her because she would certainly have died if she didn't.

"Scion, can I trust him?"

"You can't."

"Nice, Alessio. Nice. Don't worry, I'm going to be the one to kill you in your sleep one night. So yes, you certainly cannot trust me at all."

"Say a word about what I'm going to tell you and I will kill you myself."

Luca pondered and then nodded in agreement. "I swear on my ties with the Arcana."

"That's a blood oath," Alessio pointed out. "You're gonna get yourself killed if you don't follow through on what you swear upon."

"I am aware," Luca said as he waited for what Ainsdale was about to tell him.

"I'm not Euphrosyne, though I am here trying to find out if I am Euphrosyne."

Luca frowned. "What?"

Alessio looked at his friend. He knew they could trust him to keep a secret. "She's Aizen's sister, Ainsdale Fiumeluna Castiglione."

For a moment Luca was speechless and the two at the back also never said a word after Alessio introduced her to him.

"Well, s**t!" Luca cursed under his breath. "Things just got complicated."

"Right?" Alessio retorted, though he looked like he wasn't even the least bit disturbed.

"If you're Aizen's sister, then how come you look like that b***h?"

Ainsdale chuckled as she put back her attention to the report she was reading a while ago. "So you're calling her that way now?"

"I always call her that way," he answered, and just continued to drive. He need not to tell her he calls women who had their claws tightly on Alessio with names that cannot be called endearing when it comes out of his mouth. "So, why do you look like her? As far as I know, she doesn't have a sister. More so, a twin at that."

Ainsdale shrugged. "Who knows?"

"So when did you find out she was not the woman we're hunting?"

"Last night," Alessio curtly answered.

"Ah, so that is why his attitude suddenly changed to a three-sixty," Luca thought to himself.

But thinking back, Alessio has been acting weird the moment they kidnapped Ainsdale. Did he somehow doubt she wasn't the woman they were looking for?

"So… Euphrosyne has not been found yet?"

"Oh, Aizen already has her."

"What?"

Ainsdale looked at Aizen, then at Luca and then back. It wasn't surprising that they looked surprised, since Aizen did not tell them about it because of her presence in the manor.

"Has AVII been integrated into the car?"

"Yes."

"AVII," she called out, and the program's image appeared on the screen on the dashboard.

"Good day, Mr. Arcane, Mr. Michealides, Ms. Castiglione! How may I be of assistance?"

"AVII, can you connect us to my brother?"

"Of course, please wait a moment."

Luca knew of their new intelligence system but it was his first time seeing how it communicated like a normal person would to another and the one who programmed it was the woman now sitting in the back seat beside Alessio. He couldn't help himself but be amazed.

After a while, an irritated Aizen was seen on the screen.

"What?"

"You looked… s*x deprived," Alessio commented with a very serious tone, as if he was actually worrying about his friend. "Should I send you a woman?"

"Damn you, Alessio. Has f*****g a woman always been your way of solving things?"

"Well, it helps."

Aizen grimaced even more, making Luca and Ainsdale chuckle along with Alessio at his misery.

"I see you have found your run-away fiancée."

Alessio smiled knowingly. So Aizen is playing dumb, isn't he?

"Yeah. You gave her to me, remember?"

"Did I?"

"My anger seemed to have escaped from its confines last night after I found out Dian had been working for the Brovinos all this time, so I might have taken her a little too rough that she bled to the point where we needed to call for Dr. Petrakis in the middle of the night - "

Aizen's face darkened and Luca felt fear at that moment. He obviously cared about his sister so much that he was willing to leave everything behind, even his relationship with the Arcana, for her sake. If Aizen had been with them at that moment, he surely would have pulled a gun and pointed it directly to Alessio.

"What the hell are you saying right now, Alessandro?"

"I f****d Euphrosyne the way she deserved to be until she realized that her life belonged to me, that she is nothing without me. But damn, the cat wouldn't beg even after she bled, so I had to tie her down and - "

"Alessandro Scion," Aizen whispered with so much hate.

"What?"

"I.Will.Kill.You."