Lethal Combination

Chapter 17

Earlier that day…

Alessio woke up in a good mood and everyone who saw him that morning exchanged glances with each other as if asking in silence what the hell happened to him. But nobody dared to ask him directly because they did not want to become the reason of his sudden change of mood. Being on the receiving end every time that happens has never once been a nice experience for them. Seeing him that way, as if he feels so light without any heavy burdens on his shoulders, is a rare occurrence for them. From childhood, they knew that there were only a few things that could please him to the point that they brought a glint of genuine happiness to his eyes and they were always the things he liked to do or had taken a liking to, even if it did not bring good news for other people. Walter did not want to thread a thin ice so early in the morning and he did not want to ruin his cousin's mood, so he kept silent and opted to do his own thing.

After breakfast, there were a few times when Alessio asked the servants passing by him if his fiancee was already awake, but every time, they would answer the same. That she was still asleep. He let it go the first few times but his frown started to deepen when all he'd heard were the same answers after a few minutes and even a few hours afterwards from Rhia, the maid who was attending to Ainsdale's needs. He did not pry much longer when the clock struck ten in the morning, thinking that maybe it was normal for Ainsdale to oversleep sometimes like the rest of the women he knew, but the thought that it might have something to do with the drug in her system did not leave his mind. What if that was actually the reason? Is she alright?

Hours went by as usual for him, whose daily routine did not change even after he was shot by Ainsdale. But in the midst of him being busy with things that he needed to do, there was never a time that his thoughts ever went astray from Ainsdale. No matter how occupied he was, his thoughts always wandered to her, as if his thoughts were inclined to go towards her way. How many women would have the guts to shoot him without blinking an eye anyway? For sure, only Aizen's sister would.

Though he had already gotten rid of the sling supporting his arm, he still did not report personally to the AC's main building. But he made use of his office in the manor to do all of his responsibilities in the company as well as his duties as the head of the Arcana. With the assistance of his men around him, he never had a hard time dealing with things that needed to be dealt with in their underground business.

Even though he was still recuperating, he did not stay idle because it was not in his nature to laze around and let time pass by without doing anything in particular. He attended meetings via teleconference to close a few deals with other companies that wanted to partner with them for a certain project and he settled a few problems that arose unexpectedly by coordinating with his cousins who were in-charge of the company in question, since they headed the different companies under the Arcane Conglomerates' wing. Aside from Lucien, they are the ones reporting to him directly every now and then with regards to the operation of the company as a whole, for the purpose of keeping him updated. That way, he could immediately intervene, even though not personally, if something went amiss.

"AVII…" he called out to their security system just after the last meeting he attended online ended.

The blue line of light on the ceiling shifted before the system's hologram image appeared in front of him. Where did Ainsdale even get the model when she designed her face? The system looks too human. A beautiful one at that. He was still amazed every time he saw her because AVII displays emotions only a human being should have been able to. And to think that Aizen's sister was the creator behind the system made him in awe even more. Both to the creation and creator.

"Buongiorno, signor Arcane! Come posso essere di aiuto? (Good morning, Mr. Arcane! How may I be of assistance?)"

"Dov'è Walter e il resto? (Where's Walter and the rest?)"

"You mean the ones working directly under your wing as the don of the Arcana?"

"Yes."

Something gleamed in AVII's eyes. She's probably searching through the CCTV installed around the manor and every other place which was linked to her system to look for them. While she was busy searching for the whereabouts of the people he was looking for, he leaned back in his seat and stared at her.

He is certain many would pay a large amount of money to have a security system like hers. ISR never disclosed any information regarding the programmer who designed and created AVII. They must have known that its existence is a threat in its own way to the one that created it. If people learn about the extent of AVII's capability as a system, some may be ready to threaten and, in worse cases, to kill just to get a copy of AVII's program, putting the life of the one who created her in danger. Was Ainsdale even aware of the consequences of creating a system like AVII? Because not only the government will come after her but also those who needed a system like this the most – the ones who worked underground and against the government. An organization like the one he is leading in the shadows. Arcana was just privileged to use AVII because, before he even knew it, she had taken over Arcana's previous security system all on her own with the permission of Ainsdale when they were securing stolen data from the family.

"Khalil is in the hospital. Walter is in the library on the upper floor with his daughter. Lucien is in his office in the main company building of Arcane Conglomerates and – "

"Why?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm asking why Lucien's in the AC. As far as I'm aware, he should be in the Costa Brava warehouse right now with Kian to check whether the items which were about to be distributed to our clientele are all in good condition. I don't want any problems arising with the transactions this time and I needed him to be there to make sure that it happened."

"Your cousins invited him to attend a scheduled meeting over lunch with the representatives from Everett's Winery regarding the possible business convergence of your company and theirs. Once it has been finalized, the AC will have exclusive rights of distribution to their wines in the country and overseas once a deal between the two has been made, so your cousins Duke and Zeal accompanied Kian instead."

Alessio was speechless. He had unexpectedly voiced out his thoughts and he did not expect the system to answer him.

"How do you even know about that?"

"Walls have ears. In my case, I exist on the internet and have a complete grasp on the web. My eyes can see everything that is happening around the world through the lenses of all the installed CCTV's and I can hear everything and filter it for my own convenience."

"Right. And Luca? Is he around?"

"Lucien's twin was with the rest in the training hall on the right wing of the manor."

After he fired Lane, Lucien had taken hold of all her responsibilities as a private secretary in the company, so learning that he was in the company building right now was not a surprise at all. He was just surprised he prioritized the company this time more than the Arcana's activities. Maybe he trusted Kian and the rest to be able to handle it without him. Alessio had increased his salary by a few digits because he knew, excluding his work load in the company, Lucien was already fully loaded, being his Consigliere in the mafia. After all, he is among the ones overseeing their transactions with the cartels whenever he is not available to do so personally because of other things in his hands. Besides, he was the one in charge of handling the authorities and law enforcers every time their businesses went askew or had been sabotaged because of the interference of other families.

"Inform them that I'm calling for a meeting."

The black gathering was right by the corner and they needed to take precautionary measures to avoid any unexpected incidents. He knew they invited him with his fiancee for a reason. And he will get to the bottom of it. While doing so, he would give his all to keep Ainsdale safe, since her brother would have his head for sure if a mere scratch would make itself known to her skin while she was under his wing. If he had to bring a family to ruin to keep her safe, then he would. Maybe they were all thinking he'd gotten soft because he had chosen to stay silent for a while, so they were all showing their fangs to him right now as they stood together on the other side of the line. If they are hoping he'd cower just because they are threatening him by using the existence of the donna of the Arcana, maybe it is safe for him to think that it was just right to show them how much of a beast he could be. Isn't it what they wanted, hence they are threatening him in subtle ways? It seemed like they wanted to meet the beast that leads the Arcana and it would be his pleasure to show it to them.

"Including Lucien?"

"No, leave him out. I'm sure his twin will tell him about it afterwards. If my cousins invited him to go with them, they would be in need of his assistance during the meeting. I hope it will go according to plan so that we can proceed with the project without any more resistance from people that don't want it to proceed."

"Of course," AVII answered before she remained silent and when she focused her attention back on him, he knew she already conveyed the message he wanted her to relay to others. "They said they'd be here at five."

"Thank you, AVII."

"You're welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"None at the moment, thank you."

"Then call me anytime whenever you need my assistance, Mr. Arcane. Have a great day!"

He did not wait that long for them to arrive at his office one after the other. When everyone was present aside from Lucien, he immediately went and discussed the things they'd have to reconsider during the black gathering, since only a few were going to be allowed inside the main hall while the rest would be waiting on standby at another hall after the auction. For the first time, the guests for the black gathering were divided and Alessio had a feeling that the Castranos who would be hosting the event this time had something up their sleeves. Ainsdale will be attending the gathering as Euphrosyne and their priority will be to keep her safe.

During their meeting, while they discuss and exchange opinions about some things regarding the gathering where Alessio and Ainsdale will be attending without any other choice, Walter and the rest would often find him smiling on his own. A smile always finds its way to his lips while he is staring at the documents before him as if his thoughts were somewhere else. They wanted to ask him to confirm their thoughts but they couldn't, out of fear that Alessio would lash out at them. It was only when Luca opened his mouth that their unspoken question was voiced out.

"Per caso, è successo qualcosa di buono? (By any chance, did something good happen?)"

Alessio blinked before he looked at him. His smile faded and his face became stoic, hiding all the emotions he was feeling at the moment, as if he hadn't felt them in the first place. "Why?"

"Perché continui a sorridere da solo. (Because you keep smiling on your own.)"

Everyone looked at Luca with horror written in their eyes but he just shrugged when he noticed them. Out of all of them, he was the only one who had the nerve to ruffle Alessio's feathers as if he did not care about his life at all. With his easygoing attitude, his companions were actually wondering how he stayed alive in Alessio's presence all this time.

"Do I?" Alessio asked with a frown, looking like he himself was not aware of what was happening to him.

"You know, it's starting to creep me out. I wonder why the rest are acting like they are not noticing something out of place. With you smiling like that, I think you either murdered someone without telling us or are planning to kill someone."

Alessio ignored him and thought about what Luca said. He is smiling. In the middle of an important meeting at that and with everyone's reaction, they all noticed him doing that. His thoughts were occupied by Ainsdale. And when he remembered how she reacted to his presence, to his words, to his touch, a smile had made its way onto his lips again.

He had never once looked forward to holding a woman in his arms back then, because he could have them at his beck and call. But Ainsdale is different. Without her doing anything to get his attention, he unconsciously looks for her whether he likes it or not. And when he did see her, his eyes would be glued steadily on her, following her every move and noting every smile that etched itself on her lips and the laugh that escaped her mouth as if he was bewitched by her. He had been trying to stop himself from touching her because he respected her space, he respected her. But every time he sees her, his resolve slowly crumbles on the ground because all he wanted to do is the opposite. He is starting to care for the woman who used him so blatantly to achieve her goal and, despite knowing her reasons for being there with him, he willingly lets her be. Maybe he really had lost it because of her.

"Vedere? Stai sorridendo di novo. (See? You're smiling again)," Luca pointed out, after Alessio remained silent in his seat. "Should we call Dr. Petrakis to send us a psychiatrist immediately? I'm rather worried, you know? Because I think you're already showing signs. You turning crazy is something we have been trying to prevent ever since you took the position as the head of the Arcana because we know you'd be going on a killing spree if that happened."

Alessio glared at Luca, especially when the rest of them let out a laugh at what Luca had stated and, out of instinct, tried to stop themselves from laughing even more.

"Shut up."

"Sure. But please do tell us if you're planning to go on a killing spree on the night of the black gathering. You know, so that we can provide you with assistance. It has been a long time. We'd been bored for so long that we'd like to smear blood on our hands too."

"Shut up, Luca."

Luca just chuckled. He raised both his hands in surrender before he gestured his fingers in front of his lips as if he was zipping them close. Not a moment later, after that little spectacle which Alessio had stopped immediately, they went back to discussing their plans again.

"Se sono autorizzate tre guardie ad accompagnare il Don e la Donna nella sala principale, i gemelli e io prenderò quel posto. (If three guards are allowed to accompany the don and the donna in the main hall, the twins and I will be taking that place.)" Walter stated with finality and everyone agreed immediately.

"Il mio gemello ti seguirà come al solito mentre io e Walter seguiremo Euphrosyne. (My twin will stick to you as usual while Walter and I will be tailing Euphrosyne.)" Luca then added to Walter's statement. "With that, we'll know every person who will come in contact with her or whom she will attempt to contact when you have your back turned away from her."

Luca then stared at Alessio.

"But if you prefer, we'd prevent anyone who comes near her during the whole duration of the gathering," he told him with a hidden message in between his words which both of them only knew. "For certain, the Brovinos will take that chance to get in contact with her after she disappeared from their clutches during their failed attempt to access the data being kept safely by the Arcana. After all, since Euphrosyne is here in Terra di Sienna, the gathering will be the only opportunity for them to do so."

"Euphrosyne worked with the Brovinos to take down the Arcana. Now that she is in our hands, don't you think the Brovinos would prefer her death instead of being captured by us? That way serves them more purpose than keeping her alive. So maybe they won't just get in contact with her. They are certainly going to take her."

Alessio leaned back in his seat and looked at them. "Protect her," he told them. Two words but they held a lot of meaning, eliciting a lot of questions, especially when he did not elaborate further.

"What?" They, aside from Luca, asked, almost simultaneously.

Why wouldn't they? It was Alessio who had wanted her life more than the rest who were after her because of what she did to the family he was leading. Euphrosyne did not only endanger Alessio but the Arcana as a whole and everything that was connected to the family. So why on earth did he want them to protect her instead? But Luca knew the real reason as to why he wanted her protected. He just stayed silent because telling them about who she really was would open up a lot of questions which needed to be answered. After all, the members of the Arcana would not stop unless they knew everything about the person they were told to protect.

Before Alessio could tell them a lie as to why he wanted her protected instead of them just watching over her, AVII, without him calling out for her, appeared beside him just as his phone rang with Aizen's name on the screen. While he was looking at their security system with a frown, he answered Aizen's call.

"Aizen? Is there – "

"Go check on her. Now!" He cut him off.

His heart almost stopped beating at how worried Aizen sounded at that moment. He could only be talking about one woman and that was his sister, the one who had taken a residence in Alessio's mind all this time.

"She collapsed," AVII informed him afterwards, answering the question he was about to ask Aizen.

Without any second thoughts, Alessio stood up in a rush with his phone in his hand. He ordered Luca to call Khalil back to the manor immediately, leaving no room for any questions as to why, before he ran outside his office without another word. Walter and the rest were left bewildered as to what had just happened.

For a while, until Khalil arrived in a hurry with Nile to check on Ainsdale, the manor had been in chaos, especially when he saw her lying unconscious on the floor. If Alessio's grandfather never intervened, he would have ended up tearing the ones attending to Ainsdale's needs to pieces. If looks could kill, they would have been dead the second he glared at them with fury. What happened to Aizen's sister threw his rationality out of the window and it was only when he had calmed down that he realized how much her presence in his life had already affected him. Since when the hell did it start? The night when they tried to kill each other? No. It was definitely before that. Maybe from back when he first started to hear her voice over the phone when she rescued his cousin Stefano.

"I think you owe Rhia an apology."

Alessio frowned before he glanced at his grandfather who was standing beside him while Khalil and Nile checked on Ainsdale's vitals. "What?"

"You gave the girl a fright a while ago. She has been crying ever since you put all the blame on her."

He remained silent as he just stared at Ainsdale, who somehow looked a little paler than he remembered her to be. Could the drug in her system be the culprit? Where on earth is his cousin Stefano anyway? It'd been a few days since he told him he'd be going to Moldova to retrieve the neutralizer for the Flagrare, but until now, he had never heard a word from him.

"With Euphrosyne's present situation, we should expect that things like these are going to happen every now and then. Who would have expected that the Brovinos would test the drug they developed on her?"

"But it was not the Brovinos that did that to her," Alessio thought to himself. "And she was not Euphrosyne either," he continued.

Alessio is worried. How much more is Ainsdale's brother who is not by her side? Aizen had never stopped threatening him since he answered his call a while ago and he could only let him vent out his frustration because he was somewhere he had not mentioned and could not personally check on his sister who was presently under Alessio's care. He only stopped and dropped the call when Alessio had promised he'd let him know first and foremost about Ainsdale's health status after Khalil and Nile had checked on her.

For a while, silence had enveloped the entirety of the room. Aside from the occasional conversation between Khalil and Nile with regards to Ainsdale's situation, nothing else was heard as they waited for what they had to say about her in general.

"How is she?" Alessio asked his cousin Nile, who was walking towards him.

"The result of her electroencephalogram shows that her brain activity had shown some abnormal signs. Something must have triggered her brain to remember a memory. One which she has forgotten for a long time," Nile explained, since he was the one who conducted an EEG on Ainsdale while she was still unconscious. "With the Flagrare in her system which is directly affecting her central nervous system, we better expect things like these to happen to her as long as the drug was not neutralized. By the way, is she somehow suffering from dissociative amnesia?"

Alessio pursed his lips. He was torn whether he would tell them the truth about her or just lie about it. But if he did lie, it would not help with Ainsdale's situation. And if he did tell them the truth, they would find out that she was not the Euprhosyne they knew at all.

Nile stared at his cousin. "Alessio, if you think not talking about her is the safest, I suggest you think again and decide. We can't help her if we knew nothing of her background."

He sighed. "We all knew about the accident that she and her grandfather met fifteen years ago. She said she couldn't remember all of her memories from birth or even about the accident. Her memory actually started the moment she first opened her eyes in the hospital after she had been in a coma for almost a year."

"Do you have any of her medical records from back then?"

"You think I'd have the time to ask her for a copy? I hated her at first, remember?"

"At first..." Nile whispered before a smile made its way onto his lips.

Before he could say something, he saw how his cousin Alessio had started glaring at him, so he just zipped his lips back and swallowed his words. For certain, his cousin would give him a punch in the face if he said another word.

"Go ahead and continue what you were about to say, Nile. I dare you."

Nile chuckled. "On second thought, I'd rather not."

Not a moment later, Khalil walked towards them and stood beside Nile, who was still smiling at his cousin as if he could not really stop himself, while Alessio glared at him in return.

"It was not that long when she recovered from her fever, but I would like you to know that she might be suffering from another again. Her body is rejecting the drug in her system and her having an on and off fever is just one of the signs," Khalil told him as he handed Alessio a piece of paper. "Just let her take a long rest. If fever occurs, have her take the medicine I've prescribed for seven days following her schedule strictly by the book. Thirty minutes before or after every meal. Just watch out if her body temperature rises to a hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit. Bring her to the hospital immediately if that ever happens, because it means she'd need close medical attention."

Alessio could only nod while remembering everything Khalil was telling him.

Khalil stared at him as if he was trying to study him."If you don't mind me asking, you haven't been making love again the way you did when you got yourself shot, have you?"

"Not yet."

His cousin gaped at him, bewildered, while Khalil was left in awe.

"You mean you are planning to?" Nile asked, flabbergasted.

Alessio frowned. "Well, she's my fiancee, isn't she? We'll be making love whether you like it or not."

"In moderation, Alessio," Khalil interceded, as if they weren't discussing his s*x life with the woman in question who was lying on the bed not too far away from them. "I reminded you the first time, did I not? Euphrosyne's body at present cannot handle a beast like you. The drug is intervening with her and the mundane act of making love, especially with a man like you, is something her body cannot withhold in her present state."

"Sure. I'll take that into consideration. But how the hell did we end up talking about that?"

"Because I asked. And you keep answering."

The old patriarch of the family chuckled and Alessio just continued frowning.

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"If you know where the neutralizer is for the Flagrare, I think you should start issuing an order for its retrieval. Your fiancee needs it at the soonest possible time. She's suffering the aftereffects much faster than expected and with the stress she put herself in after what she did to the family, she might not last for a year, which we first predicted."

"Stefano is already at it."

"Euphrosyne is fine at the moment. She'll wake up soon, so you should relax. The stress is taking a toll on you and it is clearly showing on your face. How much more if you saw her with tubes connected to her mouth and nose and needles stuck in her hand?"

"What?"

"That is the worst case scenario. I'm just telling you in advance so you should steel yourself and don't let yourself crumble down. I know you have started to care about the girl. In all honestly, I think you're already in love with her because you have never once acted this way towards the ones who have been involved with you before. Steel yourself while she crumbles, because you are the only one whom she can lean to while she's in that state. Be her strength. Do not let yourself crumble with her because that will endanger the family, especially Euphrosyne's life."

After a few instructions from both Nile and Khalil, Alessio was left alone in Ainsdale's room as he watched over her. His grandfather, Alonzo, told him that he'd be sending a light breakfast for his fiancee when she woke up and he just nodded.

He's already in love with her. Is that why he started to care about her so much? He doesn't have anything to compare it to because before, for him, women were just playthings that were always available when he called for one. They were there for him to use and discard without giving second thoughts. They were an existence that did not matter to him. But Ainsdale... she is different. She is an existence he had started to want in his life. She is a distraction which he welcomes into his life with open arms and a danger that he is willing to face and conquer.

He looked down at her while he sat beside her and, ever so carefully, he tucked her stray hair behind her ear away from her face. Before he even knew it, a soft smile curved on his lips yet again.

"Cosa mi hai fatto, narciso? Perché mi ritrovo sempre ad affezionarmi a te? (What did you do to me, daffodil? Why do I always find myself getting attached to you?) Nile told me that I was already in love," He paused and lightly caressed her cheek with the back of his forefinger. "Maybe I am."

With that, his heart seemingly felt contented with his sudden acceptance. Who knew feeling that way would give repose to the chaos deep within him?

He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on her lips before he whispered, "Yes, I am. In love with you."