Chapter 18: Who is Leo?
1052 Words
Aria's POV
I came out of the luxurious bathroom, water dripping down my hair after a long shower. I quickly dressed up, putting on a pair of jeans and a yellow top, fitting my body perfectly.
As I passed through the main sitting room, several maids instantly paused their cleaning, bowing their heads in a practiced style.
“Good morning, ma’am.” They greeted me simultaneously.
“Good morning." I nodded awkwardly in return, walking faster.
I could hear their whisperings behind me.
Not paying attention to them, my eyes searched around the room, looking for Mila when I heard a soft feminine voice.
“Isabella, my dear.”
Before I could even turn around, a blur of floral fabric rushed to me. A woman in her late fifties threw her arms around my neck as she broke into sobs right against my shoulder.
“I still can't believe it; it's really you, my sweet girl.”
She wept, her tears soaking into my shirt.
I stood still, my arms hanging uselessly at my sides as I stared blankly at the ornate wallpaper across the room.
“I'm sorry, ma'am,” I said, pushing her gently from my body. "Please, who are you?”
The woman let out a dramatic, heartbroken cry, pulling back just enough to hold my face with her wrinkled hands.
The maids stood watching the scene with watery eyes.
“So the rumors are true… oh, heavens. You indeed lost every single piece of your memory.”
The intense, uninvited intimacy made me feel uncomfortable as I gently stepped back, trying to walk past her. “I'm sorry, but I don't really know you.”
I hardly took a step when her next words stopped me in my tracks.
“I'm Mrs. Clara, the head of the staff and the Sterling family’s nanny. I am the woman you always considered to be your true mother after you got married to Alexander. I even stayed with you and Alex in your matrimonial home when Leo…"
"Mrs. Clara!”
A deep voice roared as we both spun around instantly, finding Alexander standing tall in the grand doorway.
When did he get back? I thought I wouldn't see his annoying face till I retired to my bedroom.
My gaze shifted rapidly between his dark expression and the trembling woman before me.
“Um… Mrs. Clara, please… who is Leo?”
“Nobody.” Alexander intervened harshly, his large frame cutting directly between us, blocking her from my sight.
“Who gave you the authorization to enter this property?”
“I'm so sorry, Alex…" she stammered, shrinking back from his imposing height. “I missed my daughter so much that I couldn't contain myself the moment I saw the news lines.”
“Franco!” he shouted, making me flinch.
The head of the estate guards rushed in within seconds, his face pale. “Sir.”
“Didn't I not strictly warn you not to let anyone in? Including any of my family members? And yet you let her in even though she's not part of the Sterling family.”
“I'm sorry, sir." He lowered his head. “She has always been trustworthy since she treated Madam as her own blood daughter.”
“You're fired.” Alexander said without a single shred of hesitation.
“Sir…”
“Get out of my sight.”
"Please, Alex! I will leave immediately; just don't fire him. It's my mistake; you can punish me instead.” Mrs. Clara begged, hot tears streaming down her wrinkled cheeks as she reached out to touch his sleeve.
A sharp ache settled in my heart as I watched the elegant older woman lower herself, begging a man with a heart of stone.
There was something heartbreaking about it. No one should have to plead for the right to see someone they loved.
“She's going nowhere!” My voice came in, stepping around Alexander’s broad shoulders and firmly grasping the woman’s wrist.
I glared up into his eyes. “Since she considers me her daughter, then as far as I'm concerned, she's my mother under this roof. If you are so desperate to punish someone, punish me instead.”
The older woman's face softened, fresh tears breaking over her features.
Oh, God. Not again.
“We need to talk.” He said, turning his back and marching up the grand staircase.
"Look, ma'am, I'm truly sorry for what happened today. You should go back home and rest.”
………….
The very second I slammed his study door shut behind me, Alexander's mocking voice came in.
“Aria Bennett would never consider a strange woman as her mother if she truly believed she had no connection to this world.”
“I was simply helping an innocent woman,” I shot back immediately.
“I genuinely wonder how Isabella was ever capable of falling in love with you. Or did you two psychopaths marry each other just because she was a criminal just like you?”
“Stop talking, Aria! You know nothing!”
I could see the veins on his arms, his fists clenching beside his body. But what terrified me the most was his eyes. For a minute, my voice was lost, stepping back.
“Do you think we both married for love? Or have any idea how much we’ve been through all those years. Isabella was just a simple girl like you, but her life…”
He paused, breathing heavily.
I was speechless, holding my breath. This was my first time seeing this side of him.
Alexander stared at me for a long, silent moment. Then, without another word, he reached into his breast pocket and tossed a bunch of glossy pictures onto the desk surface.
The second my eyes landed on the images, the breath left my lungs. It was my mother and my brother, walking along the sidewalks of the neighborhood in New York.
My fingers quickly grabbed the photo, trembling as I brought them closer to my face. In the background of the photo, a strange man clad in a black jacket was clearly seen monitoring their movements, a gun tucked behind his waistband.
“W-what… what is the meaning of this?” I stammered, my heart hammering against my ribs.
- Writer
