Whispers in the Wind

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

We left the safe house the next morning. Gio dropped me at home where an enraged but equally concerned Zara was waiting in the sitting room.

“You b***h!” she yelled as soon as I walked in.

I dodged the throw pillow she threw at an alarming speed my way, allowing it to knock a glass vase down. I turned to her, my eyes wide open as I noted fury scrawled boldly on her soft face.

“Hello to you too” Exhaustion was beginning to hit me, all I wanted to do right now was rest before going back to Vynetria later. I wasn’t in the mood for any kind of drama, but drama seemed like something Zara wanted right now.

She stood up from the couch and marched towards me, hands on her hips, with a reprimanding look. “Do you know how worried sick I’ve been? You leave the house for the first time after an attack, you don’t come back home, you don’t even leave a call or message to tell me that you’re alright. Do you just find joy in scaring people?” she yelled.

I reached into my pocket instinctively, but then I remembered that I must have left my bag and phone in Gio’s penthouse.

I couldn’t even tell her what happened last night. Aside from being worried sick about me everytime, she’d lock me up and would guilt trip me into dropping out of this completely. Worse, she might decide to involve the police.

I sighed and reached out to cup her face, but she slapped my hand away and gave me a nasty glare.

“I called you a thousand times, dropped several messages for you. The least you could have done was to just send one message that you were alright” her gaze began softening.

I winced. “I’m sorry. I went to Queens for a business related purpose, the storm there was something else. It was too dangerous to come back. So I came back this morning.” I lied. She rolled her eyes and marched back to the couch, clutching another throw pillow on her chest with a pout.

“Well next time, a simple text would have been comforting,” she mumbled. I smiled and hugged her. “I’m sorry. I was just too busy to remember.”

She pulled out of my embrace and faced me. “I’ve grown, Zee. You really need to stop treating me like I’m still a child. Start carrying me along whenever important plans are made, it really doesn’t cost much”

I nodded wordlessly. “Like, if you were moving out, you could have just said so. Why do so secretly?”

I paused, my face morphing into confusion. “What?”

“You’re moving out! You should have told me. I know it’s not a must for us to stay together, you could stay on your own, but—”

“I’m not moving out, Zara. What are you on about?” I interjected.

She paused, scanned my face and finally saw that I didn’t know what she was talking about.

She stopped her rantings and broke out into a rushed explanation.

I ran up to my room, and just as she said, it was nearly empty. My bookshelf was cleared. Wardrobe open. Clothes gone. Shoes gone. Dresser cleared.

The longer I stared around the room, the angrier I got, the more I wanted to kill someone. I stomped back downstairs and dashed out of the house.

****************************************************

A little more than an hour later, I was banging on the door of the very same penthouse I was last attacked in, literal smoke fuming from my ears.

When the door opened, I shoved part whoever opened it and barged into the room, only then did I whirl around to face who opened it.

“You moved me out of my apartment?!” I yelled.

Only then did I realize I wasn’t facing who I expected. Alex stood shocked at my sudden entrance and outburst.

A throat cleared from behind me.

“No, that would be me”.

I turned to face the familiar voice, my face heating up when I realized that I had interrupted some sort of meeting. I was only expecting one man, but I was faced with five including the one I left shocked at the door.

I gulped. Times like this made me grateful to have dark skin.

I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

Gio was watching me with amusement filled eyes. The man next to him, however, had something dangerous in his as he stared me down.

He was older than Gio with a considerable gap probably. His hair, dark and slightly curly like Gio’s had a number of silver streaks contrasting it’s darkness.

His appearance did nothing to reduce the stiffness of my body. His presence was imposing, and there was an air around him that made all the others gravitate around him as though he were the sun that drew them all to his orbit.

“And who might this be?” he asked in a stern voice causing my spine to straighten immediately. His voice had a foreign lilt to it, just like Gio’s, and he had a sparkling gold ring on his middle finger.

I recomposed myself and masked it with professionalism. “Zina Aurelis,” I answered before Gio could answer for me. I was still angry at him, no matter how embarrassed I felt at the moment—or scared.

His eyes narrowed at me immediately making my breath hitch. No matter how much I wanted to disappear from there, my body was too stiff to move— or even breathe.

“Aurelis” he repeated, stroking a hand over his jaw as his predatory eyes continued scrutinizing me. “Your last name rings a bell” he pointed out in a dangerously low tone. In fact, the aura in the room seemed to have changed to that of danger.

I immediately started feeling claustrophobic just from the heavy weight of his gaze on me. My heart was pounding in my ears loudly I don’t think I could hear anything else.

Nonetheless, I managed to swallow the thickness in my throat and maintain a neutral yet polite face.

“I’m sure you have heard my name before. I’m Mr. Russo’s new personal assistant” I explained with a small smile, in an unfazed tone.

He nodded slowly, and for some reason, I couldn't tear my eyes away from his. It was the power and threat behind that gaze.

He smirked, flirtatiously.

He glanced to the side where his brother stood, and even he stiffened. "Gio, non mi avevi detto che avevi un'assistente così adorabile"

"Puoi biasimarmi?"

Whatever he said made his brother size me up. Great.

He shook his head slowly as a terrifying cat-like grin spread across his slightly wrinkled face. Up close, I could see the striking resemblance between the two of them

He was handsome, admittedly, but not as devastatingly handsome as his most definitely younger brother.

The three other men that were present stood up with him, breathing with him, as though doing anything else would get them in trouble.

"I'm sorry for interrupting," I began but he lifted a hand to stop me. "Please don't leave on my account,” he said, raising a hand. His voice, though stern, had a certain smoothness to it. “In fact, you’re quite fortuitous. It seems we were just discussing the importance of maintaining a strong presence in our daily operations.”

Gio’s amusement was evident as he watched me struggle to regain my composure. “Zina,” he said, stepping forward, “this is Don Gabriele Russo, my older brother.”

Don Gabriele’s intense gaze did not waver. He continued scrutinizing me with an unsettling calmness. “Mr. Russo,” I said, trying to sound as composed as possible. “I wasn’t aware that I’d be intruding on such an important meeting.”

Don Gabriele’s lips curled into a smirk. “Not at all. We’ve finished our discussion, and you’ve provided an unexpected, yet intriguing diversion.”

Gio motioned for me to follow him. “Let’s talk outside,” he suggested, guiding me out of the room.

As we walked through the penthouse, I could feel Don Gabriele’s gaze lingering on me, his words echoing in my mind. The casual, almost flirtatious tone of his brother contrasted sharply with the dangerous undertone of his presence.

Once we were outside on the balcony, away from the prying eyes and heavy atmosphere of the penthouse, my frustration couldn’t be contained any longer.

Gio leaned against the railing, his calm demeanor in stark contrast to my outburst.

“Do you have any idea how infuriating you can be? A heads–up would have been nice!” I yelled, placing my hands on my hips.

“I understand you’re upset, Zina. Sometimes these decisions are made quickly for the sake of security. It was a rushed decision. There was simply no time to inform you"

My eyebrows creased together into a deeper frown. "No time? I spent the entire day with you yesterday. You even dropped me off at my now former home this morning. When was there going to be time for you to tell me?!"

"I apologize for the inconvenience. I didn’t realize it would cause such a personal impact.”

“That’s just it!” I continued, my voice rising. “You never think about the personal side of things. You make decisions without considering how they affect the people involved. Zara was beside herself with worry, and I was left in the dark!”

Gio’s eyes sparkled with a mix of amusement and admiration as he watched me. “I must say, your passion is quite impressive. It’s one of the things I find most intriguing about you.”

The sudden shift in his tone caught me off guard. I found myself stumbling over my words, my face heating up despite my efforts to stay composed. “I—uh, I’m not here to —This is about respect and communication, not—” but the more I tried to stay focused, the more those eyes kept distracting me. They were a dark shade of amber, so deep it was possible to get lost in them.

"That's not the point, Gio. This is about mutual respect and communication between us”

Gio took a step closer, his gaze dropping to a softer, more intimate level. “Respect and communication, absolutely. And I must admit, your fiery spirit adds a certain… allure to our interactions.”

My heart raced, and I struggled to keep my focus as his words and proximity flustered me. “Y-you think this is amusing?” I stuttered, trying to regain control over my emotions.

He chuckled softly, clearly entertained by my reaction. “A bit, yes. I find it quite charming, actually. But I do apologize if I’ve caused you any distress.”

His playful smile only made me blush deeper. I stuck my tongue to the roof of my mouth. “I’m not here for your amusement, Gio. I need to know that I’m being treated with the respect I deserve.”

Gio’s expression softened, his tone becoming more sincere. “I understand, Zina. I genuinely didn’t mean to upset you. Let me make it up to you.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small card, holding it out to me. “How about dinner? Just the two of us. A chance to discuss things in a more relaxed setting and clear the air.”

I looked at the card, my irritation momentarily giving way to surprise. “Dinner?” I repeated, unable to mask the hint of curiosity in my voice.

Gio’s smile widened. “Yes, dinner. It’s the least I can do to make up for the inconvenience. I’d like the opportunity to make things right.”

Despite my lingering frustration, his genuine tone and the promise of a more relaxed conversation made me consider his offer. “Fine,” I said, taking the card from him. “Dinner it is. But only if we can discuss this matter further. And I expect you to be honest with me.”

Gio’s eyes gleamed with a mix of satisfaction and amusement. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. The day and time depends on your availability. Just incorporate it into my schedule and inform me.”

As I turned to head back inside, I could feel Gio’s gaze lingering on me, a mix of amusement and genuine interest. I was about to turn to leave when he stopped me. "You live two floors below. Don't you want to see your new place?"

He was holding up a card and key temptingly with a playful grin.

On a normal day, my ego would have firmly dejected it, but well...

I reached out to take the keys, but he took it higher, dangling it above me, just out of reach.

"One more thing," he continued, causing me to pause. "If you ever need anything, batteries, a cup of sugar, oil, or even to help zip up your dress, feel free to knock on my door and ask for help. But never interrupt my business meetings" he said in a warning tone, even though the smirk on his face said otherwise.

I jumped a bit and grabbed the keys, turning on my heels to leave.

"Not even a 'goodnight'?" he called when I was halfway to the door.

I lifted my hand in the air without turning back and fluttered them at him. "Goodnight, Mr. Russo"