The Plutocrats' Lovers

Chapter 1

Croesus, The King of Lydia, who known for his wealth

~Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Laura Conti's POV

I remembered it very well that night. Like it was only yesterday.

It was pouring rain as I was weeping in front of my father's grave. No one was there. No one was there to comfort me. The social workers that arranged the funeral only gave their condolences to me before they went away after the priest had blessed the grave. The only people that gathered for the last goodbye were me and Greta, the help that took care of my father.

Also, my nanny when I was a little girl.

I only came back from Albania, the country where my work stuck me there for three years until I heard the news of my father passing away. I went there for a reason. A reason that I will not be telling anyone until the day I died.

It only took a day to realize that you sucked and you will never ever succeed to get the love of your life. And that person was not me. I don't wallow and cry over the spilled milk that had been done. Not this woman. And of course, not so a reason that was tiny in comparison for my drive to succeed.

"Laura, it's time to go. Please, you will get sick if you stay here any longer" Greta told me to go home since it was pouring cats and dogs right now. But I don't care. I stood still in front of my father's grave as the rain was pouring heavily onto my clothes as I was looking at the tombstone indicating his grave.

"You go first, I will go in a minute. Please..." I whispered, wishing that it was loud enough for Greta to hear it. Greta nodded at me and went to the parking lot to get out of the cemetery. After I was sure that no one was around, I whispered as the rain was drowning it in the winds.

"You promised me to get better. You promised me you will bring me to the altar on my wedding day. You promised..." I wept as I dropped to the ground on my knees and cried my heart out. I looked at the tomb that engraved 'Here lies a father, a brother and a leader that will always be remembered in our heart'. I wept even more as the rain was pouring down and there was lightning that I heard from afar.

Suddenly, there were footsteps that coming from behind me. I know who it belonged to. The heaviness and the strides that he took were still the same even it has been 3 years since I last saw him. My heart grew heavy.

It stopped right behind me and the rain suddenly was not pouring onto me anymore. I cried and cried that I don't even care if the person that stood behind me can hear it. After I wailed and wept like a bloody teenager that lost her first love, I gained my posture and stood up.

I took a whiff of the cologne of the person behind me and instantly knew who it was. I don't dare to turn around because I knew my heart cannot take any more pain today. Not when I know my heart will never change even after 3 years of being on hiatus from my home country. I started walking when he took a hold of my wrist. Electrics were running through my veins at that simple touch.

"Laura..." he said. His voice was as deep and velvety as I can remember that will always steer something in my heart.

No, don't look at him, you i***t! You know you will lose this battle, even more, knowing fully well that you are nothing to him. I took a deep breath before I spoke as quietly as my voice allowed me.

"Not now, Lucca. Why do you care? Why are you even here?" I said before he released my wrist to let me go. I walked into the rain toward the car that was waiting for me. The driver opened the door for me to enter. I took another breath before turning one last time to look at him.

My first love shattered even before he knew my feelings.

I turned around to see that Lucca was dressing in a black Armani suit that clung to his perfect body. He was standing in the cemetery near my father's grave. He seemed sad for someone that has everything in the world.

As if he did not possess something precious in his arms.

I turned around and get into the car, knowing fully well that he can still stir some feelings inside me without batting any lashes at me. The driver closed the door and sped off out of the cemetery, leaving Lucca in the rain behind until he was out of sight in the rearview.

The next day, I also remembered vividly everything that was happening. Our family lawyer was reading the will of my father that was left for me and 2 of my brothers, Marco and Kyle Conti. They were talking softly in our father's study room about the inheritance that they will get.

I wasn't listening to them but the wall has ears. I was seating in my bedroom, wearing all black to show that I was mourning for my father. The butler fetched me to bring me to my father's study. Marco and Kyle were already there as well as the attorney, Mr. Russo.

"Now that you all are here, I will proceed with reading the will," Mr. Russo said before he cleared his throat and read the will.

"I, Oronzo Conti, will leave all my real estate, bank savings, business companies, and 25 cattle ranches in the hands of my only daughter, Laura Conti. This will not interfere with her 2 older brothers as they will be busy finding a job to contribute to the household.

If they maintain a job for 2 years without the help from the inheritance, they will be getting their shares of the will afterward," the attorney stopped after one read from a long breath.

"WHAT?!!" Marco and Kyle lashed out. I stayed quiet.

"THIS IS ABSURD! HE CAN'T DO THAT TO US! WE'RE HIS SONS!!! Please, is there anything that we can find to break the will? A loophole, perhaps?" Marco asked the attorney. Mr. Russo pinches his nose bridge before he was sighing and turned to look at my brothers.

"If you wish to work as an entry-level employee at the company without revealing who you are within 1 year, you will get your share afterward but beware, there will be more conditions to come. Are you ready for that?" he asked my brothers.

They were ready to lash out at me as they were turning to look at me with hatred in their eyes. Even my brothers don't like me as I was flinching from their stares when Mr. Russo stepped in to remind them if anything happened to me, the inheritance will go to the charity instantly upon my death. Marco and Kyle looked at me before walking out of the room. I sighed as I know that my family will never be the same again.

I was all alone in this world. No one to hold me, to comfort me, and take care of me. I should get used to it for all my life, everyone died or left me for another. I tried to hide the ugliness from the truth until Mr. Russo spoke to me.

"Miss Conti..." he said before I interrupted him.

"I need to find my father's killer," I said.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Russo asked before blinking his wary eyes at me. I know it would seem insane to request this but I need to know the truth. And my guts told me that his death was not by a heart attack.

But from murder. Perhaps one of his enemies? Who wanted to see him fail and die? Now, that was the possible theory of my father's death.

"I need to know who killed my father. Someone killed my father," I said firmly this time. Mr. Russo blinked his eyes before sighing.

"But the autopsy told us that he died from heart disease. Surely, no one was held accountable for such disease..." he said before I interrupted.

"I know my father. He was a good man, a healthy man. He never smokes, never drinks never took more calories than he should. I need to know who killed him," I said.

"Miss Conti, you're overthinking to this. He's dead now. You need to accept that and let it go. Please, for your sake," the old man said as he laid his hand on my shoulder before leaving the room.

The room was so quiet as there was no one in the mansion anymore. My brothers probably had the best night out of their lives as our father will no longer bother to come home and give them some lectures on being responsible. The quiet was killing me.

The clock was ticking until it rang 5 times, an indication that it was 5 PM in the evening. I don't feel like eating anything. So, I just went into my bedroom and lay in bed for the rest of the night. At some point, before I closed my eyes, I cried and wept for my father as I knew that I no longer feel the warmth from him anymore.

The warmth of a man.

But, whenever I closed my eyes, I felt the warmth that I usually got when I was a little girl. His sweet smile, his charming laugh, his eager, twinkling eyes that were looking at me. I was captivated by the first moment we had spent together when our parents would be busy having some business conversations.

We would play hide and seek, climb up the trees in the backyard, and look into the glowing sunset from my backyard and sometimes his. We would make jokes at each other and would bring it up and then, especially when we laughed, our parents would just look at us strangely.

Suddenly, I remembered that moment when it all came crashing down on my fairy tale dream.

It was the moment when we had to go to our school. It was my first day in high school during the fall where Lucca was a sophomore. I finally managed to convince my parents to let me transfer to Lucca's school as I insisted that I only want to study there.

I did not tell Lucca yet the surprise. I was wandering around the school after my visit to the principal office and freshman orientation. It was tiring but it is worth it to see Lucca. The last time that I saw him was during the family gathering 3 years ago when I was 12 years old. I feel so nervous and excited at the same time.

I was walking around the corridor when I saw some couples were getting it on. Like, GET it on. They were kissing, caressing, and roaming onto each other's bodies with their hands. I was shy enough to look away from them but I wondered what would I feel if I did it with someone that I loved?

Immediately Lucca's face came to my mind. I pushed that thought away and just walked around the campus to find my class. It was lunchtime, so there were many people roaming around the campus.

I was half a block away from my final destination when I saw Lucca outside the cafeteria. He looked happy, playful, and more charming than 3 years ago. My heartbeat really fast as I was approaching him. My heart was fluttering at the sight of his lean, muscular body. Something shivered inside me.

I wanted to say hello before something horrible happened in front of me.

A girl who looked the same age as Lucca was talking to him. He pulled the girl onto his lap and kissed her hard on the lips. My eyes went wide as saucers as I watched the scene unfold in front of me.

I took a seat that was near me to hide my face inside the book that I was carrying for I was sure that I was red as a tomato. The girl said something to Lucca before heading out from there. Then, I heard them talking about something that I know my innocent ears at that moment should not be hearing.

"Who is she?" one of his friends asked.

"That? One of my hookups," he said.

"Damn, Lucca. You took all the girls here. Leave us some," his friend joked.

"Hey, it's not my fault they want me and not you guys," Lucca said, shuffling out of his seat to get to his class.

"I bet you slept with every girl in the school," his friend said.

"You know it. No one can resist one and only Lucca Giovanni," he said before taking his backpack and walking out with his friend toward their class.

And of course, I googled Hookup. When I read the description, I wanted to throw up. I went to my class as well as my spirit was already broken to learn anything. Not much to learn anyway as it was intermediate trigonometry when I already took a test for advanced calculus.

I guess my spirit was gone when I learned the fact that the person that I loved from my childhood had already given himself for another person.

Lucca Giovanni's POV

Laura's perfume was intoxicating my nostrils as she went past me to get to her car that was waiting along beside the road of the cemetery. I wanted to hold her and go to her side as she went inside the car, looking at me for the last time as her violet eyes shone under the rain.

It just reminded me of how she would walk past me around in college with her friends. I would look at her but she just avoided me like I was a disease to her. I did not know what I do for her to be treating me like that.

We were close when we were younger but then one day she just shut me out of her life. I saw her around campus but never had a chance to talk to her properly, partially because I was busy with the student council and all the other girls that were hitting on me.

My phone rang as I was deep in my memories of Laura. It has been forever since I last met her as she was never around the last 3 years. I needed to get to her as soon as possible but my works just piled up and I cannot get out of my office as quickly as possible. I answered the phone as my friend hit me up.

"Ciao, Giovanni, want to hang out this weekend?" A familiar voice rang through my phone. I sighed.

"You know, for someone that was busy flying around the world to get women in their bed, you kind of free all the time," I said as I heard a chuckle at the end of the line.

"What can I say, I was famous among the ladies, unlike a certain someone that I know," Nicholas said after he laughed at my weak attempt of sarcasm.

"I can't. I have some important stuff to do," I said as I looked at my watch. It was almost 6 PM.

"Look, I need to go now. Talk to you later," I said before I hung up and called my secretary to cancel my schedule for tomorrow. I have something that I needed to do to gain back what I have lost before.

And I don't intend to lose it again, not when it was so close I can feel its warmth inside my arms.