When Montez arrived home that evening however, she was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t returned and his bedroom, much to his horror, was a disheveled mess. Not once in his entire life had his room ever looked like something a boar had ransacked! She did this? Wonderful….his eyes darkened….wonderful was the fact that she was an expert at piling up her punishments. After asking the cleaner to tidy the room, he left. Montez waited in his private lounge, his tie loosened, and a glass of whiskey untouched as he awaited her return with his patience running thin every second. Hours passed. Yet Amira had not returned and by then, his patience was gone. Worse still. The debit alerts kept coming. His phone rang a few minutes later. It was Enzo. “How’d it go?” His voice was a lazy drawl from the other end. “I certainly hope you haven’t killed her yet.” He added, suppressing a chuckle. “She’s not back.”
When Montez arrived home that evening however, she was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t returned and his bedroom, much to his horror, was a disheveled mess. Not once in his entire life had his room ever looked like something a boar had ransacked! She did this? Wonderful….his eyes darkened….wonderful was the fact that she was an expert at piling up her punishments. After asking the cleaner to tidy the room, he left. Montez waited in his private lounge, his tie loosened, and a glass of whiskey untouched as he awaited her return with his patience running thin every second. Hours passed. Yet Amira had not returned and by then, his patience was gone. Worse still. The debit alerts kept coming. His phone rang a few minutes later. It was Enzo. “How’d it go?” His voice was a lazy drawl from the other end. “I certainly hope you haven’t killed her yet.” He added, suppressing a chuckle. “She’s not back.”
Amira went through every boutique that existed in the area and by afternoon, she had drained his card by millions. Deciding to take a break, she got into a spa and decided to treat herself to some girl time. The golden light of late afternoon filtered through the glass walls of La Rosa Spa, Rome’s most exclusive retreat for the rich and bored. Inside, the air was heavy with lavender and jasmine oils, and the tranquil sound of a fountain could be heard trickling just nearby. The spa catered only to women of wealth and reputation amongst whom were wives of politicians, heirs, and CEOs who thought their husbands’/lovers’ money entitled them to superiority. Still in Montez’s oversized shirt, which was creased now, but hanging off her shoulders in a way that looked more deliberate than careless, Amira drew every eye the moment she entered. She had traded her strappy heels for spa slippers, but the shirt still b
The next morning, Montez woke up with the sun streaming through his window. Every day was torturously the same these days. It felt like he was tossed into a loop and cursed to relive the same moments over and over again. His billion-dollar empire was the only thing still keeping him sane. Seriously, how do poor people not die of depression? Wait, some actually do. It wasn’t until he got into the bathtub that the memories of last night’s ordeal with his little Fiore came crossing through his mind. A small smile tugged at his lips as the water worked its magic and the steam deeper into his pores. Funny of her to think she could actually kill him. Just like that? With poison? How would he ever face his ancestors if that had turned out to be his method of death? She was such an Amateur, he wondered how she was able to kill someone like his father. Well, not him. Just how dumb did she think he w
“I don’t think I’m in the mood for wine right now.” She faked a polite smile, refusing his offer. “Oh, that’s a shame….” Montez glared into the red liquid as if he were staring into an abyss. “….because I wasn’t asking you to, Amira.” He lifted his eyes to her. “I am telling you.” She swallowed, heart thumping endlessly in her chest. What the hell was going on? Did he suspect something? It couldn’t be! He couldn’t have known. “Here….” He placed the wine glass in front of her and took hers instead, raising it. “….won’t you toast with me, cara?” Damn it! Fingers trembling, she lifted the glass and clinked gently with his. Amira was left totally defenseless when he drank from her glass whilst keeping his gaze fixed on her. Shit, she was trapped. She couldn’t drink this or she would die. goddamn the bastard! He knew exactly what he was doing. Her hands curled t
That night, the mansion was quiet in that eerie way that made every creak of the floor sound like a confession. Amira tiptoed with her bare foot through the corridor. It was a relief Montez hadn’t returned yet. She slipped into her bedroom and hid the bottle of poison in her drawer. Now, she needed to get into his study and see if she could find anything on him. She rushed to his side of the house only to see that the mahogany door was standing ajar, as though inviting her inside. The crook had forgotten to keep it closed as usual. She meant in m Montez’s desk was an altar of orderliness. Everything was aligned with military precision. Papers stacked neatly, pens perfectly parallel. The drawers were locked, of course. The man wouldn’t leave anything truly damning lying in plain sight. She tried the top one anyway but it was no use. Bending lower, she scanned the underside of the desk. Her fingers brushed a