Aurora

I woke up to the sound of some whispers outside the room. My brows furrowed as I sat up straight on the bed and placed my hand on the side of my head, to ease the stinging pain that was increasing with each passing minute. I took my phone that was on the nightstand, my eyes widening the moment I looked at the time. Oh God! I overslept! Great job Aurora! Memories of last night flashed in front of my eyes making me sick from inside. 

The encounter with Armando

The kiss

"I won't drink anymore" I muttered under my breath and squinted my eyes in response to the pain that I was going through and decided to take a hot water shower. I shouldn't have agreed to Alice's idea, it gave me some unwanted memories. I hope I do not encounter Armando, the last thing I ever want is him mocking me for my stupidity last night. 

I stepped outside and the first person I met was Martha- the head maid. Her silver hair, neatly pulled back into a bun, hinted at the wisdom and experience she brought to her role. Yet, behind such a professional demeanour, her presence gives a warm feeling, similar to that of a mother. I still remember she was the one who escorted me to the room and helped me get comfortable on the first night of my wedding. Since then, we have become close to each other. I respect her a lot, even after knowing that I was someone from a rival family she didn't get biased and treated me with respect. I will admit, that I was sceptical about everyone belonging to the Russo family, but I guess I was wrong in the case of Martha. 

"Good morning Young Madame. I hope you slept well" her voice echoed through my ears and brought me back to reality. I smiled and greeted her back, watching her as she moved inside the kitchen. I unconsciously roamed my eyes around the penthouse, hoping not to see the guy with dark grey eyes. Relief rushed through my veins upon not getting the expected arrival. That's good. At least the start of the day is peaceful. 

"The breakfast is ready. Should I bring it now or you would like to have coffee first?" Martha asked with a warm smile. 

"Breakfast would be fine" I replied and smiled. 

"Alright Tesoro, your favourite oat pancakes are on the way. Would you like them with maple syrup or honey?" My eyes filled with surprise upon hearing her words. She knows me so well. I was grateful to have her in my life, even though I miss my mom sometimes but having Martha by my side fills that void.  

"With honey please" I replied with a smile on my face and sat down on one of the chairs. The anxious thoughts and the embarrassing moments from last night disappeared into thin air as I talked to Martha. She let out a heart-filled laugh and shook her head as she placed the freshly cooked pancakes on the plate and garnished them with strawberries and blueberries, again just the way I like. 

"I hope you are feeling good Tesoro. I was so worried when I saw you last night unconscious in Young Master's arms. He was so worried." The smile on my face vanished and was replaced with shock as her words passed through my ears. Armando brought me home by himself while being worried for me?

"He was worried? For me?" I asked as my voice turned into a whisper and nervousness spread all over my body. Martha looked at me with soft eyes that expressed empathy and continued. 

"He was. Young Master came home last night with you and the first thing he did was bring you to your room and ask me to take care of you. Don't worry Tesoro, I have informed him that you are awake and he must be on his way" A lump formed in my throat and my heart twitched at her words. 

He was on his way? No! I can't see him after what happened last night!

"Oh! Well, it's not necessary Martha. I just remembered that I have to be present at a meeting and I am already late" I did not wait for her to speak and stood up, hurrying to get out of the house as I continued. "There is this important event planning that my company will be holding, so I have to go. I am sorry" I rushed out of the penthouse and marched towards my car with long and heavy steps. 

This might be considered a coward act but I don't care about that anymore. Just the thought of seeing him was sending me unknown shivers all over my body. The feeling of that heated kiss was still there, and I could not afford to lose my guard again. Especially for the man who does not respect basic humanity and relationships. 

"Stacy, organise a meeting regarding the upcoming event planning for Mr Greco. This is an important one" I spoke while driving towards my office building. 

"Yes, Ms Vero" Stacy's voice was calm and composed as she replied and I hung up the call. A strange feeling filled my heart when I heard her addressing me with my former surname. I don't blame her, she was still not used to the fact that I was married, even though I wasn't used to this fact till now. I parked the car and entered the building, greeting my employees as I made my way towards the cabin. 

"Ms Vero" Stacy stood in front of me with her usual calm expression as I settled myself down on the chair. I gave her a small smile and opened the file that included the upcoming ideas for this event. Mr Greco is an important client and is holding a grand celebration to introduce his son as the next CEO of his company, and my company was entrusted with such a task. Everyone in Italy knows the reputation of my company, Lumina Event Enterprises, and to keep it that way, I work hard. 

"So these are the list of guests" I roamed my eyes around the names of people that were invited but my body froze upon reading two of them. 

Armando Russo

Dominic Mancini

What the hell? 

I assume Mr Greco is well aware of the fact that I am Armando's wife and Dominic Mancini is someone whom you do not want to encounter. I am aware of the things he has done to become so powerful and how he was the only reason why my father tied the knot with his rival Alessandro Russo, Armando's father. This day could not get any worse. 

"Yes, Ms Vero. Mr Greco has asked to include the ball theme for the event and has asked us to include all varieties of food, including gluten-free. We have to keep check of any allergies" She answered completely unaware of the building tension inside of me. 

"Okay. Ask Mr Greco to provide us with the allergies and full information. We will discuss the ball ideas in the meeting" I closed the file and she nodded before taking her leave. I massaged the side of my head and closed my eyes. The pain from earlier came back when I saw the names. I never saw Dominic Mancini but I was hoping for this event to go smoothly and without any obstacles. Should I tell Armando? No. There is no guarantee that he will take this positively and would probably ask me to back away from this deal. I can't afford to let my company down. I have to think of another way.  

The vibration of my phone made me frown as I diverted my attention from the laptop. I have been working for a while, not gonna lie it was a good distraction. But being high on caffeine without having anything else since morning was not a good idea. I picked up my phone and colour drained from my face upon looking at the caller ID. 

Armando

It was the fifth time when he had called, I was deliberately ignoring his texts and calls. I was too embarrassed to talk to him, even though he was the one who ruined my moment last night but still, I was at fault too. And again, I ignored the call and concentrated on my work. The majority of the work had been done after the meeting, the only major task left was choosing a good location. I thought of preferring an open location with a beautiful view, and Villa Erba stood up to my expectations. However, booking a reservation there is a difficult task since it's very famous for high-profile events and weddings. You've got to have sources to have your way, and luckily I knew someone who could help me. 

Luca Rossi, my childhood friend who apparently, is the head in charge of the villa. He was an event and venue manager and worked at different locations from time to time for high and reputed events. Maybe he could help me book a reservation since he was currently working there. 

I decided to give him a call, hoping he would pick up. 

"Senorita! How Gods have given me the honour that you called?" A chuckle passed from my lips when he answered my call and greeted me in his usual cheerful way. He was a heartthrob in our school, and it was funny because girls used to think that we were in a relationship but in reality, we were nothing more than close friends. 

"Hello to you too my dear friend" I responded. "I called you to ask for some help concerning my event planning" I finished my sentence and heard him hum in response. 

"Of course Senorita. I am free tonight, how about we discuss this in the evening? We still have a lot to discuss about apart from work. Mom was mad at me since I didn't invite you and Armando for dinner after your wedding. She was so excited about it" I laughed when he scoffed on the other side of the phone. I was damn sure that he even rolled his eyes, I knew him very well. 

"Sounds good. How about we meet at our favourite place?"

"That sounds perfect. I will see you at eight" I hung up the call as the smile never left my lips. Luca was one of the most important people in my life, not only he had been such a good friend but he was also someone whom I knew I could trust with my eyes closed. We always had each other's back, and will always do. Being near his presence changes my mood completely. 

"At least a good thing happened today" I mumbled softly and leaned my back on the chair, relaxing myself. It was six thirty already, and the place where we decided to meet was near Lake Bracciano which is like fifty minutes away from my office. It was a small cozy restaurant, and we used to hang out there after attending our classes. "I should leave now," I thought to myself and stood up while taking my things. 

"Stacy, I am leaving to meet a friend. Call me if you need any help" I informed her and she replied with an okay as I got out of the building. I was still going through my emails just to see if something important came up but stopped upon hearing a deep voice from the other side.

"So your phone is working after all" I shot my head up and saw Armando, leaning against his car as he stared at me with his dark grey eyes. Memories from last night flashed in front of my eyes and nervousness crawled all over my skin as I stared back at him with nothing but silence. He walked towards me while I stayed rooted to my spot, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. I was still not mentally ready to face him after what happened between us. 

His eyes calculatingly scanned my figure as he spoke. "Why I have a feeling that you were not planning to go home?" He raised his eyebrows when I looked away from him and proceeded to walk towards my car. 

"I have a meeting with a friend. Excuse me" I replied coldly and took out my car keys but a gasp escaped from my lips when they got snatched by him. "What do you want from me, Armando?" I raised my voice and passed him a glare. He was least affected by it and replied in a calm voice that took me off guard. 

"Why were you avoiding me Aurora?" I blinked my eyes as my lips got sealed. He was very serious when he asked me this question, and his eyes expressed some emotions that I was not sure about. Was it care? Why would he be affected by my ignorance? Is he playing some sort of game with me? 

"Why do you care?" I questioned him back and noticed the way his eyes darkened. 

"Because you are my wife. Isn't this reason enough?" His voice was laced with frustration as he answered my question. 

"Correction Mr Russo, I am your wife just to show the world, but in private we are strangers. I thought you knew well" He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath while massaging his forehead. "Look, I do not have time for this. My friend is waiting for me and it won't look nice if I am late. He has been busy lately and-"

"He?" I was taken aback when he cut me off in the middle of my sentence. "Are you- never mind. I am not obliged to answer you. Give me my keys back I am getting late" I stuck out my hand in front of him and waited for him to give me my car keys. He scoffed and let out a bitter chuckle. 

"You are obliged to answer me little dove. Your safety is my responsibility. If this meeting of yours is that important then fine, I will come with you" He said with a look of determination and passed me a sweet smile that surprisingly gave a warm feeling to my heart. 

[TO BE CONTINUED]