Alessia's POV The moment the attendants took me in, some ladies dressed in white and black—looking like maids from some of those English medieval movies—rushed towards me."A lady?""Another one?"One of them even gasped like she hadn't seen a woman before. "And she has green eyes?" She asked.I guess maybe she hadn't seen someone with green eyes before."This is the first!""I wonder why he didn't take her to the other mansion," Someone else asked."Maybe he wanted to play with her."Okay, I was lost.Other mansion? Play with me?They weren't making any sense.I didn't understand what they were talking about... at all.Suddenly I heard taps coming from the end of the house.Also, the house was huge and impressive. Luxury items and houses had always been one of the things I couldn't take my eyes off.But I didn't bother about that now. Not after what Damiano had said to me a few minutes ago in the car.I had tried to get used to him. I had even tried to forget that he was a scary pe
Damiano's POV After my words, Alessia sat stiff as stone, her hands clenching the hem of her dress, her wide green eyes flickering with panic.She was trying to look calm, brave even—but she wasn’t fooling anyone. She was scared to death.Good. Fear kept people alive in this world. Besides, it wasn't like I had lied to her. I just didn't tell her the whole truth.I pushed the door open and stepped out, the night air biting against my skin. The scent of concrete, iron, and cypress filled my lungs—familiar and grounding. Above us, the mansion rose in sharp lines and darkened glass, its edges cutting into the night like a blade.Before I could shut the door, the front entrance opened and two attendants in black stepped out—silent and organized, like shadows trained to move on command.Well, everyone here was trained to move and do their jobs precisely.They met me halfway.“Sir,” one of them said, bowing slightly.“There’s a suitcase in the trunk. Take it in,” I ordered, not bothering
Alessia's POV The moment our car came into view, the attention of the men snapped toward us like a silent wave. Guns were lowered and conversations ceased. They didn’t just watch. They bowed.Heads lowered and fists pressed to their chests.The car kept rolling, and not one of them dared to move until we passed by.“What the hell…” I breathed.To the right stood a large, sleek mansion—modern, sharp-edged, and clearly expensive. It had black glass windows and angular architecture. But we didn’t stop there.Instead, Damiano turned the car around the back and took another road.A narrower one.The deeper we drove, the more twisted the path became. Trees leaned in overhead like they were whispering secrets to each other. The air shifted and grew colder. Heavier too.And then... we reached it.Another mansion—but this one was completely different.It looked like it had stood there for centuries. Stone walls worn from age, covered in thick veins of ivy. Gothic arches and ancient statues w
Alessia's POV The moment those words left my lips, the car stopped abruptly. Luckily Damiano was fast enough to put his hand in front of me, preventing me from colliding with the car.But still, I couldn't help but wonder why he stopped. Had I said or done something wrong?He turned to me, a look I had never seen before replacing his earlier one."Do you mind telling me who this Lloyd is?" He asked, his voice a little hardened.I was both confused and lost."Romeo," I said simply.He blinked. "You mean the weird blonde who played the part in the movie?"I let out a low chuckle before shaking my head slightly. "I'm talking about the guy who played the role with me. He was Romeo, and I was Juliet."He raised a brow at me. "You were Juliet."I nodded."And you played the Romeo and Juliet weird romantic movie with a guy?""A handsome guy."He was silent at first before continuing. "And you both like kissed and stuff?"I felt heat creep onto my cheeks. I covered them with my palms. What
Damiano's POV I tried to hold my smile, I really did. But I couldn't.Even though Detective Shawn was staring at me and Alessia, I still couldn't hide my amusement.I thought she would run towards the detective, but instead, she chose to go ahead with my lie.Though I had to admit, she was bad at acting. I'm sure everyone knew she was faking it."So, I'm guessing you don't want to go with the detective," I said, my lips tipping into a smirk.She paused and raised her head to meet my gaze.She didn't have to say anything. Her eyes said it all."Of course, I don't want to go with the detective! Don't you get the message?!"I turned to the detective, and my smirk faded away as I pulled my arm away from Alessia's and pulled her closer to me. She flinched, her eyes widening in shock.But her expression couldn't be compared to that of Leo's when I kissed her forehead.He looked like he had seen a ghost."I'm sorry, Shawn. You heard the lady, so we have to go now," I said, pulling Alessia
Alessia's POV I didn't know what to say or do.I knew I wanted to be far from Damiano by all means, but the last thing I needed was to be next to a human owl who couldn't take his eyes off of me. I still wasn't sure why he made me uncomfortable. I didn't even care to know at the moment. All I knew was that he looked like bad news, and I wasn't ready to jump out of the fire that I was in, onto another."So what do you say, beautiful," The detective said.Yuck! Talk about creepy. Well, I knew what to do.I wrapped my hand around Damiano's, letting out a sigh. Then I crouched over a bit as I winced. "I'm sorry, Mr. Detective, but I can't go with you," I said, my voice a little above a whisper as I rested my head on Damiano's arm.I had to admit, he had strong, built arms.The detective frowned, before smiling up to his eyes. "It would only be for a—"I let out a loud sob which surprised the detective. The same went for Leo. I guess he didn't expect me to be good at pretending. If o