Chapter 2

[ARIETTA’S POV]

"Ari, aren’t you going to eat? Also, why do your eyes look like that? Did you not get enough sleep? You look like you got punched by exhaustion last night," my friend and internship mate, Blaire, asked with a laugh.

I couldn't answer her question. My mind was still drifting, thinking about what happened last night. I didn’t want to think about it anymore, but...it kept coming back to my mind, that sinful thing I saw!

As my shift was ending last night, I noticed that a hotel room we were assigned to had been left open. I thought maybe a guest had just checked out earlier that day, so I went inside to clean or check. I never expected to find people having sex there!

The room was dimly lit by the moonlight, just enough for me to recognize the man. Our eyes met, and I clearly remembered what his face looked like. I couldn’t forget how he stared at me while he was with the woman.

In my panic, I ran out of the room without saying a word. How could I even say anything? What could I say, ‘Excuse me, I’m leaving now, please continue whatever you are doing.’? It would have been ridiculous.

"This internship is really something. I feel like I’m going to die early. It’s exhausting. Sometimes, my head hurts from all the tiredness. But still, I’m happy and lucky we got into this villa. It’s hard to get in here since most interns don’t make it."

I can hear what Blaire is saying, but I just can’t seem to focus on it because I’ve completely lost myself.

It was the first time I had seen something like that. And the image of the man's body wouldn’t leave my mind. What is happening? I feel like I’m losing my innocence because of what I saw.

"Hello! Earth to Arietta! Are you even listening to me?"

I snapped back to reality when my friend yelled at me. I looked at her and noticed she was raising an eyebrow at me.

"What were you saying again?" I was completely out of it. This was also the reason I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep.

Blaire rolled her eyes at me, probably because she had been talking for a while and I hadn't been paying attention.

"Never mind. I don’t want to start over. Anyway, aren't you going to eat? Your food's already been sitting there and you haven't even touched it. We still have a few hours left for the internship, you need your strength, so eat."

I just sighed. Sometimes, Blaire is acting like my mom, scolding me.

I finally ate, realizing she was right. I needed strength for the tasks and assignments the supervisors were going to give us. There was still a lot of time left in this internship. Whatever I saw last night, I just needed to forget it. I don't think I'll ever see that man again.

I’m doing my internship here at Casa Grimaldi, along with my friend Blaire. We’re both Hospitality Management students and in our third year. We started our internship during the summer.

I headed to the assigned floor in the hotel. On the way, I passed by some of my seniors who were cleaning the hallway on the fifth floor.

“I didn’t know Sir Marcello and Ma’am Giovanna’s son were here. No wonder some people are busy; they’re serving him at the private house,” I overheard my colleagues talking in the hallway.

"Yeah, I heard that too. I overheard some of the staff talking about it last night in the dorm." One of them laughed. They both seemed to be giddy with excitement. "They said he's a handsome guy. I hope we get to see him later. I kind of want to go to the private house now."

I heard loud giggles. I just shook my head and started mopping the hallway floor.

"There’s really no unattractive guy in the Grimaldi family. Last year, I saw Sir Ezio's son. Gosh, I just wanted to worship them," another one said.

A loud ringing sound followed. I had to close my eyes for a moment because it was so painful to my ears.

There’s nothing wrong with fantasizing about the guys they like. I just hope they realize it’s work time, and instead of gossiping, they should be cleaning, right?

"What are you talking about?! It’s work time, and you’re gossiping?! Seriously!" Our supervisor suddenly arrived, stopping their conversation and redirecting their attention to their work.

"Arietta," my supervisor called. I looked at her and immediately approached.

"Yes?" I asked. Even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I still felt nervous when called. I always felt like I was about to be scolded.

"I just need you to do something." She placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled. "Go to our farm. It’s not far from here, and I know you’ve been there before, right? Find Iris, and tell her I sent you to get the documents I need. It’s the farm’s expenses report that I need to liquidate. Just bring it to my office later, okay?"

I nodded to Ms. Bauer’s instructions and immediately followed her orders.

I immediately headed to the farm. Even though it was still early, I could already see many guests arriving to participate in the various activities they offered. Some were riding horses or learning how to ride. Others were feeding the different animals we kept there.

When I passed by one of the workers, I immediately asked who Iris was.

"Ah, Iris?" The worker looked around, and I followed his gaze. "Do you see that woman with braids and a cowgirl outfit? That’s Iris," the older worker I asked replied.

I smiled at him and thanked him right away. "Thank you so much!"

I approached the woman carefully and tried to get her attention.

She turned to look at me, and a sweet smile greeted me. "Yes?"

"I’m Arietta. Ms. Bauer sent me here to pick up some documents she wanted from you?" I didn’t know why I felt shy. She was smiling at me, and I wasn’t sure how to return that smile.

"Oh, is that it? Okay, just wait a moment. I know it's ready. Stay here, okay?" She smiled at me again. I had no other response but to nod.

I rested my arms on the fence and just watched the tourists at the farm. I smiled when I saw a little girl being helped by her father to get on a horse. The girl seemed scared of it.

I couldn’t help but think of my dad. If he were here, would he take care of me too? It seemed impossible. He’s distant from me, and maybe if he could choose his child, it wouldn’t be me. Right now, he’s in prison for crimes he supposedly committed, but he refuses to tell me anything more. One of my relatives is taking care of me now. I work as well to support myself. I don’t want to rely on other people’s money.

While happily watching the guests and waiting for Iris to return with the documents I came for, I couldn’t help but become transfixed by a familiar shape in the distance.

He was standing there, dressed appropriately for horseback riding. He was holding a horse’s reins, and beside him was a striking, black horse. His eyes were fixed on me, as if he were weighing me up and observing me closely.

I immediately became nervous when I recognized who the man was. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and the heavy thumping of my heart from last night returned.

His brows furrowed when he noticed me standing up straight, almost as if I was about to leave my spot. I swallowed hard, feeling my throat tighten, still locked in a stare with the familiar man.

He was the man I saw engaged in a lewd act last night in a hotel room!