Chapter 5: The Gayman's Warning

MARIA'S POV

I didn’t even remember the last time I wore a dress this expensive. It fitted me too well. Too perfect. I guess that's what it's like to afford anything.

The car ride to the gallery was lonely for me.. Luca didn’t say a word to me, he only spoke to Alex. Sometimes in English and sometimes in Italian.

The driver and I were the only ones who didn't say anything throughout the ride to the gallery.

When we got to the gallery, people turned. Like literally paused. Luca's presence was loud, even without a word. And me? I felt like I didn’t belong.

The space was too elegant, too calm. Soft music playing in the background, people sipping wine like they knew something the rest of us didn’t.

Luca placed his hand on the small of my back as we walked in, and I flinched. My flinch didn't even bother him. He maintained his possessiveness.

“Stop it,” I muttered to myself.

“What was that?” he asked, leaning a little close.

“Nothing,” I said quickly, fake smiling at a woman who looked like she could smell I didn't belong here.

We stopped in front of a painting that looked like chaos. Colours all over, nothing really making sense. I tilted my head, pretending to admire it.

“This is you,” he said quietly beside me.

I looked up. “Excuse me?”

“The painting,” he said, his eyes still on it. “Beautiful. Wild. Full of emotions you don’t say out loud.”

I didn’t know what to say. So I said nothing.

We kept moving, room to room. His hand never left my back. At some point, I stopped flinching. Stopped thinking. I just... let myself enjoy it.

But it didn’t last.

Alex called for Luca's attention and he left, warning me to not stray away.

But then a man, likely the same age as Alex approached me.

"Mrs De Rossi?" The man asked.

I turned away from him, something tells me he's just here for some trouble.

"Or aren't you Mrs De Rossi?" I could sense his smirking.

"I believe you already know I'm not." I tried to walk away but he blocked me.

"Forgive me if I appear like trouble, Miss?"

"Well at least you know what you look like." I said to him, looking straight into his eyes.

"Hmm... feisty." He said, lowering his voice, "you're just the way he likes them."

"What do you mean?" I asked, really curious.

"Oh... Luca De Rossi likes confident looking ladies like yourself... It's his fetish. Let's just say he likes to humble them."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I made to leave.

"Oh you will soon enough, when he has his way with you and you wish you never met him."

My eyes met with Luca as those words hit my eardrums. Although the man tried to be quiet, his statement were audible enough for me.

Luca could sense my uneasiness and he could also tell it has something to do with man that just left from behind me.

He whispered something to Alex and I could tell Alex was going after the man.

"Is there a problem, Maria?" He said. I could tell he wanted to call me doll but something made him do otherwise.

I tried not to show my uneasiness so I replied, "I'm fine. Just tired."

"Already? Wouldn't you like us to auction for some art?"

"Oh... I don't think I can afford..." I almost forgot, 'we' doesn't mean I'll be paying for anything.

"What's wrong? Did that man say something?" Luca asked, his tone no longer gentle.

"What man?"

Luca grabbed me by the arm and shoved me to a private room nearby.

"Tell me what that faggot told you?"

"He didn't tell me anything." Now I was scared.

"Then why do you look so uneasy?" He asked.

I swallowed, not finding the words to say something. But just then the door to the private room burst open.

Alex and another man were dragging the man who had just spoken to me. They dropped him at Luca's feet but he stood up and adjusted himself.

"Hello, I'm Luca De Rossi. May I know who you are?." Luca asked the man.

"Daniel, pleasure to meet you." The man said, smiling like a gay man. He stretched his hand to Luca, who just ignored it.

"I saw you talking to my friend here. You seem to have upset her. May I know what you said to her to make her like that?" Luca asked, keeping a straight face.

Daniel laughed at Luca calling me his friend.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize she was your friend and that I had upset her. I only mentioned that she should be careful in a place like this." Daniel said, trying to recover from laughing at Luca.

He didn't seem scared of Luca at all.

"Is there a reason why you would say that?" Luca asked, keeping the face.

"Well yes, she seems like someone who would need such advice. Considering the kind of person you are, Mr De Rossi." Daniel replied, eyes straight at Luca.

Luca maintained his face and position and there was a bit of silence for a while but then Daniel continued, still facing Luca:

 "You will pay for every crime you've committed, Luca De Rossi. I swear in the name of all the lives you've ruined."

And that, banged in my ears like a thunder clap. Luca was indeed dangerous and I needed to stay away.