Alessandro sat in the circle of dangerous men, in the smoky underbelly of an underground casino, slowly sipping a glass of scotch wine.Laughter rang out from the men who sat around the table, discussing and gambling on stacks of cash and cards. The strong smell of all kinds of cigarette flavors filled the air with never-ending thick smoke, swirling all around and fading away into thin air. Alessandro emptied his glass and crashed his cigar butt onto the ashtray, that was his second smoke and he was done. He wasn't a chain smoker like the rest of the men and he wasn't about to make a mess out of himself. Three men barged in, silence falling across the room, one held a look of trepidation on his face, and the middle almost bald head man who seemed like their boss had a cigar pipe at the corner of his bleached, dark lips. He was quite confident, a cunny smile playing at the corner of his lips. “I heard you were looking for me, Don Alessandro! Oh my! My! Couldn't stay months without
“I didn't mean to rile you up, I'm sorry,” Nina said softly, locking arms with her like she would evaporate into thin air if she let go. Louisa’s shoulder eased as guilt crept in, Her tensed body calmed. She shouldn't have reacted that way, Nina was only being kind. She sighed “I shouldn't have talked to you that way, I just got overwhelmed” She fiddled with her fingers while looking at Nina with sorry eyes. “I understand how you feel Louisa, sorry about my insolence,” The air had shifted in sheer awkwardness, their happy moment was ruined and for the rest of the shopping spree, when Nina needed advice on what choice of product to pick, Louisa responded with either a Nod or a head shake. She was now distant and distracted.“Come on Louisa, we don't have to dwell on that, do we? I shouldn't have brought such a sensitive topic up, cheer up!” Nina said to her as they both walked hand in hand out of the store later on, with shopping bags dangling on the crook of their elbows and swin
“Mama Mia! Isn’t this too casual? A bum short and a shirt? Come on Louisa, when in Rome you act like the Romans…” Nina spun her around with scrutinizing eyes and she began shaking her head in disapproval. “It's fine…Nina…can I call you that?” Louisa asked, unsure. They weren't even that close but Nina was acting that way already, maybe she needed to loosen up a bit.“Of course sweetheart, you can, I'm just twenty-eight, do I look that old?” Nina folded her right hand under her bosom in confusion while itching the side of her neck with the other nervously. Louisa paused for a while to examine Nina’s sudden apprehension, was this inferiority complex? She was a pretty woman with a petite figure, who fed her lies about being old? “No you don't” she finally spoke “You look just fine for your age and I didn't ask to call you by your name because I thought you looked old, I just wasn't sure if it was right calling you that so soon” Nina seemed to relax a bit by her revelation, the smile
The next morning, Louisa immersed herself in the hot bathtub and slowly slid down the porcelain surface until she sank into the bottom of the water. Her reflection hovered on the surface of the water with eyes shut close and breath stilling for a couple of seconds. The flashes of Vivienne hitting her face hard last night wouldn't stop crossing her mind, she needed to get it off her chest or she’d carry it with her like a heavy burden until the day she retaliated. She hated that part of her, a flaw she’d been trying hard to get off her skin—holding grudges. Maybe she wasn't trying so hard because next time she wouldn't let Vivienne lay a hand on her.She heard a sharp gasp followed by a piercing loud shriek “Si– -Signora?!” Her eyelid fluttered open to see a maid’s reflection dancing above the surface of the water, glaring down at her with fright on her face and soon another woman joined, she wasn't a maid, she was all dressed up in black that glittered and those red lipstick swatc
Louisa walked up the stairs, dragging her foot along the marble carpets with a heavy heart. Whatever was going through Colin’s head when he asked that guilt-wracking question, she couldn't tell but it exposed a feeling she knew she had been denying. Her chest tightened. She couldn't possibly like Alessandro, that couldn't be it. She nodded her head in self-assurance and continued her walk up the stairs Getting to the third flight of stairs with one more to go, she heard faint arguments coming from the hallway. This was the floor Vivienne’s room was on. Was someone else in the house aside from her? Was it Alessandro? Impulsively she felt her feet move towards the direction the noise came from and it drew louder the further she approached. She followed the sound of the voices till she got to a slightly ajar door with dim lights radiating in the room. She peered in slightly and what she saw next made her almost gasp but a quick palm to her lips muffled the sound. Vivienne w
Louisa sat in the hospital lobby, silently waiting for Teresa to show up so they could leave for the estate. It had began raining heavily outside. The gloomy weather cast a dark glare on the streets outside the hospital. Thunder rumbled and she rose to her feet with hands wrapped around her as if trying to shield herself from the cold. “Ma’am, is there anything else we can help you with?” A nurse said to her, approaching with a concerned look. Louisa turned to her, offering a small smile “I'm just waiting for someone, you need not worry about me” The nurse nodded and was on her way.Louisa sighed. Where could Teresa be? The woman left to run errands for Vivienne promising to be back with some proper clothes for her to change into and that was the last she heard from her. She was still trying to get over what had happened with Alessandro earlier. It bothered her so much that he left and somewhere in her heart the annoyance she felt when he didn't stay was so intense. Her heart h