The Next morning,“The flight is scheduled to take off at 10 am” Teresa announced as soon as Louisa stepped out of the bathtub.“Alessandro?” she let it slip, hating that she cared at that moment.“Signore left in the wee hours of the morning, you'll meet him at the airport” Teresa responded.Louisa said nothing after that. Silence consumed her whole as she recalled the little brawl she had with him last night and how she’d screamed that she hated him. Her body tightened as she exhaled slowly, maybe she didn't mean that—she just found it appalling that he treated something as huge as the loss of a family with low regard. “Teresa, do you know when Nina’s funeral will be held once we arrive? Maybe in a day or two?” She took her seat at the vanity and kept her gaze on the maid.“No idea Signora but it should be in a few days, depending on how quickly the family decides to arrange things” came Teresa’s response.Louisa offered a faint smile, grateful that the elderly maid was gradually
Louisa lay in bed. Knees to chest. Eyes puffy. Throat dry and surrounded by layers of silk sheets. The table lamp was on and only the sound of the ticking clock cracked the placid silence in the room.She’d stopped crying after Nina was declared dead and wheeled out on that gurney. No one came to see her, Alessandro had chosen to listen to her and give her the space she had asked for—Her heart ached for that.The maids wouldn't stop trooping in every two hours to change her untouched meal plate. When she finally got sick and fed up with it, she locked her door to keep them out.But now the door pushed open, with a soft creaking sound. She didn't turn to stare at it. She wouldn't be surprised if the maids actually had a spare key.“What is it now?” she called out dryly ready to hear the usual ‘dinner is ready, come down signora’ or ‘we prepared your bath’ but instead the bed dipped next to her, and she felt his presence behind her. “The accomplices who had a hand in Nina’s death have
“Please you have to stand outside ma’am” A nurse approached Louisa who stood by a corner with shock evident on her features as tears streamed down her face freely.“No…that’s my friend, she needs a familiar face around” Louisa snarled, shrugging off the nurse’s hand while craning her neck to see what the doctors were doing to Nina.“Patient’s pulse is dropping. Prepare to shock” a female doctor announced.“Charging to 200 joules,” a nurse replied. Louisa watched the doctor place the defibrillator on Nina’s chest in readiness “Everyone’s clear?” the doctor asked, glancing around.“Clear!” someone shouted and the doctor delivered the shock. Nina’s body jerked violently but there was no heart rhythm on the cardiac monitor instead it read quickly into thin lines.Louisa collapsed to the ground, her throat dry and aching with no words or scream coming forth except her tears. She’d never experienced the loss of a person, especially not someone close, and Nina had become that friend who had
Back at the Estate “Hello?” Louisa picked up the landline in the sitting room as soon as she heard it ring. Two hours had passed since she last heard from Nina. Her heart thumped, and an eerie chill coursed through her bones as she remembered how broken Nina’s voice sounded. She had told Alessandro and pleaded with him to help find Nina’s location by tracking her phone through the call. Initially, she heard they got a signal of her possible location, and relief had instantly washed over her only for it to get crumpled with the news later on that her phone couldn't be tracked anymore—the server got disrupted. She wouldn't stop pacing about—her glassy eyes brimming with unshed tears. Severally, Alessandro had tried to hold her down or to get her to at least sit but none of those were an option. Nina was in trouble—she mentioned the names of Vivienne and Emilia before the line went off. Louisa was very certain she didn't hear wrong. Her skin prickled, her throat tightened
“So what do you say we do with the body now?” Emilia slapped her forehead in exasperation. Her feet moved to and fro like a restless lion in a cage. “Leave that to me, princess, Now help me carry her– -those guys will be here any minute from now,” Vivienne said, moving gingerly towards Nina’s lifeless form. She grabbed her heels and began pulling her to the car, blood trails smearing the ground like war paint. Emilia froze—lips parted and horror carved into her bones. “I knew you wanted to hurt her! I shouldn't have helped you” she blurted out, face pale and soaked with regret. “Cut the crap! You know you are way worse than I am…Now move! One more minute you waste and our cover gets blown” Vivienne chided, voice icy. A smirk appeared on her lips when Emilia hastily grabbed Nina’s hands and together they lifted her to the car and dumped her body into it—blood staining the leather. “What now?”Emilia stared, wide-eyed. “You are smarter than this Emilia, I want to believe you
“Is that man your husband?” Maria’s knees buckled as she almost crashed back into the ground by merely recalling the unfazed glare he had fixed on her.“He almost killed me” she muttered, nearly collapsing but Emilia caught her arm in a tight grip. “get your shit together” she scolded.Vivienne kicked the shopping bags in her hands “You went there to take her dresses? Next time don't get ahead of yourself, come to us and we’ll give you money for your damn dresses” That was a wake-up call for Maria, her eyes lit up—sharp and active like she hadn't just experienced near death.“Of course sweetheart, you’ve been quite a good girl” Vivienne cackled “Don't touch that surrogate if you don't want his wrath”Emilia nodded in agreement “Wait till she’s back on the streets”“I see” Maria replied “but I’ll still get the money for my knee treatment right? I scraped it badly trying to help you two”Something immediately thudded in the car drawing their attention but they all ignored it as soon a