Chapter 6

Arielle's POV

"Why do you want me to be with him?" I asked my aunty immediately we stepped into our house.

"Luciano has been through a lot more than you can imagine. I see you as a light in his life. You're chatty, you're fun to be with. You can make him smile," she replied, putting up that pleading look that made me always listen to her.

I shook my head in disagreement. "I can't, Aunt Linnie. He's rude. I can't even imagine being friends with him. I mean, he is so arrogant," I spoke with disgust.

"Why did you even agree to do this with him?"

"I bashed into his car this morning and since then, he hasn't let me be. He said it was a way to pay for the damage. Do you know that he insulted your car early this morning?"

"I don't know why you still carry that car around, making everyone think we can't afford anything."

"It's my favourite, Aunt Linnie," I whined.

"That car should go to the scrap." She sighed and held my hands. "Don Marcello believes you can change his grandson. He dotes on him a lot, and he thinks you're perfect for Luciano. Look, there's no harm in dating him."

"Ew! Aunt Linnie. No!"

"You're an adult now. You have to explore."

"Exactly. But not with him. He is everything I don't want in a man," I continued to complain.

She sent me a knowing look, a knowing smile etched on her face.

"What?"

"Mm. You're forgetting his good looks," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I can't see them. His bad character has covered what's left of his beauty."

"Consider all I have said."

"Oh God. Aunt Linnie, please. How long have you even known him?"

"When my husband was alive, he worked for Don Marcello. I was privileged to come around, and I met Luciano on so many occasions. He's just a lonely lad, although there are lot of... hidden things about him. But that shouldn't bother you. For now," she said, as if she was trying to prevent me from knowing something she knows.

"Nothing about him bothers me. And why do you refer to Luciano's grandfather as a don?"

She looked away, clearly avoiding my eyes. "He is... He is a man of great importance."

I nodded.

She turned to me again. "I only want the best for you."

My lips curled into a grin. "The best is in New York."

"Oh yeah. About that." She sucked in a breath. "I'm going to miss you so much. You've been away from your family for too long. I feel like I stole a priceless jewel from them." She chuckled at the last sentence. "Go find your purpose, Arielle. Create history with your art. Let the world know you."

She cupped my cheek. "I know you will make me proud."

My eyes became misty. I was really going to miss her. I spent many years of my life here with her, easing her burden of loneliness since she lost her husband at an early age of her marriage which bore no fruit.

"Won't you feel lonely?" I asked, my voice breaking.

"I've lived my life, Arielle. It's time to live yours."

I wiped away the tear that to fell on my cheek and pulled her into a hug. "I'll miss you so much."

"Me too."

****

Honestly, I found it hard to believe that I was sitting in Luciano's private jet, flying to New York. I could have boarded my own flight, but somehow, I didn't want to disobey the old man. And Aunt Linnie thought it was best to cut down on expenses since Luciano's would be free.

Luciano was seated opposite me, legs crossed as he tapped on his tablet. He didn't spare me a glance. I was the one doing the looking. I just kept thinking about why my aunt and his grandfather would assume I was suddenly gifted with the ability to make him reason like a normal human being.

He was cold, distant, annoying, rude, and... and everything bad. It was certainly not my duty to seek his redemption.

His lips moved. "You're creepy."

I flinched, realizing that he caught me staring. Oh goodness. I wasn't checking him out. I was actually reading him.

I darted my eyes away and looked out the window, watching the city where I had lived for most of my life recede into the distance.

Soon, someone stepped in between us.

"Hi, Arielle."

I looked up to see the blond-haired man—Luciano's driver, smiling and standing in front of me.

He stretched out his hand for a handshake, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I'm Alessio. Formalities are expected of me since we're going to be spending much time together."

My uninterested, annoyed expression did not falter as I stared at him then at his outstretched hand. If my hatred toward Luciano was ninety five percent, his was one hundred.

"You're so rude, you know that. You're lucky you've got Don Marcello on your side," he said and walked back to his boss. The both of them spoke in Italian for a long time while Luciano glanced at me twice with a contorted expression.

Folding my hands across my chest, I huffed, silently wishing that the plane would fly faster. This flight was simply a test of my patience and endurance.

In a few hours, the plane landed and we alighted.

Luciano walked up to me, frowning. "I have a different identity here. No one refers to me as Luciano, so you'd better not try it."

I cocked my head. "I care less about knowing your other names. I hope this will be our last goodbye because I never want to see you again," I said in an icy tone.

"Humor me. I was given the task of watching over you. The worst punishment I've received in years."

"While serving your punishment, do it from afar. I don't want to ever set my eyes on you."

He stooped to my level, breathing into my face. "Whenever you hear Gabriel Flynn, I want you to run," he whispered.

I smirked, not moving back or tearing my eyes away from his. "And when you hear Arielle Knight, you hide," I shot back with a whisper and then moved back.

A self-satisfied smile played on my cheeks as I stared at him. The way the colour drained from his face amused me.

So much for wanting to be feared.