CHAPTER 53

“You look beautiful”

Sharon turned to see Luca standing behind her.

He was wearing a plain black shirt, with black pants and loafers. His lips were curled slightly into a smile

His eyelashes fanned his deep blue eyes, and his hair was messed up perfectly, adding to his sheer beauty

His presence sent shivers through her, and when their eyes met, for a moment, just a moment, they shared something beautiful.

It was a fragile feeling, still in it's foetal state. And Sharon wasn't willing to accept it for what it was

Not yet—

“Thank you”

Her eyes slowly darted back to the mirror, and she continued to adjust the band on her hair

He walked closer, so that could hear his breathing behind her, and feel the vibrations in his chest as he spoke

“Leave it”

“What?”

He looked at her from the mirror.

“I like your hair free”

His hands moved to her head, and slowly, he loosened the bun she was trying so hard to achieve. He used his fingers to straighten them out, and paused for a moment to admire her reflection

He paused, like he was studying her features down to the last detail

“Luca”

He instictively left her hair, and backed away a little. He didn't want to creep her out

“Sharon”

He closed his eyes

“If you want to back down, now's the time”

She didn't utter a word, she just stared.

Her eyes were distant, and Luca felt pain. Because he couldn't tell what she was thinking, because she didn't trust him enough for him to comfort her

“This trip—

Think of it as a vacation, with a dude you know next to nothing about.

We just met, and I really want to know who you are.

So you're not bound to any rules. You're free to do whatever you want. We're not going to live in the same house, and you can be whoever you want.

And if you fall in love with someone else, and you're happy with him, and he's a perfect ten

Then you can be with him—

He paused, trying to struggle the remaining words out of his mouth

But you'll let me woo you, like a proper gentleman

You don't have to accept me, you just have to let me try

“Will you do that for me Sharon?”

“Riann”

“What?”

“You said I could be whoever I wanted for the duration of the trip”

“So please, call me Riann”

********************

Real Times journalist Commits suicide

Why do I have a feeling you had something to do with it?

Did you read the news? It says he committed suicide, it never said he was murdered

Donald adjusted a pair of glasses on his face.

His hair had been trimmed low, and he had a fake mustache

He had somehow convinced Palmer to cover up his scar with a temporary tattoo

And everything seemed to be going smoothly, maybe too smooth.

How was it that the one journalist who could've ended their entire expedition and laid waste to all their plans decided to kill himself?

His grandfather wasn't even aware of it, how did it happen? What kind of coincidence was it?

Surely Palmer didn't have something to do with it. He wouldn't just waste a man for taking pictures, there were other ways it could've worked out. The man could've been paid off, maybe his wife would've been held at gunpoint or so, but killing him was a radical move.

Plus, it was suspicious

They strode into the airport with their luggage, and boarded the plane, first class

Because for some reason, Luca insisted on keeping his private jet. It wasn't as though he was going on a trip or anything

Donald hadn't recovered from what Enya told him. But maybe she was right. What if she was just a distraction, what if he died on her, because he felt guilty for how he treated Claire

His mind flashed back to their last encounter

He hurt her, physically. But that was what a Pavilochenki was supposed to do. They weren't people of sentiment, and they had no respect for other people's feelings. They always had their way. That was what his grandfather molded him and Luca to be. He was establishing dominance, making a point. But he ended up messing things up

Could he have done things differently?

He tried to brush the thought away

Claire was nothing but collateral damage, a piece that had to be sacrificed. She was relevant once, but now she had outlived her usefulness

That was how his grandfather presented people to them. That was what they were made to believe since their parents died

That was what Sharon was supposed to be to his brother

Collateral damage

Donald was following the plan to the book, doing everything right, being a Pavilochenki. His trip to Italy was necessary for the plan to fall in place perfectly

While in Italy, he would collect evidence discreetly. His brother wasn't informed of the plan, because he had a feeling that Luca's priorities were beginning to shift

Luca, oblivious to it all would continue playing husband. If he played his cards right, and was successful enough, then the marriage wouldn't even have to last twelve months

But he couldn't shake off the feeling that Luca had plans of his own, and those plans were likely to clash with the original

Eventually—