5: A Date with the Devil

Chiara Moretti

My phone beeped as soon as I got to the car; it was a text from Alessandro. I dialed his number once, and he immediately picked up; his voice was curt and calm, just as it always was.

"Where are you?" He asked, his voice not imposing or questioning.

"I'm in the car. I want to leave" I responded over the phone. I heard the sharp intake of his breath and figured that it was not his plan. "Do you have something else in mind?" I asked.

"Yes, but I'll join you in the car. We will leave, maybe another time" he said, and the call disconnected.

My mind was a mess. I thought I had prepared myself for when I would finally meet my ex-husband and the woman I thought was my sister. Their betrayal had eaten deep into me, and I could feel my blood boiling. Marco did not change; that was a good thing because it was going to make the first step of what I had in mind even easier to accomplish.

His shiny black card caught the light and glistened in my hands. I smirked and picked up my phone, punching in his phone number and sending a message. I dropped my phone right after and took a deep breath. This was officially the first step of me getting back all that was wrongfully taken away from me while avenging the loss of my child.

The door opened, and Alessandro got in beside me. He didn't say anything; instead, he gave the driver the address of a different penthouse than the one we stayed in.

"Where are we going?" I asked him, curiosity biting my cheeks as the words tumbled out of my mouth.

"Somewhere you can actually enjoy and breathe" he said with a small, supportive smile plastered on his face.

I kept quiet, letting the events of the last hour rummage through my mind. The thought of how many other women Marco had looked at the way he looked at me today appalled me; I could not fathom how many of those women looked at me with the same pity that I was seeing Alessia deserving of.

"Take your mind off it. I can see your eyes; I know you have a plan. Work on it; you have my full support." Alessandro reassured me as we eased into a gate that led us up what felt like a little hill.

At the top stood one of the most beautiful penthouses I had ever seen. It was as if it were opaque even though we couldn't see anything going on inside.

"Where's this place?" I asked him, my mouth opened in awe.

"It's one of my houses; this is where you'll live from now on. I'll keep a close eye on you as I also occupy one of the houses there. Don't worry, I own the entire building" he said, and my mouth dropped to my chest.

It became evident to me that no one truly knew how much Alessandro Bianchi was worth. There's no way he was worth only what I saw in the tabloids after I did my little research on him. My heart missed a beat as I wondered why he was going out of his way to help me through it all.

"Thank you. This is too much to ask for" I said to him, but he shook his head.

"You haven't asked for anything" he said and got out of the car to get the door for me.

The place was even more magnificent, and every step felt like a walk in luxury. For someone who didn't exactly come from a humble background, the opulence I saw humbled my tastes.

We made our way to the elevator, and soon, we entered the apartment that was now mine. It had everything, and looking closer, it was exactly to my taste, including the decor.

"How did you know I like this?" I touched the figurine of a naked woman who hung slightly above my television. It was exactly the way I had it in my former house.

"Well, let us just say a little birdie told me about your tastes for now" he said and smiled as he plopped on the sofa, watching me with interest as I checked the whole apartment.

"I love everything about the place. Thank you, Alessandro, for being such a good friend to me even though I don't know what I ever did to deserve it" I thanked him as he waved his hands dismissively.

"Now, tell me about the plan hatching in your mind." He asked, ignoring everything else I had said.

"Well, Marco gave me his card tonight. I was thinking of meeting with him since he asked to take me to dinner. To discuss business and make my acquaintance" I explained, and he thought about it deeply.

"In that case, you'll need this" he said and got up, walking to the shelf that was in the corner; he retrieved a document from there. He brought them and handed them over to me as I looked at him confused. "Oh, tomorrow, Marco is meeting with Damian Parton..."

The name rang a bell. Damian Parton was one of the leading hackers in the industry, and he was highly sought after by those in the black market. Many considered him the king of hackers, but I did not understand why Alessandro was providing me with documents containing Marco's meeting with a renowned hacker.

"I'm lost Alessandro" I interjected.

"I know. The reason Marco is meeting with Damian is to have your private vault hacked into. He has tried several others, but last week a friend of mine unknowingly gave him the direct link to Damian. I have the details of everything in there. So, you can do whatever you want with that information" he said and winked at me.

Standing there, I didn't know what to do. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I struggled to blink them back. My phone rang, dousing the intensity of the moment. I went to it and saw that it was Marco calling me. Without hesitation, I picked up the call and placed it to my ear.

"Hello beautiful woman" His voice, the same one that used to heal all of my worries, irritated me so much that I fought back the urge to throw up.

"Mr. Marco..."

"By all means, my queen, call me Marco. After all, we are trying to be friends and business partners" he said casually and chuckled.

"Marco, hello," I said calmly and waited for him to state why he called.

"Thank you for reaching out to me. I mean, from the moment we met, you can't deny the synergy that has existed between the two of us. Do you mind if I have dinner with you tomorrow?" he flirted boldly over the phone.

"Well, it depends on how my schedule is..."

"Oh come on, Viviana, I'm sure you can make time for me tomorrow" he hammered, not giving me a choice, as always. He had always wanted everything done his way; it had been endearing at the beginning, when it seemed as if he was being manly by being in charge. But now, it was obvious that he was just a manipulative person.

"Alright. 6:00 pm" I said, making sure that the time coincided with when he was supposed to meet with Damian.

He paused for a second as if giving the time I had suggested a second thought before giving me a response.

"Let's call it 5:00 pm" he said.

"Alright. See you at 5:00 pm" I responded.

"It's a date!" He said excitedly as I dropped the call. Alessandro's gaze was on me as I smirked.

"I have a date with the devil!"