Chapter Six

"Welcome to the Lombardi residence."

I watch as he gives me a small nod of the head, before leaving the large living space. I'm now left alone in the silence of un unfamiliar place. What does he exactly suggest I should do next? Looking around the room, I take in the expensive furniture, and the large stone fireplace to the right of me.

I move slowly in the direction I saw Matteo go earlier, trying to find him in this massive maze of a mansion. But instead of moving into another room, as I expected, I'm faced by a long meandering corridor. That's just my luck. I take slow steps down the corridor, my palm trailing across the smooth paint of the spotless white walls. Bare. They are all naked. There are no decorations, art, or family photos. Nothing.

Turning around the corner, I collide with a towering figure, my head colliding with his slightly unbuttoned shirt. As I raise my gaze, I notice the same blonde man from the bakery the previous day.... Tio? Yes, that was his name. His blonde wavy hair looks as if he just woke up, but yet he still manages to pull it off. How do guys do that?

"I know I'm the most handsome guy around, but you don't have to stare." His smooth voice reaches my ears, a teasing smirk on his face making my face heat up with embarrassment Soon after, his chuckle reaches my ears.

"My name is Tio, but you can call me whatever you like. And you must be Ilaria." Tio remarked with a big smile on his face, his hand reaching out to shake mine. Raising my hand, I extend it towards him, his warm fingers enclosing mine and providing some comfort. It's not as rough as Alessandro's, which bothers me for some reason.

"Yeah, I-it's n-nice to meet y-you... I um..." God why do I stutter when I'm nervous? I don't stutter with Abbey or Lucas, but then again I've known them for a long time now.

"Looking for Matteo?" Tio asked tilting his head slightly to the side making his blonde hair falling over his brow.

"Um... yeah. T-this place is k-kind of a m-maze." I stutter out, watching his smile widen slightly, before nodding his head.

"Yeah. You'll get used to it. Matteo is currently with Maia, and Alessandro requested me to bring you to your room so you can unpack." Tio motioned for me to follow him along the endless corridors of this place. As I approach a great grand staircase, I rest my palms on the beautiful black oak bannisters, which are free of dust. Following Tio up the stairs, we walk down an unknown number of corridors, each with a blank wall. This mansion appears to be devoid of life. I haven't even seen one picture of Matteo.

"And here we are." Tio came to a rapid stop in front of a cream-painted door, my bag already waiting for me outside. I swing my luggage over my shoulder as I walk over to the entrance to my new room.

"Oh, by the way, Ilaria. Alessandro may appear rough at first, but he's really just a giant teddy bear on the inside. I promise. He's just... been through a lot." He finished off staring into space for a few seconds. I watch as he brings himself out of his daze, before clearing his throat. 

"Right, I'll be back in about an hour to let you unpack, and then Alessandro needs you in his office to sign a few papers. Bye Ilaria." He sang the last bit, making me smile, as he walks off down the corridor.

"U-um.. Tio?" I ask before he gets too far away. I watch him turn around giving me a warm smile. You can do this Ilaria. Taking a deep breath I go for it. 

"Thank you." I whisper out, watching his face lighten up before replying. 

"Your welcome." Before he turns around the way we just came.

Opening the door, I enter my new room, which has cream and pastel turquoise walls, a double bed in the centre of the room, and a set of double doors in the corner. The soft carpet of the room moves under my feet, cushioning the soles of them. Moving over, I open the doors to reveal the largest closet I've ever seen in my life, and it's... full of clothes. And by that, I mean a lot of clothes. Jeans, tailored trousers, shorts, skirts, dresses, a wide range of shoes, and.... bras. How on earth do they know my size?

I return to the main room and notice a wide window with a window seat. It has a few big fluffy pillows, and a soft blanket draped over it. Taking a few steps over to the window, I peek out and see a vast, lovely garden with a number of towering trees not far away. We must be further out of town than I imagined.

Plopping my bag on the floor, I drop onto the bed, exhausted from my earlier panic attack in the car, a headache beginning to form in my skull. I'm hoping Lionel didn't notice.

Removing my stuff from my bag I placed a picture of my parents and me on the small table next to me, turning it to the ideal angle. Then I take out some of the few books I own and place them on a shelf on the opposite side of the room. You could say I'm sort of a bookworm.... You are, of course, accurate. It's the only way I can get away from the life I'm presently living, to go to a new place and start a new life. A new beginning. Live a different life. I wish.

Sighing I return to my luggage, removing the last of my belongings. Makeup, perfume, lotions, toothbrushes, and sanitary goods are neatly arranged in the bathroom, with each item having its own location. Okay, I like things to be organised. I despise things that are just placed everywhere and anywhere. Knowing me, these will all get lost in various parts of the bathroom, never to be seen again. Such as hair ties or hair grips. You'll have them one minute and then not have them the next. They've vanished.

Looking around the room again, I note that it still appears drab, even with some of my belongings put away. Maybe I should get some plants... maybe a cactus? Or maybe a few more books? Yeah more books.

Deciding to take a small half an hour nap, I lie down on the double bed curling myself into a ball, my eyes already starting to close from exhaustion.

****

"Ilaria." Someone sings from the other side of my door, as I groggily open my eyes, the continuous banging brining back my headache.

Groaning, I rise and make my way to the door to stop the horrible banging that has caused my headache to double in size. I yank the door open, groggily glancing up at the guilty Tio, who has his hand in the air, as if about to knock again.

"Did I wake you?" Tio said running his hand through his blonde hair, the silky strands slipping through easily.

"No, I was already up." I lied, rubbing my eyes with my hands as I try to rub the sleep away.

"Right sure..." He said trailing off, obviously not believing me for whatever reason.

"Alessandro's asked for you in his office." Tio said straightening up, his shirt now completely buttoned up and adorning a straight black tie. His hair also now gelled back slightly, making his cheekbones look sharp, and his dark brown almost black eyes pop.

All sleep disappears as soon as he says that, leaving me with the lingering headache, making me wince in pain. 

"Come. I'll take you to him." Tio said nodding his head for me to follow. I blink multiple times hoping to rid me of sleep, before closing the door behind me with a quiet click.

We follow each other down corridor after corridor until we reach a dead end. In front of us is a dark, nearly black double door. Knowing that this is his office raises my heart rate. I take a step closer, preparing to knock on his door, but Tio stops me before tucking some hair behind my ear.

"Alessandro likes people to look presentable, and I don't think he'd like it if he'd known you just came from a nap." Tio said straightening my chunky cardigan, making me worried he saw some of my scars. Which I don't think he did luckily.

"Right well... don't keep Alessandro waiting." Tio said giving me a comforting smile, as he walks off who knows where.

Turning towards the almost black double doors, I knock on them with a shaky hand.

"Come in."