Finding out who did it

Alessandro, Gabriele, and Antonio worked through the night, determined to uncover who had assaulted Lisa. By three in the morning, Gabriele finally admitted defeat.

“Better to continue tomorrow after we get some sleep,” he said wearily.

“He’s right, Mr. Mancini. Let’s rest, and then we can investigate further tomorrow,” Antonio added.

Alessandro bristled at the suggestion, unwilling to relent, until Antonio persuaded him otherwise.

“Alright, let’s go to bed. We will continue this investigation first thing in the morning,” Alessandro conceded, dismissing everyone.

After wishing Gabriele goodnight, Antonio escorted Alessandro up to his room.

Lying awake, Alessandro replayed the night’s events, tormenting himself with guilt. He knew he could have prevented the attack if he had only listened to Nonna. But his pride had gotten in the way. Now his arrogance had led to this. He cursed himself for not asking Piero to fetch Lisa from the hospital. What if something worse had happened? What would he have told Lilani?

His thoughts were shattered by the sound of a scream, followed by muffled crying in the hallway. Alessandro leapt from bed, found the door, and hurried toward the sound.

Lisa’s room.

He opened her door and carefully made his way to the bed. Lisa tossed and turned, trapped in a nightmare, her body trembling. Alessandro reached out and gently shook her shoulder.

“Wake up, Lisa. It’s just a bad dream,” he whispered softly.

Lisa’s eyes flew open at his touch. Seeing Alessandro beside her, she clung to him desperately, sobbing into his chest as though her life depended on it.

“He… um… He was in the… uh… room…” She cried.

“Shh, Piccina. There’s no one in the room. You just had a bad dream,” Alessandro soothed, holding her firmly until her trembling eased.

When she finally calmed down, she looked up at him, embarrassed.

“I am sorry for waking you up. Your shirt is wet and full of snot.”

Alessandro kept her close for a moment longer before asking, “Do you feel better now? Must I ask someone to get you something?”

“No, thank you. I think I will be alright now. Sorry for waking you up,” she whispered, her voice still shaky.

“Alright then. If you are going to be okay, I’ll head back to bed. But in the morning, I want to hear everything that happened, si.”

She nodded automatically before silently scolding herself—Alessandro couldn’t see the gesture.

“Yes,” she murmured instead.

Alessandro rose. “I’ll help you back to bed,” Lisa offered quickly, taking his hand when he extended it. She guided him back to his room, but as she moved to settle him, Alessandro lost his balance. He stumbled forward, falling on top of her on the bed.

Their faces brushed against each other, their bodies pressed close. Lisa held her breath, her heart racing wildly. She had never been this close to him. Despite the ache in her bruised body, the heat of his chest against her breasts sent a strange, unwelcome thrill through her. Her nipples tightened beneath her shirt.

She squirmed, trying to slide out from under him. But Alessandro didn’t move. Instead, his husky whisper brushed across her cheek:

“You should stop doing that, or you’re going to make a certain member of my body wake up.”

Lisa froze instantly, her breath caught in her throat. He chuckled, then finally pushed himself upright.

“Thank you, Lisa. You should go now. We will talk in the morning,” he said, his voice lighter.

She scrambled off the bed and fled to her room, collapsing onto her mattress with a wince as her ribs protested. She whispered into the silence, “What the hell just happened?”

But sleep refused to come. Over and over, she replayed the scene in her mind until exhaustion finally pulled her into dreams—dreams of Alessandro.

The next morning, Lisa woke still weary. After a shower, she stood indecisively before her closet before settling on white skinny denim, a turquoise spaghetti-strap flare top, and her Vans. A little eyeliner and mascara, nothing more. She left her natural curls loose and, after one final look in the mirror, headed for the dining room.

As she entered, Sophia gave a playful whistle. “Damn, girl, you look hot.”

Lisa blushed and sat beside Alessandro.

Alessandro caught her familiar scent of vanilla and honey. The memory of last night returned in an instant. The way her body had pressed against his, her breath mingling with his, her warmth stirring things he had sworn to bury. He had barely restrained himself. The moment she had fled, he had gone straight to the shower, icy water his only defense against the urge she awakened in him.

Now, sitting beside her again, her fragrance taunted him. He reminded himself sternly: he could not think of her that way. He could not allow himself to feel anything for her. His heart belonged only to Bianca.

“Alessandro, are you listening?” Gabriele’s voice snapped him from his thoughts.

“I… um… What did you say?” he asked, fumbling.

“I said Detective Guido will be here just after breakfast to talk to Lisa.”

“When he’s here, send him and Lisa to my office,” Alessandro instructed.

After breakfast, Antonio announced the detective’s arrival. Guido greeted them and began his questioning.

Lisa fought tears as she recounted the night of the attack.

“I was sitting on the bench waiting for the next bus when a tall man with dirty blond hair walked up to me. He came and stood in front of me, trying to make conversation. I asked him to leave me alone because I am a married woman. He then began to make remarks about how stupid my husband was for letting me stay out late, saying my husband wouldn’t mind sharing me.

“I started shifting up so that I could escape, but when he got closer, I jumped up and tried to run. He chased me and eventually caught up. He grabbed me by my neck and threw me against a wall, then started kicking me, yelling that I was stupid. He bent down and tried to rip my shirt apart. I realized that if I didn’t fight back, this man was going to rape me.

“I bit hard on his hand, and when he recoiled, I got up and kicked him between the legs. Then I ran while he was still on the ground. I think he tried to follow me, but I found a dumpster and hid inside. I don’t know how long I was there, but eventually I climbed out. I made sure the coast was clear, then started walking. That’s when I realized I was lost. I don’t know how I found my way home.”

Her voice broke into sobs.

Detective Guido asked gently, “Can you identify the man?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Alessandro remained silent, his fists clenched, his knuckles whitening. Rage simmered inside him. If he ever got his hands on the man, he would make him regret ever crossing paths with Lisa.

The detective gathered the description, promised to be in touch, and left.

After a moment’s silence, Alessandro spoke. “I will accompany you to visit your sister.”

Lisa opened her mouth to object, but Gabriele entered. “Apologies for the interruption, but I have an urgent matter to discuss with my brother,” he said, avoiding her eyes. Lisa nodded politely and left.

Upstairs, Sophia intercepted her. “How are you feeling, Lisa?” she asked gently.

“I’m fine. Just a headache from lack of sleep, probably,” Lisa replied softly.

She noticed Sophia’s bag. “I’ll let you be; I see you’re going out.”

“Oh, no, I just got back from the store but forgot something in the car,” Sophia said with a blush.

Lisa teased, “Why are you blushing like that?”

Sophia smiled mischievously and dragged her to her room. “Okay, what I’m about to tell you does not leave this room. Pinky promise?”

Lisa chuckled at her sister-in-law’s childishness but held out her pinky. “Pinky promise.”

"Excited," Sophia confessed. “I haven’t had my period for nearly two months. I only remembered a week ago when I started having morning sickness. At first, I thought it was a bug, but it didn’t stop. That’s why I went to buy a pregnancy test.”

Lisa gasped. “Oh, my word! What are you waiting for? Go get the sticks so you can find out!”

Sophia hurried to fetch the bag from her car, then returned nervously. “Can you be with me when I do it, please?”

“Of course. Here’s the bathroom.”

Together, they went inside. Sophia placed the test on the counter. “Okay, we have to wait five minutes.”

To pass the time, Lisa asked, “How long have you and Gabriele been together?”

With a smile, Sophia recounted their childhood, their parents’ friendship, her jealousy in high school, the dramatic kiss that started it all, and their eventual marriage. Her eyes shone with joy.

When it came time, Sophia asked Lisa to check the test. Lisa lifted it and smiled. “There are two lines. Congratulations, Sophia!”

Sophia burst into happy tears. “I can’t wait to tell Gabriele. I have to do something special.”

She left to plan a dinner.

Later, Lisa dressed to visit Lilani. Alessandro was already waiting. They rode in silence until he spoke.

“Detective Guido wants to know if you are willing to go to the station and look at possible suspects.”

Her pulse quickened. “Yes. When must I go?” she asked fearfully.

“As soon as we are done at the hospital,” he answered.

At Lilani’s bedside, Lisa kissed her sister gently. “Hey, sis, I hope you are doing well. I can’t wait to talk to you again.”

Alessandro approached, surprising Lisa with his tenderness. “Hello, Principi. I am glad you fought during the operation, and hopefully you will recover very soon. Your sister and I will get your room ready for when you come home. And as soon as you’re out, there’s going to be a cake for you, like I promised. Get well soon, Principi.”

Lisa blinked at him in astonishment. This was not the Alessandro she thought she knew.

After some time, Alessandro announced it was time to leave.

On the drive to the station, Lisa’s nerves returned. Panic rose in her chest. Alessandro reached for her trembling hand.

“I’ll be right by your side, Lisa. If he’s there, stay calm. He can’t harm you. I promise.”

She squeezed his hand. “I am just scared. What if he’s not there and still out somewhere?”

“Let’s wait until we find out if he’s there. For now, that’s all that matters,” he assured.

Inside the station, Detective Guido led them into a dark room.

“I’m going to show you five men. Take your time. If you see him, just nod and tell me which number. Don’t worry—he won’t see you. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Lisa whispered.

Five men lined up under a light. Lisa stepped forward, scanning their faces. Her blood ran cold. Her body went pale.

“That’s him,” she said, pointing at the tall man with dirty blond hair and a scar across his left eye.

Alessandro wrapped her in his arms. “You did great, Lisa.”

“Thank you, Lisa. You just helped us put a serial rapist behind bars,” Detective Guido said with relief.

Lisa nodded faintly. “Can I go? All this walking is making my ribs hurt.”

She turned to Alessandro. “Can we go home? I want to rest.”

“You should never have gotten out of bed this morning, Lisa. Your ribs need to heal first, and today’s events aren’t helping either,” Alessandro scolded.

“I was fine this morning. I only had a little pain when I moved,” she tried to argue.

“When we get home, you’re going straight to your room to rest. I’ll send Maria with painkillers,” he said firmly.

Lisa sighed, knowing she wouldn’t win.

Back at the mansion, Alessandro ordered Maria to bring painkillers.

“Go and rest. I have work to do,” he told her.

“Thank you,” she murmured before retreating to her room. Under the covers, she had just closed her eyes when Nonna entered with the medicine.

“How are you feeling, dear? Maria tells me Alessandro asked for these,” Nonna said warmly, handing her the tablets.

“I’m alright. Just a little pain. Nothing serious,” Lisa replied with a small smile.

“Rest, my dear. We’ll talk later,” Nonna said kindly before leaving.

Lisa soon drifted into sleep.

Meanwhile, Alessandro was on a call when he realized he hadn’t heard from his brother.

“Please call my brother for me,” he instructed Leonardo.

When Gabriele answered, Alessandro got straight to the point. “The man responsible for Lisa’s attack has been caught.”

“That’s great news. I’m just glad our hard work last night paid off. Now that bastard can rot in jail,” Gabriele said with satisfaction.

“Yeah, me too. See you tonight at dinner,” Alessandro replied.

“We won’t be joining you. Sophia booked us a table,” Gabriele informed him.

“Enjoy your evening,” Alessandro said, ending the call.