Aria's POV
It is late in the afternoon when we make our way back to the east of Westwood where Uncle Marcello lives. The sun is already low on the horizon. As we drive, I watch the tall mansions sparkling on the mountainside, one just being bigger and more extravagant than the next. I was hoping to get away from this place, from these people, but the harder I try to get away, the more Westwood pulls me in.
Uncle Marcello’s house is the last one on the street, right at the very top of the mountain. The Tuscan Villa was built into the side of a cliff, over-looking the entire valley. On a clear night, the view stretches all the way to the ocean showing off the most breath-taking sunsets. The house is surrounded by a landscaped garden that houses some of the most beautiful and unique roses imported from every corner of the world. The house is exquisite during the day, but night-time is when the house truly comes alive with hundreds of lanterns lighting up the garden pathways creating a magical glow. This is where I spend most of my time, studying the stars.
It is already dark when we arrive home, the fragrant smell of roses permeates the air and invades my senses like a pleasant balm to the soul, easing away the tension of the day.
Uncle Marcello is the first to break the silence.
“Aria, I am going on a trip tomorrow. I will be out and about for the next couple of days. I want to meet up with some lawyers and friends of mine to discuss the outcome of our meeting with the council” he says.
“I do not want to cause any trouble Uncle Marcello. I will do what the council wants.” I say, thinking of my conversation with Don Giovanni. he scares me. I would not want to do anything to upset him even more.
“I am worried about your safety Aria. Every boss on the west coast will be watching you like a hawk. I have asked Johnny to come home and stay with you while I am away. You will have to go and pick him up from the airport tomorrow.” he says as we make our way into the house.
“The last time Johnny was here he stormed off during dinner and has not been back since. Are you sure this is such a good idea?” I ask.
“Aria, you are like a little sister to him, we both just want you to be safe.” Uncle Marcello reassures me. If only he knew what really happened between Johnny and me. I let out a deep sigh.
“I hope you are right” I say rubbing my temples. I can feel a headache coming on.
“Do not stress yourself Aria. We will sort this mess out with the council” Uncle Marcello says squeezing my shoulder and I can see the love and adoration he has for me shining through his eyes.
After a night of restless sleep, with old ghosts haunting my dreams, I pull myself out of bed. I need to fetch Johnny from the airport this morning. I pull on a pair of skinny jeans matching it with a green sweater and let my curls hang loose down my back. Uncle Marcello would have left by now.
I rush all the way to the airport, trying to dodge the morning traffic, which seems to be moving at a snail’s pace this morning. I make it just in the nick of time and rush to the gate where Johnny will be arriving.
It is not long before I spot Johnny coming down the escalator. Watching him approach me, makes me become restless. I start fidgeting with my bracelet. It has been three years since he last came home. The last time I saw him, he stormed off during dinner and I never saw or heard from him again. In the first weeks after Johnny left, I tried to question Uncle Marcello about his whereabouts, but the answers were always very vague and elusive. Uncle Marcello knew more than what he was letting on, but after a while I gave up asking, knowing that I would not be getting any answers from him.
The closer he gets to me, the bigger the knot in my stomach grows. I keep shifting on my feet and twirling my hair around my fingers as I watch him approach. When he stops in front of me, I have no words.
“No warm welcome for an old friend?” He asks, holding his arms open for a hug.
I release a deep breath I did not even realise I was holding and melt into his embrace.
“Welcome home Johnny” I say on his shoulder.
When he releases me, I cannot help noticing how much he has changed since I last saw him. It looks like he has grown taller if that is even possible. His long, messy blonde hair hangs loose against his face, only adding to the surfer- boy look he has with his tanned athletic build. He is the spitting image of Uncle Marcello. Uncle Marcello is just older and more polished. He looks the same, yet there is a hardness in his features that I cannot define. Something that was not there before.
“You look good, kid” he says draping his arm around my shoulders.
“I am not a kid.” I mumble as we start walking. He draws a lot of attention on the way, and every so often I notice a female stopping to stare at him, not even bothering that I am there.
When we get to the car Johnny takes the driver seat, and I jump in riding shotgun.
“I heard you are getting hitched, and apparently you are loaded. I always knew you were holding back on us” he says with a smirk as we pull onto the highway.
I slap him on the shoulder. He must always joke around.
“This is not a joke Johnny. I do not want to marry this guy” I say crossing my arms over my chest.
“You know dad will never allow it. He will come up with a way to get you out of this marriage” he says.
I want to ask him about what happened before he left, but out of nowhere a black sedan comes from behind and tries to push us off the road. Johnny loses control for a second and swerves into the next lane. We are driving at full speed and the sedan just keeps on coming closer to my door. I let out a scream, my heart is racing so fast I can feel my hands shaking from all the adrenalin being pumped into my system.
“What is this guy’s problem?” Johnny shouts throwing his one hand in the air.
The driver of the sedan comes up to my window and looks directly at me. He looks familiar, but I cannot remember where I have seen his face before. He just stares at me for what feels like an eternity and then slows down and takes the exit off the highway.
Johnny and I look at each other stunned.
“What was that all about?” he finally asks.
I just shrug my shoulders. “I have no idea, but it scared the living daylights out of me” I say, still shaken. Johnny looks deep in thought, a frown forming on his forehead.
“My life is getting more exciting by the day. You should stick around if you want to see more action” I say jokingly.
The frown on Johnny’s forehead just deepens.
We continue the trip back home in silence, both of us still trying to process what just happened.
Aria's POVWhen we return home, I leave Johnny to deal with the business Uncle Marcello left him. He will be busy all day, so I decide to spend the day in the library. I enjoy the company of my books. They have seen me through the darkest times. Uncle Marcello keeps buying me electronic books, but I love the musty smell of the old pages and the feel of the leather binding in my hands. After hours of reading, I am startled by a knock on the door. When I look up, an envelope is being slipped through the small space underneath the door. Intrigued, I get up to retrieve it. I immediately notice the de Luca crest embossed on the envelope. I trace the crest with my fingers before opening it.Dear AriaYou are invited to dinner on the garden terrace at 8pm.Wear something pretty.PS: Give me a chance to make things up to you.Yours sincerelyJohnnyIt is just before eight when I take a final turn in front of the mirror. I am wearing a silky emerald coloured mini dress with an open back that i
Johnny's POVThe only thing that keeps playing over and over in my mind is the way things ended with Aria last night. I could see the hurt in her eyes when I told her that the kiss we shared was a mistake. How do I explain this to her?My father clangs his cup down in the saucer in attempt to get my attention. I reluctantly roll my eyes up from the carpet to look at him.“We have talked about this before son, I do not want you getting involved with Aria” my father says leaning back in his leather recliner, puffing small clouds of smoke from his Cuban cigar.“Father, I do not understand” I say confused. Why is he so against me being with Aria?“There is nothing for you to understand, son. I am Don. What I say is law” he says slapping his hand on the desk with the last word.I watch my knuckles turn white as I grab the edge of his wooden desk, pulling myself up to my full height.“Not for long. I will be Don soon and I will choose who I will love” I say.My father bursts out laughing.“
Aria's POVI am engulfed by a cloud of dust and smoke as the red sports car skids to a halt right in front of me. The sudden gush of wind lifts the edges of my black silk dress and blows the loose strands of hair into my face. Johnny jumps out and comes around the car, opening the door for me. He is slick as always.“You look amazing as always Aria” he says, his eyes roaming my body as I get in the car.“Meh, you look okay” I lie, shrugging my shoulders. He already thinks he looks good without anyone having to tell him.The drive to La Tropicana club took about twenty minutes. We are going to meet Johnny’s friend Damon there for the opening of his new club. As we reach main street, we can see the people already waiting in line from two blocks away. The club has a beach theme with palm trees planted all along the sidewalk in front of the club.Johnny hooks his arm into mine as we make our way to the entrance. I am about to go and join the line when Johnny pulls me towards the door.“We
Aria's POV “Stai attentat ragazza!” the stranger shouts. “Excuse me?” I say confused, still standing there gaping like a fish out of water. My family was Italian, but to my shame, I do not know the language. I turn my head to get a better look at the man, and it is as if all the air gets knocked out of my lungs. I am sure my mouth is hanging open, there might even be drool at the corners. Never have I seen a man so attractive before, on a magazine cover yes, but never this close in real life. The man towering over me is the most perfect specimen. His pitch-black hair is cut into a quiff which only makes his piercing, Nordic blue eyes even more striking. My eyes slide across his chest, I notice the way his shirt is straining over the large muscles underneath. “Enjoying the view?” he asks with a thick Italian accent. I can immediately feel the heat spread across my entire face. “I, uhm, I” I want to say something clever, but in this moment, in front of this man. I have forgotten ho
Johnny's POV“You need to plan this carefully Johnny my boy. No one must suspect us” father says, puffing on his cigar.Father and I have been sitting in his office since the early hours of the morning, bumping heads about the plans for Aria’s upcoming birthday celebrations.“This is our opportunity to get Aria away from here and out of Giovanni’s grasp. We had a close call at the club last night. If Stefano decided to take her, there was nothing we could have done to get her back” he says.“He could easily have taken her without me even knowing. Why did he not? Is he that confident that we will be bringing her right to him?” I ask, pondering the thoughts that have been milling through my mind since the incident at the club.“They are arrogant enough to think that, but we should be prepared. They might also be planning something” he says, tapping his fingers on the table in front of him. “We should be prepared for anything. Whoever has Aria, also has the largest fortune in the country
Aria's POVI make my way down the stairs to the ballroom for my Cinderella moment. Uncle Marcello has decided that my eighteenth birthday should be the event of the year. We are having a black-tie Masquerade where the entire Giudici and every Don on the west coast is invited. This is a bitter- sweet moment for me. This event signals a new chapter in my life, but instead of being excited, the loss of my family weighs heavy on my heart. Somehow it feels like after tonight things are never going to be the same again.I take a deep breath inhaling the familiar rose scent drifting in from the garden. Johnny and Uncle Marcello are waiting to escort me down the stairs. They are both dressed in black tuxedo’s wearing white masks.“You look beautiful, my girl” Uncle Marcello says as he takes me into a big Bearhug. “Your parents would have been so proud of the woman you have become” he says squeezing me even harder.Behind him Johnny clears his throat.As soon as Uncle Marcello lets go of me, J
Aria's POV “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I turn towards the voice. Don Julio is casually strolling towards me with his hands in his pockets, looking out at the view in front of us. “It sure is” I say smiling awkwardly. He stands there looking straight ahead, the silver strands in his hair, shining in the moonlight. “A storm is brewing” he says, still staring out into the open. “Excuse me” I say. Don Julio points straight ahead. I squint my eyes to see further into the dark, I do not see anything out there. I am about to ask him what he means when I see it. A quick flash of lighting in the distance. There is indeed a storm brewing. I have been distracted standing out here on the balcony contemplating whether I should go down to the garden or not. From where we are standing on the balcony, you can see the garden and the entire city, all the way to the coast. I have been surveying the garden from my vantage point, looking for a familiar face. It is nearly midnight. I have been reading th
Aria's POV I have been in and out of consciousness, but I can tell that we have been driving for a long time now. The storm has made landfall. The rain is pounding down on the car, covering us in a blanket of grey, I cannot see anything of the outside world. Once again, I have no idea where I am or where I am going. I am all alone in the back of a limo, a small blanket draped over me. “Excuse me!” I shout, frantic to hear someone’s voice. Storms have always frightened me. “Hello!” I try again. No response. “Who is there?” I ask. Still no answer. I curl onto my side, pulling the blanket over my head, putting a barrier between me and the storm. It does not take long for the drugs to take their effect again, plunging me into darkness. A loud boom of thunder roars outside the window, snapping me out of my dreamless sleep. The storm is still roaring fiercely outside. Sitting up I do not recognise the room I am in. The room is dark, there is a very faint glow coming in through a slit