Chapter Forty-eight
Alessia
Ever since we arrived in Italy, I began to turn into a spy.
A week had passed, and nothing seemed clear.
I was still in the dark, unsure how much Vincenzo was planning and whether it was for better or worse.
Even accompanying him each day left me uneasy.
I never knew whether to relax or keep my guard up.
What I did notice was a man in black who always seemed to be around.
I might have been imagining it. But as I sat in a café with Vincenzo and his friend, I spotted him again across the street, selling flowers—that same cap.
Yesterday, I saw him outside the restaurant we visited, handing out postcards at the entrance: the same cap, the same jacket.
Maybe I was too bored, letting my thoughts run wild.
Vincenzo laughed, pulling my attention back. He was busy with his friend while I sat across from them, holding my coffee between my fingers.
The café was warm, keeping the cold at bay. The rains were getting worse by the day, and if I were back in California, I’d be in bed, reading a book.
I raised the cup to my lips, eyes fixed on the stranger. He was still in the same spot, and since I had sat down, not once had I seen him sell a single rose.
When he started crossing the street, my heart began to race. Had he noticed me staring? My fingers curled tighter around the cup as he headed straight for the café.
The bell above the door chimed when he stepped inside.
My breath caught. From where I sat, I saw his face clearly, his eyes locking on mine.
He did not look away, not even as he moved to a table only a few steps from us.
I forced myself to break the gaze, swallowing the panic that pressed against my throat.
I kept my eyes on the street outside, sipping my coffee, but every nerve in me ached to glance back at him.
Vincenzo’s friend scraped his chair back, bringing my attention back to them. “I should go then. It’s a date. You two should not miss it.”
“I will think about it,” Vincenzo replied.
A date? What were we not supposed to miss? Was this about the wedding?
The friend left, and Vincenzo lifted his hand to call a waitress. She arrived with the receipt. I reached for my bag, relieved we could finally leave.
I had not noticed the rose until she set it down in front of me. “And this is for you, ma’am,” she said with a smile.
Vincenzo frowned. “What the fuck is this?”
“You were our hundredth customer,” the waitress explained quickly. “Just a small token of appreciation.”
My chest tightened as I stared at the rose. Instinct made me lift my eyes to the stranger. He was watching me. He tilted his head, raised two fingers in a small salute gesture, and took a slow sip of his coffee.
Heat rose to my neck. I lowered my gaze to the flower, trying to make sense of what was happening.
Vincenzo stood. “Let’s go.”
I hesitated, my hand hovering above the rose. I knew I shouldn’t take it. It could mean danger. Yet part of me refused to leave it behind.
When I rose to follow Vincenzo, I picked the flower and walked out.
In the car, I glanced back, checking the café door to see if the man followed. He did not. Maybe I was reading too much into it. He might have noticed me staring and decided to give me a flower. Some people were simply nice.
We drove back home after another long, unnecessary day out. At least unnecessary for me, since I still didn’t understand why Vincenzo insisted on taking me everywhere with him.
The moment I stepped inside the house, I sensed something was different. Workers moved briskly in a rhythm, some setting the dining table while others carried things back and forth. The air carried a current of preparation.
“Go get ready,” Vincenzo said once we reached the hallway. “We have visitors.” He walked off without another word.
The only person who could tell me what was happening was Giulia.
My eyes swept over the sitting area, but she was nowhere in sight.
I had been trying to get closer to her, hoping that one day I could borrow her phone and find a way into my email.
She was cautious, always quiet, but at least we were making progress.
I went to my room, and as soon as I opened the door, a black dress lay out on the bed greeted me. I froze, hesitating to step inside. Did this mean the wedding plans were finally beginning? Vincenzo had kept everyone waiting after insisting he needed a week or two with me first.
Moving closer, I placed the rose on my bedside table and ran my fingers over the fabric. The dress was smooth and elegant. As I lifted it, a knock broke the silence, and the door creaked open.
“May I come in?” A woman in a maid’s uniform stood at the threshold, a soft smile on her lips.
“Yes.” I set the dress down and turned toward her. She was new. I had never seen her among the other employees.
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her, and walked closer. “I’m your new maid, miss. I’m here to help you get ready.”
“Sorry?” I asked, realizing what her words implied. “Giulia? Where is she? Was she fired?”
“She was moved to the Sicily residence,” the maid replied calmly. “That’s where she will be working from now. But I am here to help you with anything you need.”
The one thread I had been clinging to had just been cut. If Giulia was gone, so was my chance at her phone. How would I ever know about Rodion? How would I learn if my parents were safe?
The maid’s smile softened into concern. “Miss, is everything all right?”
I blinked away the sting in my eyes. “Yes. I’ll take a shower.”
I slipped past her, carrying the weight of silence into the bathroom. The hot water did nothing to ease the heaviness pressing on me.
When I stepped out, she was gone. I noticed she had left a basket with brushes on the table, and beside it was a phone. My stomach tightened. Had she left this on purpose? This was bait.
My pulse hammered as I looked toward the door. I could take the risk and make a call. My fingers twitched toward it, but before I could move, the door clicked open and she stepped back inside, a hair dryer in her hands.
I grabbed the dress, pretending I hadn’t been hovering near her phone.
“You can change, and I’ll help with your hair,” she said.
I nodded. “All right. I didn’t catch your name?”
“Savina,” she replied.
“You can call me Alessia.”
She shook her head. “No. I could get in trouble.”
Her calmness unsettled me. Unlike Giulia, Savina was almost too social. Was this a setup? Had Giulia been moved because she was getting too close to me? What if Savina was here for the opposite reason?
After I slipped into the dress, Savina started styling my hair.
I tried to break the silence. “What’s the event today?”
“It’s part of the wedding traditions,” she said while retouching my makeup. “Do you like the dress?”
“It’s comfortable,” I answered.
Her lips curved into a smile. “I’m glad you like it.
I picked it up for you. Oh, and I brought a necklace.
I wasn’t sure what to choose, so I got this.
” She opened a small box and handed it to me.
My eyes widened at the sight of the pendant’s shape.
“I was torn between a star pendant and this little gemstone.”
My breath hitched. Rodion’s nickname for me echoed in my mind. He loved calling me Little Gem.
I pulled the necklace from the box and brushed my fingers over the pendant. “I love it,” I whispered. “Thank you, I really love this.”
Savina’s face lit with relief. “That’s good. Here, let me help you.”
She stepped behind me as I lifted my hair. She clipped it, and as the necklace settled against my skin, a warmth spread through me.
“Thanks for choosing this,” I said.
“You are welcome,” she replied, smoothing the strands of my hair into place. She didn’t know it, but I intended to keep this necklace close. It reminded me of Rodion, and that was enough.
When I finished getting ready, we stepped out into the hall.
Voices carried from the sitting area, where the guests had already gathered.
Laughter and chatter filled the air, but beneath it I caught Leonid’s booming voice echoing from his office.
I slowed, straining to catch a word, but Savina turned to glance back at me.
I quickened my pace to follow, and when we reached the sitting area, she slipped away quietly, leaving me to face the guests.
As I stepped into the sitting room, every eye turned toward me. I forced a smile and began to move closer, but before I could greet them, the sharp crash of breaking glass tore through the house.
Everyone froze. All attention shifted toward the direction.
It had come from Leonid’s office. Panic rippled through me, pulling me back to the last time I had stood in his mansion in California.
That night had been an engagement party.
I was drugged and dragged away. What if something like that happened again while I was miles from anyone I could call?
Fear clenched my chest as low murmurs spread among the guests, their voices stirring my unease. Before it could spiral, Vincenzo appeared with a wide grin stretched across his face.
“My father will be joining us shortly. Business is becoming hectic,” he said lightly. The guests relaxed at once, their shoulders dropping, heads nodding in relief.
But I knew better.
“This is Alessia,” Vincenzo announced. “You already know who she is.”
I kept my smile fixed. “Hello,” I said softly, letting their gazes press against me. “It is nice to meet you.”
A woman leaned forward. “So, which family are you from? From which town?”
Before I could answer, Leonid strode in. “That is enough. Let us eat. I have an emergency to attend to.”
We gathered around the dining table, and it was exactly what I expected.
The conversation was about the wedding. The women eagerly assigned themselves roles in the preparations while the men slipped into business talk.
I listened and watched. Leonid kept receiving calls, frustration showing through the cracks in his composure, no matter how hard he tried to mask it.
Dinner blurred into the rhythm of forks against plates and the soft clinking of glasses as the guests lingered over drinks. At last, Leonid cleared his throat, drawing every eye to him.
“I will leave you to continue with the preparations. Something came up in California, and I must leave in the morning.”
The table fell silent. Not even Vincenzo spoke, and he looked as though he didn’t care in the slightest.
“Alessia knows exactly what she is expected to do,” Leonid said, his gaze locking on me. There was a warning in his eyes, one I didn’t dare ignore.