I gave Sienna a disapproving look for her comment. She could still joke in a situation like this!
Dario cleared his throat, perhaps in response to what Sienna said. “We intentionally allowed ourselves to fall into the river, fully aware of the strong current. I know how to swim. Mariana and her men failed to check on us because they heard that the Locatelli team was on their way – that was also part of the plan to keep them uncertain about whether they had killed us. At the designated location, Sir Raffaele was waiting for us. That’s where we made our final escape.”
I turned to Elliott, thinking he might have something to add since everyone else had already spoken.
“I didn’t contribute much. I mostly just swore, Ma’am,” he laughed, causing Gio to give him a wry look.
“Elliott was guarding Mariana without her knowledge,” Gio explained, taking another deep breath. “There were some miscalculations in the plan, but it worked out. Some parts didn’t align with the original plan, which is why we had backup plans.”
“Did you create the backup plans as well? How? You weren’t here to instruct them on what to do if things didn’t go according to the original plan-”
“When I devised this plan, I also created my own backup plan, Millie. They already knew what they needed to do, and even without me here, they can execute it well. Plus, I trust Dario and the team. If there were any small holes in the plan, I’m confident they could patch them up using their own plan. You can always anticipate; you just need to think like you’re predicting your enemies’ next moves. Nicolas Belleza was easy to read. After hearing his plan once, I knew how to counter it… and now, checkmate.”
Gio paused briefly in his speech, and I was once again amazed.
“Nicolas is elusive, which is why I needed to execute a well-thought-out plan like this to catch him and flush him out of his hideout. He’s good at hiding, but other than that, he’s not really skilled at planning. I simply led him to believe he was clever and I was fooled, thus I could manipulate everything according to my plan.”
“Has that Nicolas been captured?” Gio asked.
“Not yet, he’s still on the run, but we’re closing in. We’ll catch him soon. The traitor is already in our hands. I don’t care about Nicolas’ other henchmen. They are small fry,” Elliott assured.
I slumped on Sienna’s bed, sitting there while I tried to process everything they had done. I couldn’t… I couldn’t even think straight! How did they pull all of this off, especially Gio? It was as if he could predict the future.
“Sis, are you okay-”
“Just give me a moment. I need to process all the information you’ve given me. My mind is struggling to keep up.”
Gio approached me, and I raised my eyebrows slightly, meeting his gaze. “You’re not mad, are you?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I’m not angry. Why would I be? Sure, I cried and was hurt, but I’m just relieved that Dario and Sienna are alive! Like I said earlier, that’s what matters. But why didn’t you tell me? I was left out! Besides us, who else knows?” I inquired.
Gio took a deep breath. Was he doing a lot of sighing at this moment? “Aside from us, only Dad and Taddeo.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. At least, I wasn’t the only one left in the dark in his family.
Taddeo knew? Does that mean Taddeo wanted to convey something to me when he spoke to me?
“I’m not angry, but why didn’t you tell me about this plan? You didn’t include me! I could have helped.”
“You’re a terrible liar and probably a bad actress,” Gio retorted.
I scrutinized Gio for his comment. He simply grinned a little. I didn’t keep up the act for long. What mattered to me was that everyone was safe. Gio managed to make it all work.
“How did you even pull this off, Gio? I still can’t believe your plan.”
“Don’t be surprised, Millie,” Raffaele said, shrugging. “Your husband is Gio Locatelli. He’s inherited all the intelligence from Grandfather Reuben and Uncle Agatone.”
That made me feel better. Gio stared at me, as if gauging my reaction and mood. Perhaps he thought I still harbored some resentment over his secret-keeping.
“What are you going to do with Mariana, anyway? Are you going to hurt her?” I knew Gio was angry with Mariana, but I didn’t want him to harm her. I still couldn’t believe that Mariana would do something like this. She seemed so pure and innocent. I trusted her, only for her to betray me and stab me in the back. I even considered her as a sister, and now this.
“I will extract information from her, make her confess, and then eliminate her,” Gio replied coldly.
My eyes widened at that. I was about to object when Gio immediately stopped me. “Don’t try to stop me, Millie. Even you can’t deter me from punishing those who betray me. I only give my trust once, and when you shatter it, there are no second chances.”
I couldn’t blame him. It was probably not obvious, but he was hurt by Mariana’s betrayal. Well, trust is hard to build, but it can be easily broken.
~*~
We stayed in Sienna’s room for a little while longer. She was fine now, but it was better for her to stay here, especially since Nicolas was still around. She’d be safer here.
During our conversation, Gio’s cellphone rang. He stood up to answer the call. I watched him curiously, unable to hear the conversation on the other end of the line. However, the subtle change in his expression was enough to suggest that he had received some news.
He ended the call and approached me. My curiosity was piqued.
“Who was that? What did they say?” I asked.
Gio looked directly at me. “Our men. They’ve captured Nicolas. I’m going out to see him personally.”
~***~
“I’m going with you!” When I saw Gio preparing to leave, I decided to join him. I got up from my seat and approached him.
“No, you’re staying here, Millie. Let me handle this,” Gio said. I didn’t protest as Gio immediately turned to his men. “David and Elliott, you’re coming with me. Dario, stay here with Millie.”
After giving these orders, Gio approached me to say goodbye. “I’ll see you tonight,” Gio said before gently brushing my cheek with a kiss on my forehead. He then walked away with David and Elliott, leaving us behind.