He paused again, and I shut my eyes quickly when I noticed him turning towards me. He released a deep sigh then a grumble before he spoke again.
“I just hope you’re not hiding anything more from me. Cara’s fine. No, we didn’t have sex yesterday. Why do you even want to know that?”
He paused again, and I wondered when the call was going to end. My face had turned into a blushing mess.
Since when did he start having conversations like this with his grandfather? Maybe they were closer than I thought.
“You’re not angry she didn’t wear the traditional gown?” Adonis asked, and I could hear surprise in his voice. “Yeah. She’s different. Okay, nonno. I’ve got to go now. Make sure you keep me updated; I’ll see you in three days.”
And then, I heard the call get disconnected.
This was my cue to speak up.
“That was your grandfather?” I asked, opening my eyes once again.
“Yes.”
I’m sure he knew I was awake as he wasn’t surprised. I pushed myself up to sit against the headboard.
“What did he say? Are there going to be more threats?”
“Maybe, but he sent us here on purpose. We’re safer here than at the mansion. I have full territorial rights here and can do as I please, unlike in NYC.”
I nodded. It was obvious from the shootout the day before. At least that was a bit reassuring.
“You should get dressed and come down for breakfast. Try not to lose consciousness again. I don’t guarantee that I’ll be there to save you this time around.”
Adonis said before exiting the room.
Did he just throw a jab at me?
****
“Mr. Bernardi asked that you meet him at the rooftop for brunch. If you’d follow me, please.” A middle-aged woman in a maid’s uniform said to me as I arrived downstairs.
My eyes scanned every corner and room we passed through and I appreciated the beauty of the Italian home. It wasn’t too different from the one back in NYC, just a bit more formal.
Unlike the mansion back home, which was empty most of the time, save a few guards, we passed by a lot of staff who offered formal greetings in their uniforms. Even the bodyguards had a dress code, it seems.
Going through a spiral staircase, we reached a small door which she pulled open for me with a bow.
“You can go ahead, ma’am. Mr. Bernardi is on the other side.”
Saying a quick thank you, I stepped out onto the rooftop and felt my breath seize in my throat.
No words could describe this view.
I could see the entire estate from up here, and it was a marvellous sight.
Just like the mansion back home, this was also placed at the centre of the grape vineyard, and Adonis wasn’t joking when he said the vineyard in Italy was bigger. It spanned on for miles, I could barely see where it ended.
Little mini flats were scattered around, and if you intently peered down, you could see some staff at work.
I pointed to a big warehouse-like-looking building.
“What’s that building for?”
“That’s the winemaking factory… it’s been in existence for more than three generations. I can take you to check it out after we eat.”
At the mention of food, my stomach rumbled, and I hurried to take a seat. My eyes shone at the buffet in front of me.
“I think I’d prefer to live here if I were you. This place seems more peaceful.” I said after a bite and he hummed.
“It is, but I’m more comfortable in NYC.”
“Why? You didn’t grow up here?”
“I did. At least for a while… until I turned seven.”
That was news to me.
I stuffed another piece of bacon into my mouth.
“Then why did you leave?”
I was just about to place another piece in my mouth when his response stopped me.
“My mother left. My father died. I had no reason to remain here.”
His father. The man whose name always triggered his anger. I had yet to find out why, and my curiosity was eating away at my mind.
Especially after last night.
Last night… when I woke to the sound of painful groans. Adonis was lying stiff by my side, unmoving, and finding it hard to breathe. His face was covered in cold sweat as he kept on mumbling something strange.
It didn’t seem like an English word, but it was engraved in my head due to the number of times he said it.
At that moment, he was like everyone else. Vulnerable and humane, I wondered if his cold demeanour was just a facade. It took a while to snap him out of his sleep paralysis, and I realized that whatever had happened was more than a mere anger tantrum to him; it was traumatic.
Was it connected to his father? How come I never noticed he had sleep paralysis?
Adonis didn’t seem to have a recollection of last night. My gaze drifted to his, and our eyes met.
“What?” I blurted before stuffing another bite in my mouth.
“What’s on your mind that’s got you in deep thought?”
“You don’t want to know.”
He scoffed. “Try me.”
“I’m curious about you… if I ask, would you tell me?”
He dropped his cutlery and leaned back.
“It depends.”
I was confused. Should I outrightly ask or source out the information myself? With a little prodding, I’m sure Luca would be willing to tell me. But that would get Adonis to be more suspicious of me, and wouldn’t work well for me.
My goal is to get him to trust me, not to be wary of me. I blinked up at him, the word he repeatedly muttered last night on the tip of my tongue.
“What does babbo mean?”
He replied with utter silence. The only sounds that could be heard were the chirps of the birds as they flew in the air and the whooshing of the trees as they danced to the tune of the wind.
By now, I was used to the silence I got from him, but this was on another level. This silence stung. I felt like a child that was being rebuked and ridiculed, and I didn’t know why.
It was just mere silence.
I got no response from him. No narrowed eyes or angry face as expected. He just stared. And stared. And stared. Till I couldn’t take it anymore and had to look away.
Thankfully the shrill of Adonis’s beeping phone cut through the air, and he snatched it up immediately.
“Hello?”
He muttered, and I let out a deep, comfortable breath as the tense atmosphere eased away. Bringing my attention back to the plate in front of me, I was about to place another bite in my mouth when Adonis shot up, the chair falling to the ground at the abruptness of his action.
“What do you mean there was a break-in at the mansion?”
I peeked at him from beneath my lashes.
If there was any deity around, I hope they heard my prayer.
Please don’t let Antonio be the mastermind behind it.