"Oftentimes, the truth we seek so desperately has been standing in plain sight all along."
..........
don't people usually go to the cinema, an amusement park, or a fancy restaurant on a first date?"
Rasina said as she picked up a biscuit to give to a little girl.
"Listen, Princess, the essence of a date is the person himself you're going out with; the places you go are just an excuse."
"I feel like I'm being deceived, but I have no proof."
"Stop complaining and hurry before the grocery store gets packed!"
Racina was trying to arrange the chocolates by color, from dark to brown to white, as if she were doing the hardest thing in her life, because of her very high heels and short pink Chanel dress.
Of course, she hadn't expected her first date with Alfredo to be in a grocery store, selling to customers..
She was starting to think she was making the biggest mistake of her life by getting to know this Alfredo.
By God, he was crazy...!!
but attractive... a point in his favor.
"Open your mouth, Princess,"
said Alfredo, holding up a heart-shaped jelly candy.
Rasina ate it up, saying sarcastically,
"Oh, how romantic!"
"You haven't seen anything yet."
" I've seen a lot since the first date"
" Don't judge me based on the first date; that's cliché. "
"The only cliché here is that I'm still sharing this nonsense with you."
" This isn't nonsense; sales skills are very useful. It's good to acquire it ."
" What on earth am I going to do with it? Maybe you're right. I'll need it when I harvest your organs and sell them on the black market."
" You'll go from princess to murderer...
I like that."
" You'll like it even more when you try it"
"Give me the damn candy!!"
The little boy's scream silenced them both. It seemed he'd been there for a while and they hadn't noticed him.
Racina looked at him haughtily, while Alfredo said,
"Here you go, man. Sorry, your short stature makes it hard for your voice to reach us quickly."
The boy took the candy, cursing, and hurried out.
"Oh, children these days!"
.....
"Wake up, sleeping princess, you're wasting your time, no prince will come to kiss you."
Bianca opened the window to let the morning sunlight in, illuminating Celia's room completely.
Celia quickly covered herself with the blanket, yelling,
"Get out of my house!"
"You didn't guess!".
....
After a long struggle..
Celia opened her eyes, half-awake, her hair shining like the sun.
Bianca sat on the edge of her bed:
"Good morning,"
Celia smiled at her.
"Where's the good in seeing you at the start of the morning?"
Bianca played with her hair smugly.
"That's exactly what proves it's a good morning."
Celia laughed again, wiping her eyes.
"Celia, are you okay?"
"Yes, don't worry, but I'm a little tired. I won't be going to work today."
Bianca hugged her.
"You really let me down at the party. What happened to you exactly?"
"Nothing, sis, Someone just walked past me smoking. You know I can't stand it."
Bianca kept looking at her worriedly.
"Really Nothing, Is this the first time you've witnessed an my asthma attack? ?"
"No, of course not, but..."
"No buts, I'm perfectly fine. I'll rest today and I'll be better tomorrow. By the way, don't you have a ballet class today? Why did you come here ?"
"Celia, you know you can tell me anything, right?
"I know."
The girls hugged.
"Actually, today I'm planning a massage and pampering session for us to do together, so get up and get ready."
"What? No, no, I just want a relaxing day at home."
"No, it'll help you, trust me."
"No, how about we watch a movie together and make some sweets?"
Bianca raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not your boyfriend to do that."
They looked at each other, One second.., two seconds.., then burst out laughing.
Celia said mischievously,
"Hmm, I saw someone kissing yesterday. Did you get back with him?"
Bianca's eyes lit up immediately.
"Celia, didn't you see how hot he was yesterday, for God's sake?"
"No, I didn't notice."
Bianca hit her shoulder.
"You have five minutes to get downstairs so we can go to the spa."
"Ugh,"
Celia grumbled and fell back onto the bed, while Bianca went downstairs.
.....
09:00 am
Larsen Company
Rodolfo sat in his office, sipping his coffee while working on his computer.
"Sarah, send Celia,"
he told his assistant.
"Sir, actually, she didn't come in today. She sent word this morning that she was sick."
"Sick?, Very well, you'll take her place at the meeting."
Sarah nodded, and they went to the meeting room where the men were already waiting.
The meeting lasted longer than usual.
Rodolfo was angry because he hadn't liked any of the ideas, and no satisfactory solutions had been found for his problems.
He angrily shut down the computer, declaring the meeting over.
"Next time, I expect to discuss ideas with you, not childish musings."
Celia, bring me..." "Sarah..." "Fine, don't..."
Then he left, walking around the company.
He found himself at Celia's office door. He went in and closed it.
It had changed a lot. Her office was neatly organized, and there was a small skeleton on the desk.
"Does she use that for decoration, for God's sake?"
He grabbed his phone as it rang, announcing the arrival of notifications.
They were photos from the Duke of Cavelli's party that evening, published in the Italian newspapers.
He scrolled through them until he spotted a picture of the mysterious French woman he'd spoken to , amidst the commotion.
She was standing in a corner, staring at a painting. He zoomed in, studying it closely.
"It was real!"
He'd just thought it was a dream, or his imagination, or maybe he'd drunk too much—he couldn't understand.
"So how the hell had she disappeared so quickly?"
"Where had she gone? Why hadn't she…?"
Wait a minute. He called one of his most trusted men and sent him the photo along with a message:
"I want information on everything related to this girl."
He hung up and left Celia's office.
.....
Sirani Castle
As Racina climbed the stairs to her room, clutching her high heels, her hair disheveled, she slowly ascended with a naive smile.
Upstairs, Moreno, Antonio, and Helen watched her. Antonio was the first to speak.
"I bet she's just drunk,".
Moreno said as The two looked at him.
"Racina never gets that drunk,"
Helen agreed.
"Look at her hair, for God's sake! Could she be..." Antonio finished,
"in love..."
"What man could have put Racina in this state?"
Finally, she reached her room, went inside, and closed the door.
Then they heard the sound of a small child.
"Curiosity kills cats."
They looked at him mockingly, and Helen kicked him away.
"Get out of my sight, you little dwarf!"
It was Naizo, a blond five-year-old. Actually, that was only his physiological age, because he was one of the most mischievous of the emerging Serani.
Well, the Serani children, unfortunately, lost their innocence, because there was no gene for it in their genes..
.......
It was three in the afternoon.
The weather was beautiful and calm, the sun shining brightly in the sky, even though it was winter.
After a whole week of heavy rain, bitter cold, and darkness, it was as if the sky had donned black in mourning after losing its sun, which warmed it and dispelled its gloom.
After Celia and Bianca finished their relaxation session, Celia felt reborn.
Truly, thank God for having Bianca; only she knew how to make her feel good.
The second ballet class was about to start, so Celia insisted that Bianca attend it, promising to return home alone.
But a small, very small change occurred in Celia's plan.
She decided to go to a place she had missed dearly, a place that had been her refuge in her childhood.
It was impossible for her to go there and not feel at peace; it was as if it recharged her energy and thoughts.
It's Tiber Island and the Ponte Fabricio.. the oldest bridge in Rome, said to have been built in 62 BC, but still in use today.
It's an ancient stone bridge connecting the center of Rome with the Trastevere district.
Beneath it flows a small stream, the Tiber River.
Celia falls in love with the place every time she sees it again.
Finally, she arrived.
She descended stone steps that led to the very edge of the water, right under the arches of Ponte Fabricio.
The sound of the water was strong here, exactly what she wanted..
She sat on the edge and took out her ever-present book, *Physiology*, even though Bianca complained about her taking it everywhere she went and even called her a Bookworm But it was no use.
Celia began reading, enjoying the view.
She didn't know how much time passed, but she certainly didn't care..
until a long shadow blocked her view.
She turned around to find it.
Yes, it was him...
Don't be surprised, because she was now certain that someone had cast a curse on her, making this long shadow follow her everywhere she went.
She turned to him, staring intently, hiding every expression or natural reaction of a person in her situation.
She didn't know why, but it had become her favorite pastime, until he finally spoke:
"I thought you were sick."
"Yes, Iam".
With a sudden movement, he moved closer and sat beside her, sending a slight shiver through her body.
"This is my place. I'm truly surprised to see you here," Rodolfo said calmly,
gazing at the water.
"This is my place too, and I feel the same way,"
Celia said, looking at him instead of the river.
"It's strange that we haven't met before"
" I agree."
He paused, staring at the medical book she was reading..
After a moment, she said,
"What? You forbade me from reading at work, not outside."
He threw up his hands in surrender.
"I didn't say anything, miss. I'm just looking."
" Oh,".
Celia blushed. She was always so impulsive.
"How are you feeling?"
She looked at him and said,
"Much better.",
"And did you really believe me?"
He shifted his blue eyes from the river to her hazel ones, which now appeared yellow in the sunlight.
"Perhaps I'm not a doctor, but I can tell the difference between a sick person and a healthy one."
He raised his hand and cupped her chin, gazing at her.
"You look pale."
This eye contact exhausted her, and she began to feel as if it would take her breath away, so she quickly pulled away while he smiled.
"Good, because you can't punish me here for escaping from work".
he pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows arrogantly.
"Yes, but I can tomorrow, can't I?"
she shouted at him.
"What? This isn't fair!"
"Is it rumored that I'm a priest or something? 'The Oppressor' is my second name."
He looked at her as she stood up angrily and then stopped, wishing the earth would open up and swallow her up when the moment of realization came to her.
"You're joking, right?"
He let out a loud laugh that made his dimple, which had become one of the rare things she liked to see, sit up again, turning her face away in embarrassment.
He stopped laughing as he stared at her long brown hair.
"Well, since I found you, I think I have Something that belongs to you"
She turned around. She sees him take it out of his pocket .
"Oh my God, oh my God, I can't believe where you found it!"
.
.
.
.
.
...........
༺༽End of chapter ༼༻
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