I descended the grand staircase, my footsteps stepping silently on the marble floor. The house felt unnaturally quiet, the only sound echoing through the space was the faint sounds of the workers carrying out their duties.
They moved like ghosts in the periphery, their eyes lowered, their expressions wiped clean of any humanity.
I stopped near a girl who looked no older than twenty, her fingers scrubbing a silver tray with a frantic rhythm.
"Excuse me," I said, my voice sounding thin in the vast lobby. "I was looking for—"
She didn't even move or blink. It was as if I didn't exist...like I was nothing more than were an invisible presence passing through the room.
The snub bit deeper than I expected. Of course, I should have expected it, I don't belong here even though I almost expected that response from her, knowing full well how I was going to be treated like a leper. I pulled my hand back, feeling stupid for even trying to find a human connection here.
"Miss Jennie? How may I be of help?"
I flinched slightly, turning to the voice. Relief through me as I finally talk to someone like a person not a ghost. The old man Elio stood a few feet away, dressed in his usual formal attire, he carried himself with quite dignity. A warm gentle smile softened his features as faint wrinkles formed at the corner of his eyes.
"Uhm," I hesitated, looking around to ensure no one else was paying attention.
"Do you… have you seen Vinc—" I bit my tongue, the name nearly slipping out. "Mr. Ruggiero?"
"Master left for the airport a few hours ago," He informed me, his eyes so calm despite his professional posture. "He has urgent business outside the country"
"When will he be back?" I asked
"He won't be back at the estate for at least two weeks" A wave of relief washed over me so suddenly I almost staggered.
"He asked that we ensure that you are comfortable during his absence" he added softly.
"Oh... really" I murmured, nodding slowly quietly surprised that the Devil himself would even think of that.Who would have thought he had some manners?
Two weeks without his suffocating presence. Two weeks without his piercing gaze that always seems to look through me. Two weeks to finally breathe.
"Thank you, Elio," I said, forcing a polite nod before turning away.
I headed straight down to the lobby well that's what it looked like. The moment I made sure I was out of sight, I changed direction,slipping quietly around the inner corner of the mansion towards the worker's entrance. My heart pounding against my ribs, each beat louder than the last. Once I stepped outside the gates, I hailed a cab quickly at the edge of the estate, my skin crawling with the sensation of being watched. Every black car that passed made my stomach tightened.
However,as I reached Aunt Olivia's private suite, I was vibrating with a mix of fear and anger and something dangerously close to panic all tangling together inside me.
I slammed the door open without bothering to knock or what for the maids to lead me through the house since I know the place like lines on my palm, and I know she will be no place other than her study room.
"Can you kindly explain what the hell is going on here?" I shouted, not bothering to beat around the bush and trying all my possible best to stay calm, but the pressure in my chest was reaching a breaking limit.
Aunt Olivia sat by the window, a teacup resting delicately in her hand, her posture looking as composed as ever. She didn't even bother to look in my direction.
"What are you talking about?."
"Don't do that" I snapped
"Do not fucking pretend like you have no idea what I'm talking about!" I snapped, striding towards her.
"Who is the fuck is Matteo? I demanded. "And how the fuck does he know about all this?"
She finally looked at me, her eyes as cold and grey as a winter sea. She set her cup down with a deliberate clink.
"He's part of us," she deadpanned.
The silence that followed was so deafening that you could hear a pin drop. I furrowed my brow, my brain struggling to process the words.
"Excuse me? I let out a sharp disbelieving laugh
"What do you mean he's 'part of us'? He's a Ruggiero! Blood of the man who killed my parents!"
All my life, everything I had been taught that the Ruggieros are untouchable, unbreakable, even loyal to themselves. They didn't betray their own.
And yet here was the woman who raised me, telling me that the cousin of my enemy was an ally.
'Like what the hell is going on?!'
"I can't explain that yet, Jennie," she said, her voice softening just enough to feel insulting.
"You can't explain it?" I repeated,a harsh bitter laugh through my lips.
"I am living in his house! Sleeping under his roof! My life is on the line every second I'm there and you're telling me you can't explain?"
"With time" she replied calmly, turning her gaze back to the window.
"You will know for yourself,"
I stared at her in disbelief twisting into frustration, I felt like I was going crazy. The world was tilting on its axis, and the person I trusted most was the one pushing it.
She stood up, her silhouette sharp against the fading light. "I assume no one saw you leave the mansion?"
I froze and the anger drained out of me instantly, replaced by something colder.
"What?"
"Vincenzo's security is not something to underestimate, Jennie. If you were followed—"
Suddenly, the realization struck me like a physical blow. Vincenzo said he wasn't going to be around for two weeks. Who would have known he never does a thing without a purpose. The "Two Weeks" wasn't a trip but a trap.
"Shit!" I hissed, already turning toward the door, I needed to leave as soon as possible. If he had found out I had left the mansion.
I grabbed the door handle, my breath coming in sharp, in even bursts.
But before I could turn it.
'Click'
The door swung open in a deliberately slow motion.