The giant and the light

"Berardo, brother, welcome. Long time no see,” a guard said as he rushed to greet the giant of a man who just landed on the mansion’s private helipad.

Walking with sturdy, meticulous steps, the man called Berardo approached the mansion. Not a word from him to the hearing of the other guards. Nothing but a nod. The serious expression on his face never seemed to fade out. Not out of malice or disdain for the men in front of him; they were comrades after all. But this was his way, and they all seemed to acknowledge that.

The pissed-off look on his face never seemed to be enough to stop the giggling batch hovering around him. Along with the men on his side, he made his way off the helipad, through the garden, and into the mansion. Then he went straight to Aldo’s study to report for duty.

To his surprise, the early-rising, stern man that was his boss was nowhere to be found. Funny, it was 8 am at this point, Aldo was always up and functioning by 6 am. Could the boss have fallen ill? No one