Mr. De Luca finally arrives at his destination after 20 minutes of trailing Caterina's car. He was still unsure about the source of his anger and concerns, but he didn't mind. Caterina has tickled his fancy and now he was going to see this through. He watches her as she walks into the house and gets comfortable as he plans to wait till someone comes in or out of the house.
Caterina storms into her kitchen fuming with anger and her friend, Sebastian, follows closely behind her equally angered.
"And then he says 'It doesn't have to be like this, you know.' He is such a pig!" She rants as she hops on the kitchen counter.
"What?!" Sebastian exclaims.
"I'm telling you, I would kill that man if I had the means."
"You should quit your job."
"No! No, I need the money."
"He treats you like shit and talks to you like trash!"
"The money smells neither like shit nor like trash."
"Catty..."
"Seb, don't Catty me. You know how difficult it is to get a new job. My dad has gone MIA for years now and isn't helping with the rent or gas bills or the light bills. I have my student loans to pay off and there's no one to pay them for me."
"There is, you just won't let me."
"You wouldn't tell me the work you're into."
"Do you not trust me?"
"Let's not fight right now Seb. My head is pounding and I need a nap."
"I should get going."
"You're angry, aren't you?"
Sebastian doesn't reply, instead, he storms out of the house and slams the door behind him. Mr. De Luca who had been waiting patiently for any signs of distress sees him storming out of her house with his palms fisted and his ears and nose red with anger. He climbs out of his car and follows Sebastian like prey waiting for the right moment to strike.
Sebastian begins to feel like he's been followed, but it's too late now. He had made his way into an alleyway with poor illumination, but he was confident he should have no problem dealing with whoever it was.
"Stop," Mr. De Luca says as he catches up to Sebastian.
"So, you're the fucker who has been following me." Sebastian turns around and anger courses through Mr. De Luca's veins. He was now certain that this man was responsible for hurting Caterina.
"Sebastian Riccardo, so you're the fucker messing with her?"
"Giovanni De Luca, are you stalking me now?"
"Cut the crap and stay away from her. It's the only warning you'll get."
"What does Etna Cartel want with Caterina?" Sebastian grew weary as the possibility of Etna Cartel knowing who Caterina was crossed his mind.
"Is she some toy to Capri Clan?"
"Stay away from her!" Sebastian exclaims as he takes calculated steps towards Giovanni. "Anything that finds its way into your clutches gets totaled."
"Are you still upset about your sister? Maria knew what she was getting herself into." Giovanni taunts Sebastian, knowing he loses his focus whenever his sister is mentioned.
"You killed her! How was she supposed to have seen that coming?"
"Oh, it was nothing personal. She was simply collateral damage."
"Collateral damage?! She was just a teenager!"
"A simple-minded teenager. Gosh, the things I made her do. You know, I could make her scream my name without even touching her"
"You pig! You took advantage of an 18-year-old and you're proud of it?"
"How is it my fault that you couldn't take care of your sister? How is it my fault that she was starved of love and attention so much that she takes it from whoever in whatever form it comes?"
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh? You know, little Marie talks a lot when she is happy, and I just have my ways of making her happy. I know all about you and your family. So stay away from Caterina. Else, I'll end you."
"You stay away from her. Does she even know what you are?"
"She doesn't even know who I am. But while we're on the topic, does she know who you are and what you do?" There's a long pause between the two men. "Thought so,"
"I'm only protecting her, you fucker!"
"Oh? Like you protected little Maria?"
"Stop fucking saying her name!"
Things get heated quickly and the two end up in a fistfight. Giovanni quickly overpowers Sebastian and knocks him out cold, dumping his body behind one of the garbage cans, and exits the alleyway as if nothing had happened.
Giovanni soon finds out that his keys, phone, and wallet are missing and he rushes back to the alleyway to search for them. He has no such luck finding it due to the poor illumination. Frustrated, he sits on his car trunk, trying to remember the distance between where he is and the main road, a pay phone, or a bank. From the corner of his eyes, he sees Caterina exit her house looking like the whole world is against her. He soon forgets about his worry as he finds himself following her from a distance.
Catrina being cautious, quickly figures out she's being followed, so she keeps walking. She couldn't decide what to do. She consideres calling Sebastian but he was fuming at her when he left her house. He was all she had, so she felt alone and how she hates feeling alone.
'I'll just go to an open area and try to shake him off.' She thinks to herself.
'This man has been following me since I left the club. His suit is too unique to consider the possibility of it being someone else. He was parked in front of my house when I came home and now he's following me. Is he another pervert?'
Caterina could feel her blood pressure rise. She has had her fair share of assault from perverts at the casino, so the mere thought of going through something similar again sent a chill down her spine.
As if to make matters worse, the street only got quieter the further she
went. She looks around to figure out where to go from here and her blood froze.
'I am lost,'
Caterina was quite familiar with fear as it is something she grew up around. Being around her father alone was enough reason for her to be afraid. At work, her boss is someone to fear if her scars were anything to go by. But the kind of fear she is feeling right now, she had never felt before. She decides that if this man stalking her was going to kill her, she would at least put in effort to get away. She couldn't fight, she is the least athletic person and she has no one to call, so she would have to use her last feminine weapon: Her mouth. 'Let's see if I can nag him to death'She halts, turns around and swallows as she takes in the huge figure of the man standing in front of her. His 6'2 figure was intimidating her 5'8 self. His gray eyes held a threatening look, but she wasn't going to back down now."It's rude to stalk someone, you know?" Her voice comes out strong, contrasting to the great fear eating her away on the inside."I'm not stalking you, princess." The sound of his v
Sebastian's worry only grew as the week went by. He knew that the moment a De Luca had an interest in something or someone, they would stop at nothing to get it. The problem wasn't Giovanni's interest in Caterina, the problem was the identity of Caterina. It is a secret not even she knows and his sole purpose in her life is to protect her from that secret and from the dangers that come with it. Although, he knew he was going to have a lot of problems protecting her when she started working as a stripper at that goddamn Casino. There was only one thing left for him to do now.Taking in a deep breath, he knocks on the black double door of an office."Come in," a voice calls from the other side. He walks in and bows in respect."Have your seat, Sebastian. What brings you here?""It's Caterina, boss.""What trouble is she causing this time?""She has caught the eyes of Giovanni De Luca.""What?!""He stalked her to her house. She's no longer safe there.""Has he approached her yet?""Yes
Caterina stares at herself in the mirror as she tries to recall the last time she got all dressed up. She isn't the type to go out and even when she did, it wasn't to a fancy restaurant like the one Sebastian was taking her to tonight. The sound of her phone ringing brings her back to reality."Hey, I'm outside." Sebastian's voice comes from the other end of the call."I'll be right out," She picks up her purse and takes one more glance in the mirror. Her gown is made of luxurious silk fabric, a rich, royal blue. The gown is sleeveless, with a sweetheart neckline that softly frames the face and accentuates the décolletage. The waistline is cinched with a sparkling gemstone belt, which adds a touch of glamour to the gown. The bodice is fitted, accentuating the hourglass figure, and the skirt flows gracefully to the floor, with a gentle train trailing behind, adding an air of regality. Nodding in approval of her look, she exits her house. Sebastian smiles as she spots her. He remembe
Caterina lays in bed, unable to sleep as her mind is plagued with thoughts she desperately wants to forget. All she wants is a good night's sleep, but Mother Nature is not having it. Her desire to talk to someone about her dilemma grew with each passing second, but alas, there was no one she could call. She couldn't call Seb as she needed a different perspective on things and he was all she had.The deafening sound of her phone ringing breaks through the pin-drop silence of midnight. Startled, she reaches for her phone and an unknown number flashes across her phone screen. She hesitates for a few seconds but answers the call against her better judgment.There's dead silence for a few seconds as whoever is on the other end of the call doesn't say a word and neither does she."Caterina?" A familiar masculine voice calls."Sorry, who are you?" She couldn't quite place her hand on it, but she could tell she had heard the voice before. "I wasn't sure you'd answer." The person says with a
Caterina could feel her heartbeat accelerate with each passing second. Not only was she right about being watched, but she realized now that her decision to leave her job and effectively her house had probably saved her from whatever these men had in store for her.The sound of two loud successive thuds brought her frozen mind back to earth and she couldn't believe what just played out in front of her. Sebastian had knocked out the two buff-looking men and they were now lying unconscious on the floor. She eyes him with a shocked, questioning, and admiring look, and he gives her a pointed look as if urging her to get her things. Minutes later, they are back on the road and speeding through the highways. "Are you okay?" Caterina finally asks."Yeah, I'm fine." Sebastian throws her a quick glance "Exactly! How are you okay? Those men had guns, not toy guns from the looks of it,""Of what use is a weapon if you don't know how to use it?" Sebastian knows he is going to have to cook up a
Sebastian and I exchanged looks with each other. His was of assurance, mine was of worry. The last thing I need is to work under this kind of tension. If this is the house I would be working at, I might as well go back to my apartment and be kidnapped by the men in black suits. "Miss Russell, this is Elena Rossi," Sebastian says as he points to my mirror image seated in front of me. Her long brown hair matched with her brown eyes. She held her hair up in a high ponytail, highlighting her round face. She would easily make for my twin sister."This is Alessandro Rossi," He nods at the tall man with grey eyes and dirty blond hair. "and this is Miller." He nods at the buff man with brown eyes and matching brown hair."Meet Miss Caterina Russell, everyone." He concludes as he ushers me to a seat next to my look-alike before sitting the two men. "Miss Russell, it's a pleasure to meet you," Elena says as she reaches out to touch my hair. I smile in response, not knowing how to react."F
Caterina stares at her new room feeling intimidated by the size and beauty of it. It wasn't your everyday house-help quarter. It was an entire suite. The pieces of furniture were polished nude and the lilac colored curtains made the room look like a doll house. The kitchen area can be seen from the living room, only separated by a beaded curtain. All the types of equipment imaginable were neatly arranged, making it look like perfection itself. "Do you want another room?" Elena's voice cuts through her train of thought, bringing her back to earth. "No, this one is perfect. When do I start working?" "Seriously? Most people would want to get to know their doppelganger and all you care about right now is work? Aren't you even slightly curious?" "Everyone has a lookalike. It's nothing special. Besides, I came here to work," "We should at least get to know each other, right? I mean, you'll be following me everywhere from here on out so it's only normal that I ask some questions abo
The atmosphere in the Rossi's mansion was so tense, you could cut through it with a knife. Over one hundred men are scattered all over the mansion with arms of different kinds. Alessandro storms into the mansion from the front door and matches his way up the stairs and straight to Caterina's room."Open this door, you bitch!" He yells as she pounds rapidly on the door.The door is unlocked from the inside, revealing a tired-looking Caterina. She couldn't sleep a wink the night before because of all the noise the men were causing. "Tell me how you did it!" "I don't know what you're talking about!" "Don't play games with me, you witch!" "I really don't know!" "There's a madman out there looking for you. He has burnt down buildings and taken lives just to find you. So tell him what you took from him, or what you did to make him like this!" "You seem to know more about this madman than I do, so if you're not going to tell me what's going on or who is looking for me, I'd like to go b