Stefano's POV The thought of having both Aria and Amber here together both terrifies and excites me. That sweet little lamb with the big eyes has been on my mind since that night in the club. There is so much I want to say to her and do to her. This interrogation is going to be a welcome distraction. “Let me take care of this” I say walking to the centre of the room where Marcello’s henchman was placed. My father stands back, raising one brow to me. “Very well, get us the answers we need” he says, leaning against the wall. This is going to be so much fun. If memory serves me correctly, I think his name is Joe. I casually stroll over to the centre of the room, while on the table behind me an assortment of tools and devices are being prepared. I take my time, first lighting a cigarette. Joe just stares out into the open space in front of him acting brave, but I can see the fear in his eyes. The eyes never lie. “Hi, Joe. Is it okay if I call you Joe? Somehow, I remember that bein
Stefano's POV Johnny sure did not waste any time in getting here. We have barely finished our breakfast and the leech is already knocking on the front door. Aria’s face lights up the moment she hears his name. I watch as she runs to the foyer to greet him. She launches herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Johhny looks over her shoulder at me. I do not miss the way he pulls her closer burying his head into her hair. Don Marcello enters right behind them, making Aria pull away from Johnny before I could rip them apart. She runs to Marcello and hugs him tightly. “Welcome to my home Marcello” My father says appearing from out of nowhere. “We both know we are not here for pleasantries Giovanni. Can we meet somewhere more private?” Marcello asks looking pointedly at Aria. “Come through to my office” my father offers. “I will stay with Aria” Johnny says. “Me too” I say quickly making sure to give Johnny my signature smirk. There is no way in hell that I am leaving her alone with
Aria's POV Once again, I am staring out the window admiring the outside world. Uncle Marcello and Johnny just left. I touch my lips where Johnny kissed me earlier. He said he is going to get me out of here, but once again, I am all alone. Johnny is good at whispering sweet nothings into my ear, making me feel special and loved, just to moments later pack up and go, leaving my heart bleeding and in pieces. He gives me whiplash with his back and forth emotions. A little sparrow sits on the windowsill in front of me grooming his feathers, he looks so carefree. I keep waiting for that moment when my life will finally begin, but it forever remains just out of reach. I watch the little sparrow fly off into the woods, joining the chorus of birdsong surrounding the house. How I yearn for that same freedom, to just spread my wings and fly. I yearn for the freedom do decide my own destiny. I want to live my life on my own terms. I sigh as I look over the landscape. If I were not a prisoner h
Aria's POV I run to my room as fast as I can. I am leaving tonight. I grab a small backpack from the wardrobe and stuff it with a few items of clothing and essentials. This forest spans over miles of wild and unclaimed land. I need to be prepared. Hopefully no one will come looking for me until morning. That gives me enough time to find a main road and hitchhike to the nearest town from there. This is a really stupid idea but staying here is worse. I make my way downstairs and rush to the back door of the kitchen. On my way out, I grab a handful of fruit and stuff that in my backpack. “Aria!” Stefano’s voice echoes through the house. That was quick. Why is he looking for me? I have come too far to turn back now. The servants in the kitchen look at me, either too afraid or too shocked to react. I make a run for the door before one of them decides to stop me. I run across the grass lawn that surrounds the house, straight into the cover of the forest. When I am out of sight, I crouch b
Aria's POV Inside my room Stefano heads to the on- suite bathroom and sets me down there. I am shocked by my image in the mirror. I look like a swamp monster. My hair is caked with mud and leaves, my clothes are brown and torn. My body is littered with scrapes and bruises. I will never survive in the wild. Stefano, however, looks like he just walked off the runway. His clothes are in pristine condition, not one hair is out of place. He must really know what he is doing out there. Stefano opens the shower and starts running the water. I wait for him to leave, but instead he takes off his shirt and starts undressing. “What are you doing?” I ask “What does it look like princess?” he says with a smirk. “You cannot shower here. You need to leave! Besides, you do not even look like you need a shower” I say frustrated with the amused look on his face. Stefano undresses casually. He takes his pants off, drops them by my feet, and strolls leisurely to the shower. “Are you coming? You def
Aria's POV Stefano has been very excited to show me my father’s factory. The very first factory he opened when our family first arrived here from Italy. Stefano has his mind set on getting my memory back. He thinks coming here might trigger something from my past. As we approach the building, I am surprised to see how big it is. It is far from the little crummy factory I had pictured in my mind. Instead, a beautiful, state of the art, six storey building towers over me. Nothing about this looks familiar. “So, what do you think?” Stefano asks rubbing his hands together excitedly. I walk closer to the building still in complete awe. My family built this magnificent place from nothing. I can clearly see my father’s input in the design of the limestone façade of the building. His love for eighteenth century roman architecture is clearly evident in the large columns and arches that embellish the entrance. “This is amazing!” I say “I knew you would love this” he says as he leads me ins
Stefano's POV The past few days my father and I have tried everything to put Aria’s mind at ease, let her know that she can trust us. My father is yet to tell her what happened to her parents. Something is holding him back. I just wish I knew why he cannot talk about what happened the day Aria’s family was murdered. Perhaps he is hiding something that he does not want exposed. I walk towards the place where I asked Aria to meet me in the garden. I want to take her into the forest today. She needs to know how to keep her own out there. “Beautiful morning for a hike. Don’t you think” I say watching her jump up from the grass. She has grass all over her. Her hair and clothes are covered in it. Was she rolling in the grass? “Beautiful morning indeed” she says smiling brightly. She shakes the grass from her clothes and starts marching towards the thick bushes where the forest begins. She looks so much more at ease here among the trees and the grass. “Wait! Hold on. You missed a spot” I
Aria's POV When we get back to the house Don Giovanni is waiting outside on the terrace. I quickly let go of Stefano’s hand. He looks from Stefano to me, a wide grin spreads across his face. It is like he knows something. My hair is a mess from the time I spent under the waterfall with Stefano. I drag my fingers through the curls trying to make them look presentable. I can already feel the heat spreading to my cheeks. “Well, what do we have here?” Don Giovanni says as we approach. He puffs small little clouds of smoke from his cigar into the air. “I was just showing Aria around” Stefano says. “I am sure you were” Don Giovanni says with that grin making its way back to his face again. “Oh, daddy leave them!” Lilliana calls out from behind the Don. “There is a carnival in town. Would you two like to join me? I plan to go there tonight” Stefano turns to me, his one brow raised in question. “Yes, I would love to go” I say, excited to get to see anything other than this house. “It i