Chapter 29
Chapter 29
LORENZO POV
The drive back to Dark Woods was haste, very rushed and Verzi stepped on it like he was chasing the wind. The silence was heavy in the car, the tension so thick you can cut it with the steak knife. Only the hard, savage pounding of my heart could be heard.
Leigh-Ari hated me.
And I got myself to blame for that. She was right about everything she spouted and yes I deceived her and disguised myself as someone else. Someone kind, loving, decent and cool. I took advantage of her memory loss and played her because I was just as shrewd as it gets. I was selfish, inconsiderate, and very possessive of my own shit!
And I did what I did because I had to. Is that too much to understand? I did it because I had no choice. She belongs in Dark Woods with us. Not in some small crappy and tiny apartment in Cyprus.
She belonged here, with her two men. Why couldn’t she understand that? Why run away from us as soon as she arrived here? 1
I turned to look at her to find her looking outside the car window at the scenery passing by. The beautifully soft, velvet Gucci sweater looking good on her angelic figure. Her face was red, tear-stained and her lips were slightly parted. The handprint of Vernero’s slap visible and evident on her delicate, smooth skin.
I held out my hand in an attempt to take hers, to hold her and say all the things I couldn’t utter with just our physical contact; but she was quick to draw hers back, leaving my hand to grasp the cold leather seat of the car.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
The silent rejection pierced straight to my heart, rendering me breathless in just a blink of an eye. I swallowed audibly and drew mine back, then looked at Vernero to find him watching the blow in the rearview mirror..
He saw it!
The deep angry furrows deepened on his forehead, and he angrily stepped on the accelerator, swerving down the wet roads towards Dark Woods. No words were said, just pure animosity and hatred resonating hard from Leigh-Ari, utmost anger and rage radiating heavy from Vernero as the seconds ticked by. As for me, I was muddle-headed. I didn’t know how to feel, let alone what to say.
Upon reaching the castle, Vernero slammed the brakes causing the car to stop abruptly. Leigh –Ari was quick to open the door and run outside, but her short legs couldn’t carry her far before I grabbed her by her lean waist and slammed her body on mine. Her face looked up and her beautiful brown fell on mine and the look on her face took all the words right out of my mouth,
Vernero sensed the awkward energy around me and quickly whisked Leigh-Ari from my hold, threw him on the shoulder, and left with her caveman style.
I came trailing behind them, with Leigh-Ari still and silent on Vernero’s shoulder.
The look on her face dared me to do or say anything to her. She was feisty and very deep, that I knew. But that look, that look alone was enough to make my ten years utterly miserable. Instead of following Vernero down the stairs, I took the ones for the west wing. After he was done with Leigh, he would come and tell me all that had transpired. As for me, I couldn’t. I couldn’t bear to hurt her again!
as
Else I was going to lose her.
VERNERO POV
Walking down the stairs with her weight on me kind of soothed the raging storm inside me. I was going to punish her, yes, but I wasn’t going to break her. Our treasure just needed to know that there are consequences for crossing us, not anything else.
She was our beautiful angel that deserved to be loved and cherished. 1
She wriggled a bit in my hold, pulling me from my daze for a second. I turned a bit and my cheek ran smack-dab into her lush, plump and soft butt-cheek that was clamped tight in the soft pants that matched her sweater. That act only got me so rock hard that my pants suddenly felt tight. Too tight to even walk. I cleared my throat a bit,
“Be still,” I flapped shortly and her breathing stopped. I continued down the stairs with her breathing so slow and very quiet.
I stopped in front of the door of the steam room, put my finger on the sensor and the door responded with a soft click and then swived open.
I stepped inside a very heated, steam-covered space and began sweating out of my own skin. I gently pulled her off my shoulder and placed her on her feet, in front of me. Her lean body snuggled to my torso, fitting like a glove. I smoothed the strands that were in her face and gently massaged the cheek that was inflamed from the slap.
“Don’t anger me, Tesoro.” I purred gently and continued massaging her cheek.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” She remained still and silent as death. Her eyes not blinking, only glued on me like she was staring right into my soul. I took a step back and another walked out of the steam room and locked the door behind me, leaving her in there to atone for her sins of talking back to us. But most importantly, of trying to leave us.
The walk to the West Wing was quick, and soon, I walked into the lounge to find Enzo drowning her balls and sorrows in liquor.
“Get it together.” I walked to the wine cabin and retrieved a whisky glass, then poured me a good amount and perched myself opposite him.
“For someone telling me to get my shit together, you sure look worse.” He contradicted, and then chucked down the remaining liquid in his glass before slamming it too hard on the table
We fell into a deep, long pregnant silence, none of us daring to speak out first. But as twins, what bugged him did bug me too. I felt him and his fears, his thoughts, and pains. I felt everything that was going on in that pretty head of his.
“You shouldn’t have hit her.” He intoned after a long moment of golden silence,
“I know,” I replied shortly. I knew I shouldn’t have laid a hand on her. I knew that was a wrong move and I had to make it up to her.
‘Where did you lock her?”
“In the steam room!” He nodded softly and got up to refill his glass.
“Not bad. The steam will also help soothe her body. She must þe tired.”
“Hmmm.”
“Are the cameras working?”
“Yeah. I installed new cameras before flying to Turkey. She will be fine.”
We conversed for a few hours, our topic revolving around her only.
Time seemed to have frozen when Leigh-Ari was on our tongues, she was what made our world spin around.
Right on the clock, the hurried sound of heels clicking against the hard tiled floor was heard. since I was facing forward, I couldn’t see who it was but only Valerie and Ciello were allowed i n the west wing, only under special circumstances. When there was an emergency, when she was going to sleep here or discuss business with Enzo. I wasn’t a business geek so their shit was always theirs. Never bothered.
“What is it, Valerie?” Enzo asked with furrowed brows.
“It’s madam.” Her voice was hurried and I turned to find the look on her horror-stricken and very worried.
“What about her?” “She passed out!”