Chapter 70: His Past

The path towards the beach is quite long. However, despite the distance, I enjoy the walk. The warm sunlight and the light breeze blowing from the sea through my hair bring a small smile to my face. One glance at Dante only makes my smile widen. He rolls his eyes jokingly and continues to walk by my side.

"Enjoying your little vacation, I see," Dante says.

There he is. It's been a while since I've seen this side of Dante. He's been so serious lately. I thought he was back to being the annoying bodyguard he used to be the first time we met. Glad that side still exists.

"Totally. Well, I have to since this is my chance to relax. We'll be getting back to work tomorrow," I say.

Tomorrow, I have to be prepared. All I need to do is act all happy as if I haven't witnessed Fabio trafficking two girls last week. The most important of all is that I need my face not to betray me. I need to get my acting right. I can't let the Ricci know I know about their secret.

My walking pace becomes slower as the realisation hits me. I put my sunglasses over my head as we reach the end of the path. There, I see a flight of stairs going down towards the beach under the cliff. The sight makes me frown as I stare down the stairs.

Damn it. No beach for me. The view of the sea will suffice for now. I'm too lazy and tired to go all the way down to the beach. The thought of saltwater around my feet seems amazing, but it's not worth going up and down hundreds of stairs. So, staying by the cliff it is.

"Seems like we still have a long way to go," Dante says.

"You know what? Let's hang out here by the cliff. Come," I say, walking towards empty chairs overlooking the sea.

"Giving up already? Don't you want to go to the beach?" Dante asks. I turn around and roll my eyes. Does he want to kill me secretly? I feel like I'll die halfway from the beach to the top of the cliff.

"Dude, can't you see how far the beach is? We need to go down hundreds of stairs to reach the bottom. The way up's gonna suck ass even more," I say, sitting on one of the chairs.

"You're right. I'll end up carrying you all the way up here from down there," Dante says, sighing as he settles on the other chair.

"Oh, so you're saying you're not strong?" I tease. Dante's face turns grim as he stares back at me

"Just because I refuse to do one thing, that doesn't mean another thing," Dante says. The corner of my lips curls up at his response. Gosh, why is he so easy to ragebait? It's hilarious how a man like Dante always falls for my ragebait.

"Then prove it," I say, smirking at him with my arms folded over my chest.

"No," Dante says curtly. A pout appears on my face after he said the word.

"Aw, I guess you're too weak for me, then," I say. Dante gives me a look, and I only smile innocently at him.

"You're not pulling me into your trap," Dante scoffs.

"Ah, what a shame," I say.

I look around the area, and it seems to be vacant from guests. Only some of the resort staff can be seen at the bar by the pool. Noticing Dante and I at one of the table, one of the waiters approaches us.

”Good afternoon. Would you like to order something?” The waitress asks.

”Yes, please,” I say. I grab the menu from the waitress and scan through the list of beverages and light snacks. I’ll stick with ordering something generic, a virgin mojito.

”I’ll just have a bottle of water, thanks,” Dante says.

“Virgin mojito for me, please. Thank you,” I say.

”Alright. I’ll be back in ten minutes,” the waitress says as she grabs the menu from Dante and me. Once she’s out of our sight, I turn to Dante again.

I wonder when he started liking me. I started crushing on him ever since we first met each other. How about him? What made him like me? Is it something specific I did or what? I'm curious. I hope he'll tell me about it.

"Anywho, when did you start liking me?" I ask.

"No comments," Dante says.

Seriously? No comments? That's all he can say? Why is he even hiding it? I already know he likes me. So, why hide the reasons?

"I've told you mine. Now tell me yours," I say.

"Just because you told me yours doesn't mean I owe you mine," Dante says. Nope. He can't back out of this. He needs to tell me why he likes me. No matter how silly the answer might be.

"Just answer the question," I say. Dante sighs and then looks away from me, staring at the sea instead.

"Fine. It was since the time we start practicing together. I don't know how but something just clicked, you know," Dante says.

Clicked? So, he just like me out of nowhere? Interesting. Maybe there's another reason why, but I'll just let it slide this time. Maybe the real reason will come out of him anytime soon.

"Okay. I get you," I say.

We stare at the sea in silence. The sunlight reflecting on the surface makes the sea looks sparkling and gleaming as if stars are on it. After a few more minutes, the waitress comes back to our table and gives Dante and I our beverages. I take a sip of my drink, sighing at how refreshing it is.

Last week Dante finally admitted that he was indeed a capo, just like what Carlo said. It makes him even hotter now that I know he was a capo. All his charms and leadership must have come from somewhere. Turns out it was from his previous job. I can't help but to think about how his life was when he was still a capo and before he works for my family. How was his life before? Was it good or bad?

"How was your life before you dropped everything and became my bodyguard?" I ask.

"Honestly? It was quite exciting. Sometimes I had to be some sort of detective and solve problems, but it was still boring most of the time. The warehouses are mostly safe for most of the time, so all I need to do was just to watch the security cameras for any suspicious activity," Dante says.

Aw, does it mean he likes his previous job? Now I understand why he left his position as a capo. Despite the increase of responsibilities, it does brings more excitement to his life. So many more things to deal with, but in return he has less time for rest. He'll probably be even busier if something happened to my father in the future.

There goes my plan with Dante. How did I just think about this? If Dante really likes his job, then I can't leave with him. I can't be together with him. I wanted to leave this life with him, but knowing that he likes his job, I can't take that away from him. So, I'll be on my own once everything with the Ricci and the Romanos have been taken care of. That's honestly disappointing, but it's his choice and I can't force him to come with me. All I can do is to wish him the best.

"Are you okay? I can see the frown on your face," Dante says.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about something. Anyway, how did you end up becoming a capo?" I ask.

"Well, I've worked my ass off for your family. Basically, I've proven my worth after years of working for your family. What makes me even more valuable is my connections. Even before I became a capo, I already had lots of connections. Almost two years ago, your father finally chose me as a replacement to the previous capo. He doesn't trust him anymore because of the countless problems that happened while he was in charge, so your father made me took his place," Dante says.

Dante was only a capo for two years? That was quick. From my knowledge, someone could be a capo for the rest of their lives since the position is a high-ranking position in one family. Everyone will literally do anything to become a capo, yet Dante gave it up after two years in that position.

"You were only a capo for two years? That's a very short time," I say.

"Well, your father thought I worth more than just a capo. Because of my skills, he chose me to be his consigliere alongside Giulio as his second-in-command. And then shit happens with him, so now I'm both the second-in-command and consigliere. Not officially yet, though. I think I'm more of his consigliere for now," Dante says

From what I've remembered, Dante has only worked for my father for around seven years. It was quite the jump from being a capo to a consigliere and to-be second-in-command in the span of two years. Is Dante really that impressive in my father's eyes? Dante even said my father was willing to hand everything to him once my father retired, or worse, died. What makes Dante different than any other men in this family? Yes, he does have the connections, confidence, charm, and intelligence, but so do most of the men in our family. So, what makes Dante truly unique compared to the others? There has to be something more to the story.

"Interesting. You went from just a crook to a consigliere and second-in-command in the span of seven years," I say.

"I wasn't a crook," Dante says. I furrow my eyebrows at his response.

What is he trying to say? Is he hiding something else? Shit. What if he's an undercover cop? But if he is indeed one, then he won't admit that openly to me. That's so stupid of me.

"Then, what were you?" I ask.

"A soldier," Dante says with a stupid, wide grin. I punch his arm at his lame joke. I thought he was gonna say some life-altering shit. Turns out he was just joking.

"Dude, that's the same shit," I say, rolling my eyes.

"Got you," Dante says, chuckling.

Before we can say anything else, the rain suddenly pours heavily on us and the sky turns dark within seconds. We stare at each other with wide eyes.

Oh shit. We should leave now.