Chapter One Hundred Seven
Chapter One Hundred Seven
Ivy
The inside was more beautiful than the outside. It was like stepping into a time warp of the past. The walls were just as pristine white as the outside making the place look heavenly in its glow as the rays of the sun hit through the windows. Windows that hit about middle waist and reached near to the ceiling each one arched in its design with thick red velvet curtains tied back to the sides.
She stops in her tracks and stares. One side of the room there was a set of stairs made of stone reaching to the second floor, the metal railings making it look rustic and more castle like. On the other side there was a small alcove were a wall of books were place from floor to ceiling, nearly taking the entire wall. The ceiling held thick wooden pillars that seemed sturdy and well maintained reaching well over fifteen feet. The furniture made it look like this lace was straight out of a museum. They had to be antiques passed down from generation to generation. Sone looked to be well used yet not tacky while others seemed to be strictly for show. Thick rugs were placed on the marble floor, and she was sure those were antiques as well.
“Please, let’s head into the dining room.” Luca announces as he nods to the kitchen staff that were patiently waiting for instructions.
They quickly left the room in silence through a doorway off to the side. He guided her through the living room and while he did she couldn’t help but calculate how all of this must be worth. She was going to make more of a fortune than she had thought. She couldn’t help the smirk that came out.
The dining room took her breath away even more when they stepped through the double pane glass doors. The ceiling was even higher at the back of the house and the room held three giant pane windows from bottom to top with the same house structure in between them. The scenery of the field in the back was vast as far as she could see. Birch trees were planted outside at each window with window flowerpots that held the same beautiful orange flowers she saw on the balcony.
The dining table sat at least twenty people. The Oak wood carved on the sides with grapes and vines. She knew this was just as old as the rest of the furniture and well maintained with care and love. The chairs matched with the same design and held thick plush cream cushions. The center pieces were of ivy vines with beautiful glass vases that held floating candles and rose petals. It was a vintage showing of an Italian home straight out of a home magazine.
One of the staff members pulls out a chair for her and backs away without so much as looking her in the eye. Instead of seeing it out of disrespect she viewed it as the young girl knowing her place and acting accordingly. She sits down as the Don sits at the end of the table next to her. Then more servants came out of thick double wooden doors holding a tray of refreshments and deserts.
Placing them in front of them and pouring a hot brewing of tea she couldn’t help but stare at all the little deserts that were decorated beautifully with perfection. She doesn’t hesitate to start placing a few on her plate that she knew was also a vintage antique set.
Luca sits there patiently as she eats and takes sips of her tea. He politely thanked his staff as they leave them alone but stayed close enough in the kitchen to eavesdrop on their conversation. Marino stood stiffly in the corner of the room waiting for any assistance that his master needed of him, anger boiling inside him at the rudeness of their guest.
“You mentioned that you have the deeds. May I look them over?” He begins, giving her a gentle smile.
Relaxing a little she wipes the corner of her mouth before reaching for her purse where the papers stayed close to her in protection. Not seeing any harm to hand them over she waits as she watches him take the papers and scans them intently.
After long intense moments she was ready to snatch the papers back from him but then he sets them gently down on the table and sighs before folding his hands together. He looks to her then and gives another soft smile.
“Miss, by any chance have you taken these papers to a lawyer before you came here?”
Frowning she reaches over to grab the papers and puts them back where they belong. “I was planning to deal with a lawyer once I got things settled here. Why do you ask?”
“Because those papers are fake.” He states carefully, watching her reaction.
Immediate anger flushed her cheeks as she seethes out, “These papers aren’t fake! You think I’m going to believe that crap! I know what you’re trying to do, you think I would fall for a trick like that to get me to leave, but it’s not going to happen!”
“Please calm down-”
She suddenly pushes out of her chair, standing her full height, breathing hard. She knew she was going to face a hard challenge when she got here maybe even fight a little, but to call her an outright liar was more than she could stand. She was going to stand her ground and not be bullied to give up her future like this. If this man wanted a legal battle then so be it.
“I’ll see your ass in court!” She turns away to stomp out of the house knowing there was no way they were going to allow her to stay here when his next words stopped her.
“How well do you actually know Alejandro Russo?” When she doesn’t answer he stands up and leans against the table, staring at the back of her head. “Think hard about what kind of man he truly is. From my experience he’s not likely to just give up something worth so much over simple blackmail.”
She stiffens at his words but doesn’t turn back around.
“If you don’t believe me about the papers at least get them looked over by a lawyer, maybe by one you could trust.”
He walks past her and doesn’t bother when she flinches. “Marino, prepare a room for the young lady. She’s more than welcome to stay for however long she needs.”
The sputtering of the butler was noticeable, but the man doesn’t argue with his master as he watches with bitterness as he leaves the house altogether.
A/N: Hello everyone. Apologies on not updating this story. I have a lot going on in my life right now since January. I work with the federal government and going back into office every single day and facing the RIF that is currently happening with my job I have been extermely stressed. A lot is happening that could change my life, I work in management so I'm dealing with a lot of departments that is taking a lot of my time even outside my work hours. It's hard to write but I will try my best to get back on track. Thank you all for reading and staying with me for this long, I'm truly sorry! I don't plan to drop this story it's just taking me longer than expected to get it finished and uploaded. I will try and upload as much as I can and as always thank you for being my readers!