Chapter 27: TWENTY SEVEN

CELESTIA

There was a beautifully decorated patio that overlooked the vast swimming pool, brightened by the generous sunlight of Las Vegas. It has an eclectic beauty to it, so much like the garden. Since Lila and I were too shaken to go back to the world of lilies and fountains, we chose the mosaic stone decorated patio for a breakfast conversation.

Once she fixed me a plate of pancakes, omelette, and hash browns and grabbed a mug of black coffee for herself, we settled ourselves on the chaise chairs.

“Thank you,” Lila said softly as I looked up from the plate with a mouthful of pancakes.

“What?”

Her smile developed into a cheeky grin as she tapped a finger to the corner of lips in gesture. “Maple syrup.”

I quickly swiped the back of my hand. “Sorry. I eat like an animal,” I mumbled. The art of fine eating wasn’t my forte. I was more of a pj-wearing-girl who preferred ice creams straight out of the jar than a cut-glass bowl and silver spoon. Besides, I stayed home, sheltered, and never cared for an impeccable high standard of social skills or the lack of it.

“No, no, it’s fine. I have seen people eat way funnier than you.”

“You mean here?” I asked, both shocked and incredulous. It was one of those lavish villas with a world of itself, and to think I have been kept here as a captive and in exchange for a ransom, was borderline ironical—or some would say, funny.

“Oh, everyone is very casual here, except for some guests who rarely visit for business or otherwise. Other times, Sir or his brother would throw a party that would almost last for over twenty hours.” She sighed deeply as if to mimic exhaustion. “The staffs get so tired and generally divide themselves in shifts so that everything else is in order.”

I wore the smirk on my face as I plucked the delicious hash brown and bit into it. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from the people who prefer two kitchens in one house. I mean, isn’t it enough that the primary kitchen looks like a mini football stadium?”

Lila let out a shriek of laughter, throwing her head back. “Do you know we also have three specialized chefs, too?”

“That’s it?” I feigned disappointment. “I was hoping one chef for each cuisine in the world!”

Our conversations came easy, packed with the genuine thrill of good humor and camaraderie. It was fast becoming a happy place. We laughed over a few more ridiculous displays of upscale indulgences, like rooftop jacuzzi, yachts—apparently Raffaele owned two—along with private jet and two helicopters.

“Should I be disappointed that the toilets are not made of gold?” I pouted.

“You bet.” Lila placed the cup down, downing the last drop of her dark liquid.

“So, these parties…” I probed carefully “—must be fun. I mean, how rich people party—you know. Booze, women, dancers…”

“Lots of them,” Lila shrugged casually. “I think they drink more alcohol than water. As for women, there’s always some of them around these men.”

I didn’t know what got over me, and it wasn’t my business in the first place, and yet I was snooping. “Any particular girlfriend?” The moment I spilled out of my lips, I regretted and wish I could collect the words and shove it down my throat.

Lila’s eyes widened infinitesimally before she quickly schooled her features. “Are you asking about sir or his brother?”

“Both,” I quickly said. “I have been here for so many days, and I never heard of anyone.”

“That’s because they don’t have one,” Lila explained. “At least no one has ever been officially declared.”

“Oh.”

“Why did you smile?” Lila squeezed her eyes. I didn’t realize I was smiling—grinning would be a correct term here—until she pointed out and shame rolled over me.

“Oh, umm…” I forced out a bark of laughter, trying to save the day. “I mean how foolish of me, isn’t it? How can a girl in her right mind actually fall for Raffaele? He is a brute who doesn’t even know how to talk!”

Lila shrugged a shoulder. “I wouldn’t say that. A lot of women throw themselves at him even when he doesn’t seem to be interested at all.”

I stared down at lap and slowly nodded. “Well, good for him.” But when I actually looked up, Lila didn’t seem to have heard me at all. Her eyes were glued somewhere very distant, over my shoulders, and far on the other side of the pool as I followed her gaze behind my back.

A man strolled lazily, from one end to the other, with a phone attached to his ears. It took me some time to recognize the buzz-head fellow as Raffaele’s bodyguard, Cesar.

Why was Lila looking at him? I vaguely found the answer when I turned my head and found that her eyes were pinned on him with a mixture of curiosity and longing.

I coughed soundly, jerking her attention back to mine, and tried to hide the laugh with my hand. “Oh, it’s okay, you can continue to stare at him. I don’t mind.”

Lila was flushed from her neck to cheeks. “I…of course not! I was just looking at…umm…”

“The trees?” I offered, rather unhelpfully. Lila reached out and swatted my knee as I screeched into a laughing fit. “Oh, please. Just say you were ogling.”

“I was not! It’s just…he leaves by nine-thirty in the morning, and it’s way past ten.”

I gaped at her teasingly. “So you memorized his schedule? That’s so sweet, Lila!”

“It’s not what you think.” She waved her hands in exasperation, and then her voice came out softer. “Seriously, it’s nothing like that.”

I quickly jumped to the seat beside hers, holding her hands in mine. “But you do wish something like that, don’t you?” I asked softly.

Lila’s eyes slowly drifted to him, staring wistfully. “It’s more complicated than it looks.”

“He has a girlfriend?” I inquired. Lila shook her head. “Then, what’s the problem?”

“Celestia, I already told you about my past, right?” When I nodded, she continued. “I didn’t know what kindness looks like until Cesar showed me some. He would not speak so many words, but he always provided me with the basic stuff until I settled in. So, in a way, I was grateful. Over the years, I slowly returned to normal, but I realized that he still treats me like a ‘pity case.’ For him, I am still the girl he rescued from hell, and that’s it.”

Lila’s sadness was so acute, it tugged at my heart. “In that case, he doesn’t know what he is missing out. But you told me that he was there for you last night?”

She nodded her head. “Once again, I was the ‘pity’ case.”

“Don’t say it like that!” I urged. “You are a strong person, Lila. A lot of people don’t ever come out of the things you have faced and endured.”

She took her time to collect her melancholic thoughts and presumptions but didn’t quite agree to the positive notions. It utterly hurt me how low she thought of herself despite the courage she naturally exuded.

“Anyway, can we now talk about you?” Lila asked, changing the topic. And I let it because stretching it too far would have obviously upset her.

“What about me?” I cracked a smile. “First, I am kidnapped, and now someone wants to kidnap me again. My life has become a readymade script for the next instalment of ‘Taken,’ minus the father.”

“Good to know your sense of humor is still intact.” She winked.

“What choice do I have? My mother wants some more time to arrange the money and return to Vegas in exchange for me, so I simply have to wait.”

Lila’s brows pulled together into a frown as she gave me a quizzical stare.

“Why are you giving me that look?” I asked suspiciously.

“You don’t know?”

I shifted to sit straighter. “What are you talking about?”

Lila hesitated for a long beat, gnawing at her lips and slowly revealed, “Who do you think wanted to take you away from here?”

For a second, the world around me took a quick spin. I slowly blinked, taking in the severity of the hint. And when the realization dawned on me, my heartbeat took a giant leap.

“You think my mother was behind it?” My voice came out, trembling.

“It’s not what I think. It’s just assumptions, Celestia,” she put in politely. “Besides, think about it: who else would risk entering this place?”

Between the attack of last night and then the morning with Raffaele, and now with Lila’s information, my brain was short-circuited. It became a challenge to even follow a straight thought.

“Did anyone tell you this?” When I asked her, the indecision was written all over her face as I frantically begged again, “Please, Lila. I swear I won’t take your name. Please tell me what you know.”

“I am not worried that you would land me in trouble. I just heard Amadeo sir talking to Cesar, directing him to see if they could find a connection between your mother and the attackers last night.”

Last night when I had asked Raffaele, he blatantly denied. Why? Was he trying to manipulate me?

I quickly rose to stand. “If Cesar is here, does that mean Raffaele is still in the villa?”

“Well…not necessarily,” Lila answered, getting on her feet. “But if he is, he would be at the office room.”

“Where is it?”

“Celestia,” her voice came out sad. “I am sorry, but you are not allowed in that portion of the house. Sir specifically told us—”

“Then find out some way, please!” I cut her in restlessly. “Lila, I need to talk to Raffaele right now. Just contact him in some way and let me talk to him.”

After a long pause, she gave a long sigh. “Okay. Come inside. I will see what I can do.”