Chapter 30: THIRTY

CELESTIA

Raffaele and Amadeo were invariably the two sides of the same coin in terms of look, but the fine contradictions were easily spotted in their bearing. Amadeo looked more of an easy-going than his brother, but I wouldn’t mistake the guy with anything but dangerous. After all, he was the one who plucked me off the apartment in the shadow of the night.

“Sorry,” I quickly mumbled and attempted to swerve past him. But a long arm reached out and blocked the way, successfully halting my steps.

“If you keep up the record, you will make a casualty of yourself.” He smiled disarmingly.

“I…I don’t understand.” I blinked up at his tall frame.

He withdrew his hand smoothly and waved in a manner of invitation. “This side of the floor is mine. Come, we haven’t had a chance to talk.”

His words sliced through my anticipation, evoking a sense of small fear at the back of my head. As if reading on my gasp, he added, “I will keep the door wide open if that eases your apprehension.”

I slowly nodded and followed his suit.

Amadeo’s room, in contrast to Raffaele’s, seemed to have more life and vigor. The air carried a scent of resin and pear musk, coordinating with the creamy beige and wooden decor of the room.

I stalked him towards the sitting arrangement—two high backed sofa chair beside a faux-fireplace and marbled-mantle. The assortment was the contemporary version of a king’s bedchamber I have read in historical English novels.

“Please, make yourself comfortable,” he said as I took a seat on the chair and felt quite small and unsure as against its vastness.

Meanwhile, Amadeo sauntered away and returned with a bottle of red and two wine glasses snagged between his expert fingers. As he settled down and began to fill the glasses with utmost precision, his eyes slowly flew to mine and snagged. “So, tell me, Celestia, what’s your favorite poison?”

Good question for an ice breaker, I thought, except directed to a wrong person.

“I haven’t tried too many to pick one out.” I shrugged.

He finished pouring the drinks into the glasses, slid one towards mine, and leaned back against the chair. I wasn’t into wines for an apparent lack of experience, but right now, I was so nervous that I felt the need to grab onto something. Hence, I reached forward for the glass and pretend to take a sip, when, in reality, the red liquid barely touched my tongue.

The fleeting tang left a subtle acidic flavor on my taste buds, and right there, I was ready to strike off wine (of any kind) from my wish-list.

“You might get used to it,” he said, giving me a knowing smile over the rim of his glass.

“I hope not.” My face scrunched as I lowered the glass from my lips. “It tastes horrible.”

Amadeo’s smile escalated to a hearty laugh as he took a long sip from his glass and licked his lips afterward. “Of all the women I have met, you are the first to ever admit that.”

I had a feeling that he has met quite a several women in his life, given the charm and halo of luxury around him. “I didn’t know wine is a woman’s thing.”

“It’s not,” he confirmed. “But drinking wine and liking it is the pretentious thing. It’s also more of a Las Vegas thing.”

“I see.”

“So, how are you doing now?” he asked as if genuinely concerned. “Last night must be pretty hard on you.”

The sour, acidic taste shifted from my tongue to my mood now. “This entire situation…”—I waved a hand around—“is pretty hard on me. I would really like to go back home.”

“Speaking of home, you had quite a number of them. Shifting from one place to the other…”

I was starting to feel twitchy, and this was not at all in the right way. “Is this some sort of interrogation?”

His smile flashed again. “Over wine and comfort?” he asked rhetorically. “I’d say it’s a conversation.”

I challenged with a huff. “The kind of conversation where you ask the questions, and I answer them, right?”

If Amadeo shared the same outrage as his elder brother, he definitely knew how to hide it effectively. The more offensive I got, the jovial he stretched. “Then we can turn the tables,” he proposed. “You can ask me something, and I will answer you the same. What do you think?”

What options did I have?

Would it be weird if I ask about his brother, too? Duh!

“Your turn,” he pressed.

If I was getting a free rein of a question-answer round, I might actually use it for my benefit. “What’s the point of ransom money when you and your brother are twice as rich?”

Amadeo downed the last drop and wore a lazy smile as he refilled. “It’s your mother’s debt to pay,” he informed. “Had she acquired through a sanctioned source, we wouldn’t have to kidnap you. In fact, you were not in the picture at all.”

I knew that already…partially. “Then why did you—”

“Uh-uh.” He clucked his tongue and shook his head, cutting me off. “It’s my turn now. What were you doing in Club Cosmos?”

I closed my eyes and sighed. “I am really tired of answering this question now. Is it so unbelievable that I just wanted to see and enjoy the nightlife? I wanted to see how Vegas is like.”

“You have never seen one?” he asked, between amused and shocked.

“Isn’t that my turn?” I smirked.

“Touché!” He laughed. “Ask me then.”

“Coming back to my question: Why did you kidnap me when I was not in the picture at all? What was it—some kind of ‘one or the other’ game?”

“I wouldn’t have taken you the night if my brother wasn’t so obsessed with you,” he revealed, and my heart dropped to my stomach. Thud.

His words hit me with the force of a truck as I gripped the armrests tighter. “What do you mean by that?”

“Who is breaking the rules now?”

I almost stomped my foot, grunting in frustration. Suspense like that should be illegal. But then again, I was technically kidnapped and couldn’t really complain. “Fine, your turn,” I groused.

Amadeo balanced his drink on the armrest as his face turned solemn. “Why did Kyla lock you away from the rest of the world?”

I really felt like I needed a sip or two of that acidic taste before I answer, so I did. “My mother didn’t lock me away; she was just protecting me. Paranoia got the best of her when my father died, and I was all that left to her. Instinctively, she hid me away from the world.”

His face looked like he had a rebuttal sitting on his lips. But instead, Amadeo slowly nodded and absorbed my answer for what it was.

Then, I took my turn. “Why was your brother after my life? Is it because I ruined his shirt at the Club? FYI, it was an accident.”

I cackled. “A good number of women have ruined my brother’s shirt in more ways than one,” he replied as a stab of jealously pierced my back. “I am sure he didn’t mind the spillage. But somehow, you caught his eyes. I believe Rafe was pretty convinced that Kyla sent you there the other night purposefully.”

I made a face and grabbed the drink, actually savoring the texture. All Amadeo did was, giving me a half-suppressed laugh. “No offense, but your brother is often blinded by his own stupidity,” I snickered. “What kind of a spy—as your brother accused me of—would spill the drink like that? Does he even think?”

He leaned forward in his seat, a little eager, and lowered his voice, “Between you and me, my brother doesn’t think much when it comes to you.”

I almost paled in shock but managed to bounce back with a forced laugh. “Well…umm…that’s very convenient. But I really don’t know if it’s funny or simply unfortunate.” The words came out like a sigh as the thought of my future—my life—balanced on edge terrified me.

“Okay, tell me this: how are things different from here and back home? I mean, if you keep aside the ‘kidnapping’ part.” He smiled. “How did you spend your time then?”

“I had books to keep me company,” I recollected slowly.

“The library here is massive,” he retorted.

“Yes, but I also took online courses. And thanks to you all, I am missing out on all the classes!”

“Which subject?” he concerned.

“Business Management,” I blurted. “But, wait—whose turn was it?”

“C’mon,” he whined boyishly. “I am done with twenty-questions now.”

My own laugh was boisterous, transporting me into a happy place I have rarely been. “That’s so not fair!”

“What’s going on?” A deep voice rang out as both our heads whipped towards the door that was left open.

Raffaele was standing at the threshold, wearing a considerable weight of displeasure in his features. His presence was so electrifying that I could actually feel the static air raising goosebumps on my flesh and the erratic beating of my heart.

“Rafe,” his brother called out to him brightly. “Come, join us.”

I didn’t know if Amadeo realized his brother’s displeasure or simply chose to ignore it. Or he was too tipsy to care. Either way, it wouldn’t end well.

He slowly stalked into the room, stopping a few feet away from me and cast me a menacing glare. “I was talking to Celestia.”

What are your thoughts about the story? Please let me know in the comments below.