Chapter 64 Ruse
Madam Paula wondered exactly what was going to happen as Luciano came back from the hospital abruptly.
Is he going back?, She asked herself, as she didn't understand why The Don had decided to come back so early.
Madam Paula's eyes widened as she remembered that Isabella had willingly left the house without Luciano's instructions.
I think it's just better to tell the truth, Madam Paula thought as she grabbed a robe and headed to the main entrance.
She saw Mia about to knock as she suddenly opened the door.
“Madam Paula, The Don is back!”, Mia said, slightly afraid of his reaction if he found out what was truly going on.
“I'm aware! I saw him through my window!”, Madam Paula replied.
“What do we do!?”, She asked as Madam Paula led her towards her room.
“Stay in your room first! Both of us coming out at once will only make him question where Isabella is!”, Madam Paula answered.
“Right!”, Mia said, seeing the reason behind what madam Paula had said.
“How long do I have to stay here though?!”, Mia asked as she moved to stand by her door frame.
“You just stay here till Andreas comes back with news!”, Madam Paula said as she tied her robe properly.
“What do I do?!”, Mia asked again, confused.
“I don't know, pretend like you're sleeping! Or go freshen up I guess. We don't even know if The Don is actually discharged from the hospital!”, Madam Paula answered.
“Come on, get in!”, Madam Paula urged as she closed Mia’s door.
We keep stressing the poor man, Madam Paula thought as she thought of Andreas going to work again.
She felt bad that he had to be the one to coordinate the search for Isabella without having proper rest.
Madam Paula opened the front door, Not very surprised to see Luciano approaching it.
“Welcome back Don!”, she said, trying very hard to sound like there was nothing wrong.
“Thank you! Where are the ladies?!”, Luciano asked.
“I think they're still sleeping, even I just woke up!”, Madam Paula answered.
She honestly felt so bad about lying to The Don.
She just didn't know how long the ruse would pan out.
“Are you fully recovered sir!?”, Madam Paula asked as she opened the door properly for Luciano.
“I'm still on bed rest, Doctor Luca only discharged me because I agreed to it!”, Luciano said curtly as he entered the mansion.
“I missed this space!”, he said again
Silence ensued as he took a seat on one of the couches in the living room.
“Would you like anything to eat sir?!”, Madam Paula asked, unable to bear the silence as it made her guilty.
“Yes, anything with chicken please!”, Luciano requested as he stood up without help.
“I'll like it in my room please!”, Luciano requested, Madam Paula's heart dropping.
Requesting breakfast in his room was literally equivalent to him finding out about Isabella.
I really hope he doesn't ask questions when Mia is the one on standby, She thought as she watched The Don take careful steps towards the staircase.
Madam Paula quickly went to work, silently hoping that Andreas would come back with Isabella.
“Where could she possibly have gone?!”, Madam Paula asked herself as she started cooking.
The meal didn't take too long to cook, thus, she immediately started plating.
As if on cue, Mia entered the kitchen, unsurprised by the pleasing aroma from the food that was being plated.
“The Don wants breakfast upstairs!”, Madam Paula said, leaving Mia to connect the dots.
“But, won't he know about Isabella if I'm the one to go give him his food!?”, Mia asked.
“He probably will know, but we've tried our best to keep the news. It would all be wasted effort however if Andreas doesn't show up with Isabella!”, Madam Paula reiterated.
“Is he back yet?!”, Mia asked, talking about Andreas.
“No, he's not back yet, but go ahead and take the food upstairs. Let's just hope he doesn't ask!”, Madam Paula said.
She of all people knew it was very unwise to lie to Luciano.
“Alright ma'am! I'll head upstairs now!”, Mia said as she carried the tray and headed up to Luciano's room.
The ladies had no idea that Luciano had picked up on their body language.
To him, it was blatant that Madam Paula was hiding something.
She always looked him in the eye when she was saying something, she didn't earlier.
Mia or Isabella was always with her, no matter how early in the morning.
Andreas wasn't in the mansion, his car as well, and all the cameras were on. He could tell from the tiny red dots from most of the cameras that were turned off before he left.
Extremely observant, Luciano didn't need anyone to tell him something was wrong.
Managing to take a shower on his own, Luciano came out of his actual bedroom expecting to see Isabella.
He suddenly remembered how he had wronged her, however, he wasn't going to apologize.
His suspicions were true upon seeing Mia being the one on standby, when it was usually Isabella.
She came forward as he sat, however, Luciano simply raised his hand as a sign for her to stay where she originally did.
With every bite of his food, Mia became relieved and thought Luciano wouldn't ask about Isabella.
But then, Mia seemed to be unable to move as soon as Luciano asked when he was almost done eating.
“Where’s Isabella!?!”
“Uhmmm sir I…!”, Mia started after a while, however she was Interrupted by Luciano.
“I asked where Isabella was!”
“Yes, yes sir! I'm trying to say where she is?!”, Mia replied, causing Luciano to actually pay attention to what she was saying.
“So where is she?!”, Luciano asked, his voice a tone lower, sending chills down Mia’s spine.
He watched as Mia’s facial expression contort into fear
“We! We couldn't find her when we came from the market yesterday!”, Mia confessed as she avoided Luciano's gaze.
The man was pissed.
“Clear these plates and get me Madam Paula!”, Luciano ordered as Mia scurried to get the plates.