Chapter 42 Àlvaro's Pov.
I called Anthonio a little while later once I've sorted myself out.
“Álvaro! How are you doing?” Anthonio picked up the phone after the fourth ring.
My chair rotated slowly as I stared out the window. “Had a rather eventful day yesterday.”
“What happened?”
“It's confirmed that the traced network was solely linked to Santiago. Turns out he has been doing a little bit of undercover work for me.”
The line is silent for a moment.
“Did he say what for?”
I picked up a pen from my desk and began to twirl it between my fingers slowly. “Apparently, my uncle Vincenzo has been plotting behind my back to take over my empire.”
Anthonio snorts quietly. “I'm not even surprised. Vincenzo has always been a lousy Son of a bitch.”
I couldn't agree less. “Exactly.” I sigh.
“So, I have news on Sergei.”
That made me sit up straighter in my chair. “Yeah?”
“When you told me about how Sergei had someone infiltrate your house and attempted to attack your ‘guest’ and also about the house attack," He started and my hand clenched around the phone tighter just thinking about it. “Well, Sergei confided in me about it. He said that since you hadn't made a move to revenge, then maybe you've finally realized that things are even between the both of you. That puts you at an advantage now.”
My eyes flicked from the wall to the window. “Interesting.”
“I can't believe that guy has put so much trust in me when I haven't seen him in years. He must not be as smart as I thought.”
I placed the pen back down and stood up from my chair. I began to walk towards the window so I could get a better look of the weather outside.
“What about your club launch?”
Anthonio hums. “Sergei is out of town this weekend so we don't have to worry about his entourage showing up. However, the place is going to be filled with security cameras. Maybe you should bring your ‘guests'. I understand they're two now? This might be the perfect opportunity to properly meet them.” I could detect a hint of humor in his voice.
“Shut the fuck up, man.” I said. “I look forward to catching up.”
He laughed. “Yeah, likewise.”
“When we finally bring down Sergei and Vincenzo, we'll dance on their fucking graves and make them regret all the times they've ever messed with us.” Anthonio said, his voice turning a notch darker.
We both knew it would never be easy to get rid of the both of them, especially when they join forces. They're like parasites that sticks and never leaves.
The world will indeed be a better place when every bone in their body is broken and I can hold both their decapitated heads in my hand as a trophy.
\~~~
I was walking towards Camilla’s room to tell her about Antonio's club launch when I noticed that her room was slightly open and I glanced inside to find her sitting on the edge of her bed with her phone between her hands.
Her brows are pinched together and her eyes look strained. Even her shoulders seemed tense from this angle and I was shocked that I can read her this well when I'm never interested in other people's body language unless they're lying to me and I need vital information.
I knew better than to be invading her private moment right now but I just can't seem to stay away.
My hand pressed to her bedroom door and it creaked open. I pressed my shoulder into the hinge of the door and leaned against it.
"Everything okay?" I asked as I folded my arms across my chest and studied her expression once more.
Camilla lets out a sigh and then closed her eyes for a moment. "Yeah." She rasped. "All good."
We both knew she was lying and instead of saying that out loud, I flicked my eyes back down to her phone and twisted my head. "Who's that?"
Her lips found its way between her teeth yet again in a look of uncertainty. She was contemplating if she wanted to tell me or not.
I presume we can rule out any secret boyfriend because I did my background check and I know for a fact that she had none. Besides, I practically disvirgined her.
Camilla dragged her eyes to mine and I waited patiently for a response. I'm not going to force her or pressure her into telling me anything but I was really interested in knowing more about her personal life.
Probably because I'm obsessed but still in denial that I'm obsessed.
My head shook to rid me of these thoughts, pushing it to the back of my mind. I can't be going crazy now but there was nothing wrong in wanting to know the reason she looked so frustrated.
She sighs again and shrugged. "My mum." She admits. "I just miss her so much."
I feel my heart constrict at her words knowing that this was all my fault. I pushed off the doorway and perched beside her on the bed.
Our shoulders brushed together and I don't move away by choice and neither does she. We stayed like that for a while until she started talking again.
"I just miss her so much. Her and my brother, Hector." Her voice deflates as she spoke. "She just told me about an anonymous person that keeps sending them huge amounts of money." She said, looking at me with an accusatory glare.
"Who knows, maybe your mum has a secret admirer." I joked.
The fuck? Since when did I start cracking jokes?
Camilla didn't look amused and I know that she saw through my jokes but how do I explain to her that I feel guilty for her being here and I'm trying to appease my conscience by making sure her family is well taken care of?
"After my dad died, she sole handedly raised two children in a dangerous part of Spain. Trust me, I'm glad she's not lacking for anything right now but I just feel like I've abandoned her."
"I understand." I said after a few seconds ticked by. "My father died at a young age too."
"I remember you telling me about your first kill." She said softly and I glanced down at those soft pink lips. "About the things he made you do."
Slowly, I drew in a breath. "Let's just say you should be glad you have a parent that cares so much about you. My childhood turned me into who I am today."
Camilla stayed silent for a few moments until she said, "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For what you had to go through."
I find those warm eyes again, lighting up the room with their vibrance. "So why did you embrace this lifestyle? You could've stopped after your father died."
My head shook. "It was tge only life I've ever known. It was only normal I follow in my father's footsteps. But I'm not like my father. I only kill people because I know that I have to, not because I want to. There's a difference."
Camilla watched me carefully and then she nodded as if she could understand but I really don't believe anyone could, least of all, her. "Does this make you happy?"
"Does what make me happy?"
"Being the boss. The leader. Owning all these empires."
I glanced to the window as if I could see my entire life in the distance. "Sometimes." I admitted. "Other times, it's lonely."
Her brows crease in my direction as if she couldn't believe I just said that out loud. But it was the truth. I've come to realise that no amount of money or power can make one happy.
Camilla reached over to cup the hand that was sitting on my lap and it slowly dawned on me that this was tge first time in my twenty eight years on earth that I was actually opening up to another human being.
I'm fucked. Really, truly, utterly fucked.
I stared back at her for a few moments, admiring her natural beauty. Seeing her like this, bare and real sparked something inside my chest. I loved the makeup and the tiny dresses with the ridiculous heels but this....this is something.
"If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?"
"Spain." She didn't even waste a second to answer. Of course she'd pick Spain because she just confessed to missing her mum. But I wanted her to pick anywhere but there. A place where she'd be free without sad memories clouding her mind.
"Anywhere but Spain." I rephrased my question.
She drew back and tilted her head slowly. "Anywhere?"
"Anywhere."
"Mmmm." She pondered. "I've always wanted to go to the Maldives."
My eyes crinkled at the sides. "Yeah?"
She nodded eagerly. "I'd love to be on the beach, reading a book with a coconut cocktail. And then at night, I'd love to just look up at the stars."
I find myself smiling back at her, watching the light in her eyes build up while imagining this scenario. "That does sound good."
"Doesn't it?" She grinned back at me. "It's been my dream since forever."
"Well, maybe it might come true." I leaned forward and whispered against her lips.
She blinked, startled by my sudden closeness but she doesn't pull away. I watched her eyes as they moved from my eyes to my lips and back again. "Don't you have work to do?" She murmured softly.
I do, actually.
I pulled back slowly. For some unknown reason, I was still smiling. I just couldn't stop myself. It felt strange to me because in the business I was in, I don't get to smile much.
How have we gone from wanting to tear each other's heads off to listening to each other's life stories? I have a lot more time for her than I first anticipated and now I can't get her off my damn mind.