Chapter 22 Learning
Alessia's POV
The door opens quietly as Alex returns. I keep my eyes on the window sill, ignoring him. We do not fraternize with monsters, Alessia, I tell myself sternly. He doesn’t say a word as he walks toward me and drops a new sleek laptop on the side table.
“This laptop is for your lessons,” he tells me, his voice calm. “It’s set up with all the apps you will need. I will teach you how to use it. And do not try to reach out to anyone. It’s cloned, so I can see everything you do with it.”
I scoff inwardly. Who could I possibly reach out to? I had only two friends in this entire world, Megan and Jill. We all worked together at the Sirranos residence until I have a flashback of the ill-fated night that La Rosa was stolen, how they both turned their backs on me like they thought they were better than me just because I was dubbed a thief. I remember how everyone stared at me like I had grown two heads, their kicking, laughter, and the snickers behind my back. Pain slices through my chest as I blink back the tears, doing my best to push the unpleasant memory away. I had made a promise to myself to clear my mother’s name and mine by all means necessary. I plan to keep that promise, so help me Dios.
Alex seems to notice my demeanor change because he asks me in a soft tone, “Cara mia, are you okay?” My heart skips a beat. He hasn’t called me that since we were in the safe house.
“I am okay,” I reply with a shaky breath, the endearment catching me off guard.
He looks at me for a few seconds before nodding his head. “Come on, I will walk you back to your room.”
I nod my head and stand up. We walk out in silence, heading for the stairs as my eyes quickly dart around, hoping once again to avoid the ladies of the house. When we get to my room, we find Lucia already waiting. She had just arrived with a lunch tray.
“Drop it on the table,” he tells her.
She nods. “Si, signor,” sets it down on the table, two different plates and drinks. Then she courtesies and walls out closing door softly behind her. I look at the table and notice she set two covered plates. Oh, he is joining me for lunch. I don’t know how I feel about that. As we walk toward the chair, he slides my chair back. He can be gentlemanly when he chooses. Interesting. I sit gracefully, and he takes the chair facing me. I eat slowly, not even tasting my food, my mind still filled with all the things I heard about La Geneva, my mom’s blood, my mom’s maybe killed, and so on. It’s a lot to process. When we finish, Alex places the tray outside the door, then moves his chair close to mine as he opens the laptop. My heart rate increases due to our closeness, but I try to remain calm, taking deep breaths. He switches on the laptop, and the screen comes to life.
“Let me show you how to navigate the laptop,” he says simply. I face the laptop intently, not wanting to miss a thing. He shows me the basics, not rushing and waiting until I understand before moving further. His patience surprises me. I thought he would be shouting or cussing me out. Suddenly my heart starts to warm up to him again, and I am finding it difficult to hold on to the hatred and anger, but I say nothing. When he is done, he powers off the laptop and closes it gently. “We start your first lessons tomorrow morning. I want you to learn everything about La Rosa and whatever we can find about witch covens.
"In order to learn who and what you are, you must acquire knowledge. Information is power.”
I can’t help but nod in agreement because he is right. If I had known more about La Rosa, who knows? Maybe I would not have asked Gio to take my space while I went to eat. Even though all that is in the past, no use crying over spilt milk. The silence stretches between us, silent and somewhat soothing, until I hear the click-click of heels walking toward my room. My shoulders tense as I lean away from him, wondering which one of the vipers is here. The door opens slowly, and Isabella Ferrini walks in, in all of her 5’5-inch glory, dressed in a teal tight bandage dress and black hair flowing softly around her shoulders. On her face, a tight smile. She looked like a sex goddess dressed for seduction and mayhem.