Chapter 6: In the arms of the Don.
Emil’s POV
It was almost mid-night and the Ferrari mansion was deathly silent, only the sounds of the animals cohabiting the mansion could be heard every once in a while, and here I was in my study, buried underneath a pile of paperwork ,I had been away for too long during my time in London and that had piled up my paper work here in the mansion, it was a lot of work handling a huge household but that was the burden of responsibility that came with the title Don Ferrari.
I glanced at the grandfather clock hanging on the wall and realized that it had struck midnight, I had to get some sleep, I could continue in the morning.
With that thought, I put the documents away and headed in the direction of my room, I wanted nothing more than a hot bath to loosen my tired muscles then I could fall into bed and drift off to sleep.
On reaching my bedroom door, I found Wilma and two other maids standing by the door looking worried.
“What is the matter Wilma?” I asked.
The three women jumped at the sound of my voice.
“Buon Dio” Wilma said as she placed her hand on her chest quickly.
“You startled me Emilio, I felt my soul leave my body and return once more” Wilma said.
I smiled a little, Wilma could be a very dramatic woman every once in a while.
“Forgive me Wilma, what is the matter? What are you doing here at this time of the night?” I said.
Wilma faced suddenly twisted in sadness “It’s the Donna, she has shut herself in her room all day and has refused to eat or drink anything, I am very worried about her” she said.
My mind suddenly went back to the conversation I had with Andrea earlier in the day and I knew at once that was the reason for her behavior, I had not meant to snap at her the way I did but the woman was maddening, she kept saying everything I did not want to hear.
I cleared my throat and said “Can you prepare a plate of food for her? I will handle this”
Wilma looked like she wanted to argue but changed her mind in the last second “I will have it ready in no time” she said and gestured to the maids to follow her.
I took a deep breath and knocked on the door, I was greeted by silence, I knocked again, this time a little harder.
“Open the door Andrea” I said.
“Leave me alone” came her reply from inside the room.
This woman was maddening and it was taking all my patience to handle her.
“It is late Andrea, open the door and stop acting like a child, I will very much like to get some sleep in my bed tonight” I said.
Silence was the only reply I received.
I knocked on the door again “I do not like to repeat myself Andrea, open the door now” I said.
For a few seconds there was silence and I thought she had chosen to ignore me once again but then, I heard the sound of a key been turned in a lock.
I held the door knob and opened it.
The sight of her had whatever anger and frustration I had been feeling melt away at once, her face was blotchy and red, her eyes were swollen and it did not take a genius to realize that she had been crying all day.
Her vacant eyes were staring at me but I knew she could not see me, she simply stood there dressed in the same blue gown I had seen her in earlier, it was a rather dull cloth if you asked me, for some weird reason, an image of her in red dress flashed in my mind.
I had done many things in this life, many bad things and not once had I felt sorry for them, I had done them because they had been necessary for keeping my family safe but right now in this moment, I felt like a monster.
I stepped into the room and she stepped back quickly, her eyes looking everywhere and seeing nothing.
“Andrea stop” I said as I took another step forward.
“Leave me alone please, I do not want you close to me” she said as another set of tears spilled from her eyes.
She was making me mad and sorry at the same time and this was not a feeling I appreciated at all.
I had done many horrible things in my life and I did not really care, I had never felt sorry for it but the fact that I made her cry was enough to make me feel a modicum of remorse.
“Can you please calm down and listen to me, I am not trying to hurt you, I promise” I said to her calmly.
“You made your point very clear earlier today and I am well aware of it” she said as the tears spilled from her eyes once more.
I realized that her tears bothered me, it bothered me a lot if I was being honest with myself.
She looked lost and frightened and the fact that it was my fault was uncomfortable.
There was only a single thought in my mind, there was only one way I knew to comfort her, I damned the consequences and grabbed her by the waist, I pulled her body against mine, a gasp escaped her lips and I could feel her entire body tense up in the confines of my arms.
"What are you doing? Let me go" she said quietly but I could hear the fear and panic in her voice, what did she think I was going to do her? How low did she think me?
I pulled her into a hug and she just stood there frozen and I could feel her heart pounding erratically against mine.
"I am not your enemy Andrea, I promise you, I do not wish to harm you in any way" I whispered against her hair.
I could feel her shaking in my arms, she was crying against my chest.
"If you wish to go home and visit your family, I will permit you, you are not a prisoner, you are my wife and you have all the rights you wish" I said to her as I gently rubbed her back trying to soothe her worries.
Her breathing was speeding up now and it was obvious that my presence and proximity were scaring her but still I did not let her go, I could not, not when she was like this and I was well aware that it was my fault.
I knew the words to say, the words that will mean something to her but I could not bring myself to say it, even now, I could not explain this attachment I was feeling toward her, this sudden need to protect her and make sure she was safe at all times was something I had never felt towards any woman before.
Her breath finally started to even out and she wasn't as tense anymore.
I pulled away from her and she stepped back quickly, she folded her hands around her body.
"Wilma will be here soon, try to eat something and get some sleep, if you still want to go home to your family tomorrow, let me know, I will make the arrangements" I said.
She said nothing, she just kept staring ahead and looking like a lost child.
There was this nagging need to hug her again but I fought against it, there was no need to be so weak.
The sound of a throat being cleared pulled us out of whatever trance we had been in.
"Your food is here Donna" Wilma said.
"I am not hungry" Andrea said.
"Have some food and go to bed, starving yourself will not do you any good" I said and turned away from her.
"Make sure she eats before going to bed and have them prepare a room for me" I said to Wilma.
She simply nodded but said nothing, I was sure she could sense the tension in the air.
I got to the door and stopped, I turned back to look at her once more and I realized one thing, she was someone I would protect no matter what and I was not sure how I felt about that.
I turned away from her and walked away.