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“Oh, um Grandfather is in the car…I should go let him know it’s alright to enter.” Her heart thundered as she began to retreat. “He was getting antsy.”
“We’ll call the driver and ask him to pull in,” he said, sliding the gates open. “It isn’t safe for you to be wandering the streets alone, Miss.”
Ana gripped her purse.
“Please, come in.”
There was no escape.
Not that she’d even want to, with her husband and guard trapped somewhere inside.
Taking a deep breath, she crossed the threshold. The metal gates clanged loudly, screeching discordantly as he shut them both inside.
Click.
Clack.
Click.
Clack.
Her heels tapped loudly on the hardwood floor as the housekeeper ushered her inside and prodded her toward the dining room.
Ana pressed the purse tightly to her side as she nervously scanned around the house. It was quiet, too quiet. Except for the housekeeper, none of the other staff were in sight. And with the curtains drawn in every room, it felt cloyingly dark.
Her pulse raced.
Like the guard, the housekeeper also behaved with complete nonchalance, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. It completely unnerved her.
“Miss Marta is having coffee. I’ll prepare a fresh brew for you,” the woman murmured, gesturing to the dining room entrance.
“And the Don? Did he finish his lunch already?” Ana asked with an affected calm.
“I–yes, of course.”
The way her eyes shifted away made the hairs on Ana’s neck rise, warning bells ringing through her bones.
“Ana?”
The cool tone of her aunt’s voice put her further on edge, that roiling sensation in her stomach intensifying as the doors parted. Revealing the older woman watching her. There was no coffee on the table, nor was she sipping anything else. Instead, Auntie sat staring straight at her. As if she’d been waiting for her.
“Where’s Gio?” Ana blurted in a fearful whisper.
“He stepped out for a meeting.” Auntie tilted her head. “Where is Father?”
“His appointment was uh getting delayed. I thought he would be fine with the driver.”
“Even after I explicitly told you not to leave him alone?”
Fear crawled through her as a flash of rage crossed Auntie’s face, the first hint of an upset in the eerily calm house. But it disappeared just as quickly, leaving behind that same placid expression.
Ana folded her hands together as she stood rigidly in front of her aunt.
“I was worried about Gio…he hasn’t picked up my calls.”
“The Don is a busy man,” Auntie said coldly. “He has been on nonstop calls ever since he arrived here. I warned you when I noticed it, didn’t I? His priorities don’t include you–or this family.”
“He does prioritize me. A lot.” Emotion colored her voice as she gazed at her aunt desperately. “He wouldn’t ignore so many of my calls.”
