Love & Gamble

Alarm

Rosa Giovenesi's P. O. V

My legs carry me backward without my brain even processing what I'm doing. My body is on autopilot as I scurry without further thought, bumping into Luca behind me in the process. His warmth and firmness pressing into me from behind don't even distract me at this moment in time. My mouth is dry and my stomach is curling in on me almost at the deep shit I could be in if my father walks in on me at this moment.

Luca stands still and stiff behind me, I can barely feel him breathing behind me with the steady almost eerily calm way his chest raises up and down. A stark difference from my own spluttering mess that I am, wanting to curl under the desk and out of sight.

The door swings open, revealing an older man with a gentle smile on his face. The air that was fighting so desperately to escape my lungs comes out in a wheeze. I can almost feel my childhood asthma resurfacing at that moment as I place a palm to my heart and hunch over, whacking my hand on the heavy desk in a manner of relief.

"Oh fu-," I cut myself off, cradling my stinging fingers to my chest once more, ignoring Luca's blank stare as he takes in my weak form.

I was so close to death and I don't even say that as an exaggeration.

"Your father mentioned you were here," Leonardo says with a beaming smile on his face, arms outstretched in a way that I know he's awaiting a hug from me. His once scraggly beard is now neatly trimmed but his hair is ruffled in a way that I know my father has probably been driving his second in command crazy.

Especially with all this news about a possible new mafia invasion.

Stumbling away from the desk, I teeter precariously over to Leonardo and let him engulf me into his arms before he holds me by the shoulders and kisses me on the top of my head. "How is my favourite girl? Up to no good, it seems." He jokes as he peers over the top of my frame and settles his gaze onto Luca. If I thought he stared at me with affection that was nothing to the pool of emotions he stares at the other man in the room with.

"Lorenzo, my boy. It has been too long."

Luca stands in the same place I had left him, staring at Leonardo with a softer expression than the blank look I'm accustomed to seeing on his face. Although he doesn't make a move to step forward. Leo notices the same thing and rolls his eyes in amusement, making a 'come hither' motion with his hands before stepping forward himself.

I let my lips twitch up in amusement as Luca steps forward and meets Leo halfway, letting himself be pulled into the shorter man's embrace. This time, I sport a full-blown smirk as Luca rather awkwardly pats the man on the back, dark eyes landing on me with a death threat.

Eyes narrowed and a scowl on his face saying one thing to me. 'Stop smirking or I'll personally stop you.'

Feisty.

"What is going on here? Your father leaves for two minutes and you're already snooping." Leo's lips are settled in a grim line, but his eyes show mirth as they trail from me to Luca. "You're both lucky it was me that walked in rather than your father because if it were him-" He shakes his head in a grimace and even I avert my eyes, not wanting to imagine what could have unfolded.

I've snooped and put my nose in places where it didn't quite belong quite a few times but luckily I've never been caught by my father, mainly thanks to Leonardo. Something makes me think the same went for my mother but she didn't turn out to be so lucky.

"Rosa was just deleting my information in the computer, Uncle." Luca answers. "You do not think he will remember me, do you?"

The question pulls my attention to Leo who ponders his answer for a moment before giving a resolute shake of his head. "No. I don't think he will. Actually, I'm pretty sure of it."