Chapter 4 Four

GIANNA RAINE

I stayed staring at Elliott. I can't believe I'm seeing my brother's bodyguard here...no, ex-bodyguard. I heard he resigned.

I could see the surprise and confusion in his eyes too.

"Miss-"

"Sir Stone..."

Someone knocked at the door, so he couldn't continue speaking to me.

It was the perfect moment for me to compose my expression and put on my usual emotionless face.

"Come in," Elliott said.

Stone? Is that really him? But all this time, he introduced himself to us as Elliott. How could he be Stone? Does Gio know about this?

I remembered Gio going to Pennsylvania and meeting Constantine De Graaf frequently. If Stone and Elliott are really the same person, it actually makes sense.

"There are documents you need to sign."

Elliott...Stone...looked at me for a moment. Now that I understood the situation, it felt strange to call him Elliott, especially since I could clearly see the nameplate with his full name.

"Miss Locatelli," he addressed me formally. "Why don't you sit for a while? I need to sign some documents, and then we'll talk."

I walked over to the sofa in his office and sat down, secretly observing the entire room.

I still couldn't believe they might be the same person. Elliott had been part of our family since I was a child. I didn't know where Dad had found him, but I remembered Elliott being introduced to us at a young age. Over the years, he had gained my brother's complete trust.

All this time, I thought he was just a bodyguard. And now you're telling me he's the CEO of the biggest airline, not just in the US.

I had heard that D.G. Airways started in the Netherlands.

Does that mean he's Dutch?

I rolled my eyes mentally. What do I care?

"Sorry about that." Stone placed a glass in front of me. I looked and saw orange juice.

I almost choked, unable to hide my surprise.

Elliott...Stone...had served me many times before, following my brother's orders. He even knew that I preferred orange juice. I just didn't expect him to remember such a small detail about me.

"So, where are we? Right!" Stone looked at me and, just like he used to when I knew him as Elliott, he gave me that happy-go-lucky smile I despised. My cold expression met it, of course.

"What are you doing here, Miss Gianna?"

He leaned against the backrest, frowning slightly as if confused by the situation.

"And you even used Gio's name to see me."

I remembered why I was here. At first, I felt confident telling Constantine De Graaf about my pregnancy. I even brought all the documents he might need. But now that I realized he is also Elliott, I suddenly hesitated.

Why am I having doubts now?

"Miss Gianna..."

I took a deep breath and calmed myself.

I studied Constantine De Graaf. Why don't I feel like he's the man I was with that night?

"I have something to ask," I started. I needed answers before I could even bring up the baby inside me and the possibility that he's the father. "After that night when you were following me because of my argument with my brother, where were you?"

One of Stone's eyebrows rose, clearly thinking about his answer. "I was with an acquaintance. I tried to look for you that night, but I bumped into someone I knew. Why?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Were you at a bar?"

He tilted his head, recalling the events. "No. The last thing I remember, I was in a restaurant, Miss Gianna." He smiled at me...the same sly smile he always gave when he saw me. "Why are you asking?"

So, it wasn't him? But why was his business card in that hotel room?

I didn't answer him. I was trying to figure out who I might have had a one-night stand with. If it wasn't him then who was it?

Could it be someone he knows or someone close to him, and the business card just accidentally ended up there, making me assume everything?

Honestly, I don't remember Stone being the one I was with that night.

"Is something wrong, Miss Gianna?"

Something felt off. I needed to know what really happened that night.

I looked at Stone coldly. Or maybe... "I'm pregnant."

I watched his reaction carefully. At first, he smiled, but the smile quickly faded.

Stone's eyes widened, and he stood up.

"What did you say? Did I just go deaf?" He even pretended to clean his ear.

I didn't take my eyes off him and kept observing. "I said, I'm pregnant."

Stone looked even more shocked. If his eyes could literally pop out, they would have. "Are you serious, Miss? I thought I misheard you earlier!"

Or maybe he's acting like he didn't know what happened that night because he's afraid of my family's anger. That could be possible.

Are you trying to avoid responsibility for this pregnancy, Stone, or do you really have no idea? Either way, I will find out.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice Stone moving closer to me. He crouched down, and his face was now just inches from mine.

"Who's the father?"

Or maybe I'm wrong...maybe he really has no idea what happened that night.

I took a deep breath. I couldn't tell him that I thought he was the father of this baby.

"I don't know." I looked away from him. Why is he so close? "I'm here to find out who."

I looked at Stone coldly, raising one eyebrow.

"Aren't you a little too close to me?"

Stone probably realized how close he was, so close it almost erased the distance between us. He quickly stood straight and stepped back, scratching the back of his head.

He took a deep breath before sitting on the sofa across from me.

"Do you believe that the man who... got you pregnant is here in Pennsylvania?"

I didn't answer. I just stared at him, and I guess he got the answer anyway.

"Do you have any idea who it is?"

Why are you curious now?

I was still unsure if Stone had anything to do with the night that led to the baby in my womb. Aside from the business card on the floor, there was nothing linking him to the incident.

"I don't know." For the first time, I felt lost, unsure where to even begin.

Stone sighed and nodded. "Are you staying here in Pennsylvania? If so, I'll prepare a room for you, Miss Gianna."

My eyebrows shot up at that. I didn't want to show any emotion, but somehow, even the way Stone spoke or acted, even back when I knew him as Elliott, made me feel something. And to think I've known him since we were kids.

"For what?" I blinked.

"If you're staying here in Pennsylvania, wouldn't it be proper to have you stay at my place?"

I almost widened my eyes in surprise but quickly controlled myself. "Why? And who said I'm staying there? I'm at a hotel. You don't need to accompany me. It's not like I am in a vacation."

He tilted his head. "Didn't you come to me and seek me out because you needed help? I thought you knew who I was, so that's why you came to me while you were in Pennsylvania."

Is that really what he thinks?

"No," I answered coldly.

"Nevertheless, I will accompany you, Miss Gianna. If Gio finds out you're here and I let you be-"

"Your head will roll on the floor." I finished his sentence for him. He just smiled, which annoyed me even more. "You're no longer our employee, Stone. I'm not your responsibility. I can stay at the hotel. And no, Gio won't know I'm here-or why I'm here."

"I insist, Miss Gianna. I owe a lot to your family. This is the least I can do for you."

So that's his reason? Of course. What other reason would he have to serve you, Gianna?

"Besides, you'll be better taken care of under my roof. I'll make sure all your needs during pregnancy are met. It'll be safer."

Stone excused himself and made several calls. After he finished, he came back to me.

"Which hotel are you staying at, Miss Gianna?"

I wanted to correct him and tell him not to address me so formally, he's no longer part of my brother's elite guards. But whatever. I'd already wasted enough energy talking today; I didn't feel like arguing.

After I told him the hotel, he said he'd send someone to pick up my things.

"Any important meetings today, Helen?" Stone asked the woman he called. I guessed she was his secretary.

"Aside from Mr. Cantrell, who requested a meeting with you at 3 p.m.-"

"Cancel it." Stone grabbed his coat and put it on without hesitation.

I never thought I'd see Elliott running a big company.

Don't get me wrong. I know he graduated college, but I've always seen him as barbaric, someone used to dealing with guns and fists.

"Noted, Sir Stone."

"I'll be out today. If there are papers I need to sign or review, leave them on my table. Unless it's urgent, don't disturb me."

He sounded so strict and formal, completely different from the Elliott I knew.

"Yes, Sir."

When Elliott looked at me, the atmosphere around him changed. Earlier, he seemed ready to snap someone's neck at the slightest wrong word. Now, he looked calm, almost obedient, like a golden retriever.

What's his deal? What's his real personality?

I always thought he's easy to read, but clearly, there's more beneath the surface.

"Shall we go, Miss Gianna?"

I stood up. I didn't resist this time. It might be better to stay close to him. I have a strong feeling that if I'm wrong and Stone wasn't the one I spent that night with, then whoever it was must be someone close to him.

Little did I know, I was about to uncover secrets I probably shouldn't know.