Chapter 5 The uninvited guest

Elena's Gustaw pov

Luca's expression was unreadable but I could sense a huge tension radiating from him as he processed the news. His parents? Here? Why? Something about his tone made it clear that it wasn't a normal occurrence and it defined their relationship. It was clear that their relationship wasn't warm and fuzzy, so their unexpected visit also made me feel uncomfortable.

I wanted to ask more questions but something about Luca's eyes told me not to. Instead I crossed my arms, waiting in anticipation, wondering how much chaos this day would bring.

Luca said in a low voice, murmuring to himself, "They've never visited here before".

He looked over at me, his eyes scanning my oversized outfit once again. "Stay here, things might get complicated" he said in a low soft voice.

He said in a commanding tone leaving me no room for negotiation. But that was the problem with me, I had always been told what to do since I was little. And it was because of that, I was stuck in this sham called marriage with Luca moretti. The look in my eyes said otherwise, like it was daring him to order me around again, but his attention drifted to whatever calculations he was making in his head.

Few seconds later, he hurriedly left the room, not bothering to check if I was following his instructions. He probably assumed I would obey and that made me want to rebel.

I stared at the door he walked through, the air still heavy with the tension from our earlier argument. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of questions and no one, not my father, or Luca was going to help me find answers to those questions. I knew I had to find out the answers to my questions all by myself.

My father's secret, the real motive behind the marriage, the shoot out, everything seemed off and I just stood in the center of it all, utterly clueless.

But one thing was certain, I wasn't staying back doing nothing here while Luca went to face his parents. This looked like a perfect opportunity to get the answers I'm looking for.

I slipped out of the room quietly, tiptoeing while I followed the echoes of the voices down the hall. The mansion was very big with a lot of rooms and I found myself moving from room to room, careful to stay out of sight.

Just then, I heard the voice of two elderly people, growing louder with each step I took closer to the grand hall.

I quietly leaned close to the door, close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation without drawing any attention or being caught.

"A risky move, Don't you think so? After everything with Antonio Gustaw, you have the guts to bring his daughter into this family?" The voice was sharp, feminine and authoritative. I thought to myself, "This must be Luca's mother"

Luca said in a calm voice, "Mom, I never wanted this either. You know that! The arrangement was made a long time ago before I had any say in it. I just followed dad's instructions".

"And yet you agreed!" A masculine commanding tone shot back, his father, no doubt. His tone was exactly like Luca's and it was filled with a heavy weight of disapproval.

Luca said in a loud voice, "You did not give me much of a choice all because of a long time secret you held against Antonio Gustaw!"

At this point, the conversation grew interesting and I was finally getting the answers I wanted. I pressed myself close to the door, desperate to hear more, the real motive behind our union. But as I leaned closer, my body hit the door making a slight noise.

I froze for a second, my heart pounding as I prayed a silent prayer in my head.

The room fell silent and for a moment I thought I escaped it when the door opened up and to my surprise it was Luca holding the door handle, "You can come in now, Elena".

Damn it!

I walked into the room, trying to force a neutral expression on my face as all eyes turned to me. Luca stood beside the fireplace, looking annoyed but not entirely surprised. On the sofa, sat a woman and a man who could only be his parents. His father was tall with broad shoulders and white beards which commanded respect without him needing to say much.

His mother, on the hand, looked cold with a calculating gaze scanning me like there was a puzzle to be solved. She looked every bit like a mafia queen, I had imagined in my head.

"Elena, these are my parents. Enzo and Donna Moretti" he said in a calm tone.

I nodded politely, "it's nice to meet you!"

Donna Moretti's gaze shifted to my oversized clothes with disdain, "Quite the outfit!"

She continued, "Though I must say, not exactly what I expected from the new Mrs moretti".

My hands trembled in fear but I couldn't afford to show it. She looked like the type to sense fear and weakness from a mile away.

"Tell me, Elena. How much do you know about your father's business?" Enzo moretti said in a sharp tone. The question was like a punch to my guts, unexpected and direct. I paused, unsure of what to say. But before I could respond, Luca's voice got me off.

"That's enough dad!" He said, his voice hard.

Donna said in a tight tone, "It's a reasonable question Luca".

Luca's jaw clenched tightly, "She knows what she needs to know. This isn't about her!"

But Enzo's gaze was still fixed on me like he was scanning me, looking for answers and I realized then that Luca was wrong. It has always been about me. In fact I was at the center of something much bigger than I'd realized and whatever my dad's secrets were, it was dangerous enough to put my life at risk.

I could feel the tension in the room pressing heavily on me. I needed to deflect, get the attention off myself even if it was for a moment.

I was about to ask a question when I heard a loud thud noise coming from the door, like something heavy fell on the floor.

Luca's eyes turned to the door, "Stay here!" He said as he moved, pulling a gun from his waistband.

But I couldn't just stay at a place without doing anything, I grabbed a yellow flower vase and quietly followed him out into the hall.

We moved towards the source of the noise, gently as we rounded the corner, the sight that greeted us made me frozen. One of Luca's men was shot dead, lying in his pool of blood and standing over him was a man dressed in black, pointing a gun directly towards Luca.

Everything happened in a blur after that, the gunman fired and Luca shifted to the side, narrowly avoiding the bullet while they engaged in a fist fight. Before thinking twice, I hit the flower vase on the gunman with all the strength I had in me. It shattered against his head, giving Luca the opening he needed.

But before I knew what was happening, I heard a gunshot fired and blood spilled on my face.