Chapter 5 THE RED ROOM

Matteo seemed to have gotten what he wanted. Ever since he made Liana smile, he kept his distance, making it seem as though that was the only thing he ever wanted.

He was not just mysterious, he was also unpredictable, and it was hard for Liana to conclude what he wanted with her.

"Was this all a game to him?" She asked herself one sunny afternoon, sitting on the balcony in the room, one of the few places in the huge mansion where she found solitude.

"What did he mean when he said that he was going to break my armor?" Liana's thoughts troubled her, and the fact that that seemed to be a beginning phase made it even worse for her.

She groaned, her mind was still in unrest even after she had taken a deep breath which she let out slowly.

Then she got tired of sitting, it appeared that she had gotten bored of looking at the mountain view across the woods.

A thought crept into her mind, and she thought that it was time to explore.

"There must be something fun to see in this big mansion." He thought, getting up from where she sat and adjusting her dress.

"Maybe I will find a library or even an archive." Liana was very curious, she had gotten tired of staying idle all day and waiting for Matteo to return and besiege her with his smile and strange demeanor.

Her steps quickened as she made her way down the stairs. Some of the guards at different corners saw her, but they only bowed without bothering to see where she was headed

After all, she was Mr. Romano's wife, and she had the right to be anywhere she chose to be.

But the young and innocent wife had made everyone ask so many questions, wondering what light had in common with darkness.

They had seen Liana pray so many times, and the cross she wore on her neck was evidence of her strong devotion to God.

Liana found herself walking toward one of the hallways that looked a bit dark. The windows above were shut, preventing rays from coming in.

She had not seen anyone go to that place except Matteo and a few of his men. That was enough reason for her.

"Let's see what he has in here." She thought to herself, and with a single push, she opened the wooden doors and stepped into the room.

At first, she saw nothing other than shadows, and she wanted to leave.

But her eyes caught sight of the switch, and she turned it on.

"My God!" Liana gasped, taking several steps backward the moment she set her eyes on the guns arranged in different sizes in front of her.

Her entire body froze when she realized that the entire room was filled with guns, gold bars, cash, and some screens hanging at different corners of the room.

Then the alarm went off, and it was time for her to run.

"How did you get in here?" Matteo's voice resonated from behind, causing her to gasp.

Two guards ran to the room at once, fear in their eyes as soon as they saw that the boss was back.

"You bunch of fools! You had one simple task!" Matteo grabbed their collars and almost squeezed vitality out of them.

Liana wasn't sure if she was going to deal with the red blaring alarm, the frightening things she saw in the room, or her husband's rage.

He finally let go of the guards, and they scrambled away with their lives.

Then he shut the door slowly, and the alarm went off, causing the red light to disappear.

Liana was still frozen, eyes wide in shock while she forced saliva down her throat.

Matteo's eyes were red with displeasure, but the concern in them was visible as well.

"I...I..." Liana stuttered. "I am sorry." She muttered.

"You shouldn't be in here, little saint. This is not the kind of place you should be in..." Matteo grunted, and then he checked his pocket and realized that the key to the door wasn't there.

He was the only one who had it, and if it wasn't with him, it meant that it was somewhere else.

He confirmed his thought the moment he looked at the keyhole and saw the key. He had forgotten to lock the door the previous night.

"This is all my fault." He grabbed the shaking Liana and took her to a corner of the room.

But she couldn't stop staring at the numerous weapons in the room.

"What do you need all these guns for? And the cash? Can't you take them to the bank?" Liana couldn't count the cash in the room, but she was certain that it was over a million.

"That's none of your business," Matteo said coldly, but she was not expecting the next response he got from Liana.

"Everything you do is my business, Matteo! You are my husband!" Liana was bold, her outburst had left him speechless.

Liana looked around again, and then she realized that the screens in the room had live footage of several places in the mansion, including the church and some buildings in the City.

"You have been monitoring me?" She scowled, but Matteo had no regrets.

"If you are the kind of man I am, you would certainly want to be careful, little saint. I was born into violence, and the only way I can stay alive is through violence. This is me..." Matteo pointed to the weapons all over the room.

Liana sighed. "But you can stop! There is always room for repentance!"

Matteo scoffed. "I am sure that bible of yours mentioned that people killed their enemies."

"For just cause, Matteo! God commanded it!" Liana argued, but Matteo laughed at her utterance.

"Well, let's say that God commanded me to kill my enemies before they kill me. This is a different world, Liana. I have no intention of dying soon, so that means that I have to kill or get killed."

Liana was taken aback by Matteo's cold response, she just stared and said nothing.

"I think it's time to go. Come on.." Matteo grabbed Liana's hand, but before he could take her away one of the dead screens flickered to life, causing him to stop.

Liana looked as well. "Uncle Giulio?" She was shocked at the sight of her uncle speaking to a middle-aged man in a black suit.

"Mr. Alvarez!" Matteo grunted, his right fist clenched tightly. "That silly old priest! How dare he speak to my enemy?!"