Chapter 5 5th Chapter

Alexandra's POV

The next few days walked by like it was nothing. It was completely silent and cold between Morano and myself.

After the incident where I saw the death of Snake, Morano hadn't spoken to me and somehow, I no longer felt edgy at the sight of him, but I was still a little bit scared of him-or should I say skeptical.

At least not in the way that I used to be afraid of him. What he showed me was that he was capable of protecting me even in the worst and most dangerous situations yet to come.

I still can't believe that I'm comfortable with the thought that he shot someone just to protect me. I'm not a violent person but this makes me feel safe with him.

It's a beautiful morning and I strolled around the mansion. I found Morano outside the garden with his shirt rolled up, and a cigarette between his fingers while the sun shone on his face.

"You are staring." He said even without looking at me.

"The good thing about you is that you look less miserable under sunlight," I replied with my arms crossed together.

He turned around to face me with a smirk on his face. "Well, I will take that as a compliment."

I walked over to the side and stood beside him. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"Thinking." He simply said.

I stared at the cigar in his hand. "About lung cancer?"

He chuckled and for the first time, he had shown a genuine reaction. Something that I have always thought that he was lacking.

"You seem really goofy today." He observes.

"I have always been goofy," I replied. "You just didn't notice it."

We locked eyes at each other and for almost a minute, I forgot where I was.

"You confuse me, Alexandra." He broke the silence.

"What did I do?" I asked.

"Everyone that has ever come across me always knows how to fear me but somehow, it seems you are immune to my fear."

"I still think you are a dangerous person," I replied, rolling my hair backward.

"And yet you are here." He said with a shrug.

The wind blew between us and I didn't move neither did he as we kept on staring at each other.

"If we had met in a different circumstance I can't just help but wonder what our lives would have been separately." He said as we watched the trees dance within the winds.

"But we didn't, instead you ended up buying me and making me your slave." He was about to argue about it until his phone began to ring aggressively.

He stepped backward and picked up the phone. I didn't want to listen to whatever conversation he had going on, but his reaction piqued my interest.

"Which hospital? Alright, we will be there." He said and hung up immediately. "You have to come with me. My dad has been admitted to the hospital." He said, walking close to me.

Before I could protest about it, he rushed out of the garden, leaving me to trail behind.

*****

The drive to the hospital was a very painful and Quiet one.

I noticed Morano's jaw was clenched angrily and he gripped the wheel like he was holding himself back from crashing out.

"Is it that bad?" I asked calmly.

"He's dying, at least that is what the doctor said." He said, staring out the window. "So yes, it is very bad."

By the time we reached the hospital gate, my eyes widened and I gasped seeing black smoke fill the air.

It was flames.

And several fire trucks were going into the environment.

People were screaming as they scurried over to the side.

Morano hit the brakes so hard that it almost caused me to crash my head into the dashboard.

"What the hell!" He yelled, getting out of the car.

I followed him and covered my nose so that the smoke would not burn my throat out.

The hospital building was half gone and there were broken pieces of glass everywhere. A few handful of nurses were crying and so many patients were on the stretchers.

He rushed to one of the Paramedics and I trailed behind him.

"Where is Giovanni Morano?" He asked.

The woman stared at him and checked her list afterward. Her face went pale and slowly looked up at him .

"I am sorry Mr. Morano, your father was part of the victim that was killed." She revealed.

I turned to face Morano and I could tell so many emotions were running through his mind. He turned to me and chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.

"So what you are trying to tell me now is that my father was caught by the fire?" He asked and the nurse confirmed with a nod of her head.

Morano turned to me saying. "Let's get out of this place." He said and walked out of the hospital. I appreciated the nurse's kindness before stepping out as well.

We were heading back to the mansion in silence. Morano had not said a single word since the announcement of the death of his father.

I knew deep down that he was grieving and he couldn't even hide it from the emotions in his eyes.

When we arrived at the mansion, he got out of the car, and despite greetings from some of his crew members, he ignored it and headed directly to the balcony while I followed behind.

Something about the way he was feeling also had me gutted.

It was simply a show of empathy and that is how I cared for people.

By the time I arrived at the balcony, there was the smell of nicotine everywhere. Morano held a glass of wine in his hand while sniffing and smoking.

"It doesn't have to be like this..." I said calmly to him. I know what he might be thinking and I don't want him to make a rash decision because he's angry.

"Don't you get it? Here in the New York Underworld, everyone is ruthless and whatever you do will always come back to haunt you. I don't want your saintly ass trying to talk me out of this. Take your sermon elsewhere 'cause I'm not caught out for it." He said, while aggressively blowing out smokes from his mouth.

"My father is gone because of a rival gang. I am sure they were the ones that set the hospital on fire. They have made a statement and I must avenge my father's death. So, just stay out of my way or you might go down too by my own hands." He said with his veins pulsing in agitation as he held the wine glass very tightly.

I tried to speak but lacked the words to say. I was struck dumb.