Lower Floor

Chapter 4

EMILIANA

"Are you kidding me?" I asked Camilo. The idiot denied it, letting me know he was dead serious. I ran a hand over my face; I could already feel the migraine starting to pound in my head.

How had this idiot come up with the idea to commit me like this without consulting me? In moments like these, I hated knowing every single law; otherwise, I could have killed him and pleaded ignorance of the penal code to the judge. And yes, I'm aware that "not killing your neighbor" is something you can't just overlook because it's basically one of our societal pillars.

"It's not that bad, Emi. I just asked you to accompany me to my younger sister's performance," he said with a relaxed expression, leaning further on my desk. I inhaled and exhaled several breaths of air to calm myself down before doing something I would regret later.

"Allow me to correct you: you told Kat that I would be delighted to go... And you hadn't even mentioned it to me!" I shouted, banging my fists on the table. I counted to ten before sitting back down.

"I still don't see the problem; you adore Kat," Camilo affirmed, and from the way he looked at me, it was clear he was genuinely confused.

"It's not about my affection for your sister," I replied, shaking my head from side to side. And it was true; I cared for the girl like a younger sister, even though she was only three years younger. "I hate the type of music they play with all my life, and you know that perfectly well," I reminded him, pointing my finger at him.

Now both of us were sprawled in the chairs, staring challengingly at each other. I narrowed my eyes slightly, letting him know I wouldn't allow him to convince me.

I had known the Pascualli family since high school. Camilo and I were in the same class, and Katherine was a few years younger. Our friendship was one of those that formed instantly, even though it sounds cliché to say it. Their father was also a lawyer and exerted a lot of pressure on his children.

In any case, we were united by demanding and controlling parents, so it was pretty obvious that we should support each other. Despite his character, Camilo always met every expectation placed on him; he never disappointed his family for a moment.

His sister, on the other hand, was the perfect representation of a young girl raised in Beverly Hills or the Hamptons; I even thought her parents would send her to a boarding school abroad.

Being so different in personality, all our acquaintances doubted that this pair could even get along. It was quite the opposite; the two of them adored each other and would be willing to give their lives for one another.

In school, we were a trio of troublemakers. You could never predict what our next prank would be, and Camilo and I always managed to escape punishment. The teachers loved us, and I even suspected that they pretended to fall into the traps we set just to enjoy the excuses we would come up with.

It was impossible not to be drawn to us; my friends were golden blond with tanned skin and eyes as blue as the sky. We exuded charisma, and from a young age, we learned that people were pleased when you told them exactly what they wanted to hear. That was our way of avoiding expulsion.

At present, none of us had changed much, except that now we adhered to the law, and Kat eventually pursued a career in music after spending many years searching for her calling.

So, I loved them as much as I could love another person I got along with well, but not even that would convince me to torture myself with that sound they called music.

"Sometimes you act like an eighty-year-old," Camilo asserted, getting up from his chair and buttoning his jacket. I opened my computer and started checking my email for any important information.

"Thank you; I've always believed that I'm very wise," I said without looking at him, flashing a sly smile.

"That wasn't a compliment."

"It's better for you to take it as one, dear," I assured him while typing a response to a colleague's request for advice that had been pending for weeks. I didn't hear a response from Camilo, but I did hear the door slam shut forcefully, signaling a dramatic exit.

I frowned; Camilo Pascualli was not the kind of man to give up so easily and without a fight. I had to keep my eyes open; I couldn't know what tactics he would use to try to persuade me.

I spent a while distracted with pending work, so I soon forgot about him and his possible tricks—a beginner's mistake. You should never underestimate your enemy, and I learned that the hard way that night.

I left later than usual. When I got off the elevator in the lobby, it was well into the night, and there weren't many people around—just a couple of secretaries and the cleaning crew. I felt relieved to see that the security guard was still at his post. I nodded to him and walked to the parking lot to find my car; the place was deserted enough to make my hair stand on end.

I scolded myself internally for entertaining such thoughts. The area where I worked had a very low crime rate. I was just torturing myself with unfounded fears. However, it was too quiet, and all I could hear was the click of my heels on the asphalt.

I began to get nervous, and I even thought I heard another pair of footsteps following me. I tried to ignore them and walked as fast as my shoes allowed. The steps seemed to get closer and closer.

Finally, I caught sight of my car and quickened my pace to get there as soon as possible. I was about to open the door of my Volvo when a man's hand gripped my elbow. I screamed and instinctively started throwing punches in the air, trying to break free from the stranger.

It was a futile effort; the man was too strong and held me tightly. I tried to hit him in the groin as I had seen in action movies. At that moment, he spoke, and I recognized the voice perfectly.

"Could you stop acting like a lunatic?" Camilo requested in a loud voice. I looked up, finding his blue eyes staring at me, furious. After the initial shock wore off, I also felt anger coursing through my body. I began to tremble and slapped him.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Camilo Damiano Pascualli?" I said with an icy voice. Giving him a slap had tamed my inner beast for a moment, leaving only a cold, calculating demeanor. I contemplated seriously murdering him; after all, I knew how to hide a body perfectly.

"I told you it was a bad idea to ambush her like this, Damiano," a voice whispered behind us. Katherine Pascualli emerged from the shadows, offering me an innocent smile that made her look much younger than she actually was.

"I'm really sorry about all this, sis," the younger of the siblings apologized, calling me by the nickname they gave me when I was a teenager. I looked at her with narrowed eyes; I couldn't stay angry when she called me that, and she knew it.

"It seems like she's learned something from us," I thought, unable to help but feel proud of our

young apprentice.

"Could either of you be kind enough to explain what's going on? I almost had a heart attack because of you two," I said, brushing a purple strand of hair from my face.

Both siblings looked at me apologetically.

"Since you didn't accept Kat's invitation to her gig, I brought her here so she could ask you herself," Camilo replied, puffing his chest out, like a proud child waiting for acknowledgment from his parents. I pointed around us with my finger.

"And where does the kidnapping attempt fit into your fantastic plan?" I asked angrily, feeling offended by the implication.

"I knew you wouldn't just stay calm," Camilo whispered, taking a step back almost instinctively and partially disappearing into the shadows.

Katherine scowled at her older brother.

"Of course, he did. We need to have a talk about that," she said, looking at me with an apologetic smile. I observed her with narrowed eyes; I couldn't stay angry when she called me that, and she knew it.

"It seems like she's learned something from us," I thought, unable to help but feel proud of our young apprentice.

"Could either of you be kind enough to explain what's going on? I almost had a heart attack because of you two," I said, brushing a purple strand of hair from my face.

Both siblings looked at me apologetically.

"Since you didn't accept Kat's invitation to her gig, I brought her here so she could ask you herself," Camilo replied, puffing his chest out, like a proud child waiting for acknowledgment from his parents. I pointed around us with my finger.

"And where does the kidnapping attempt fit into your fantastic plan?" I asked angrily, feeling offended by the implication.

"I knew you wouldn't just stay calm," Camilo whispered, taking a step back almost instinctively and partially disappearing into the shadows.

Katherine scowled at her older brother.

"Of course, he did. We need to have a talk about that," she said, looking at me with an apologetic smile. I observed her with narrowed eyes, but my anger was dissipating. It seemed my younger sister had learned something from us.

"I'm sorry, Kat. It's not that I don't want to support you, but that's not my type of music, and I'll just end up ruining your night," I said, taking the blonde's hands and trying to make her understand.

"Did your brother tell you that he committed me without even telling me?" I interrogated, looking at Camilo out of the corner of my eye. Katherine glared at her older brother.

"Of course, he did. We need to have a talk about that," she said, looking at me with an apologetic smile. I observed her with narrowed eyes, but my anger was dissipating. It seemed my younger sister had learned something from us.

"I'm sorry, Kat. It's not that I don't want to support you, but that's not my type of music, and I'll just end up ruining your night," I said, taking the blonde's hands and trying to make her understand.

"Did your brother tell you that he committed me without even telling me?" I interrogated, looking at Camilo out of the corner of my eye.

Katherine gave me a pointed look.

"Since you didn't accept the invitation, he brought you here so I could ask you in person," she replied. "I still want you to come, even if it's just for a few minutes."

I opened my mouth to refuse, but Katherine interrupted me again.

"It's important to me that both my brothers accompany me," she affirmed, giving me puppy-dog eyes.

I turned my head to look away. Her cheap persuasion trick wouldn't work this time; we weren't sixteen anymore. I bit my lip, knowing I would give in to my little sister's pressure at any moment. I nodded and both brothers turned away, heading to Camilo's car, which I hadn't noticed until now. It was a black Audi with tinted windows, and he was very proud to own it. I didn't understand much about cars, so I ignored why he revered it like a god. I figured it was something typical of the male gender; they acted like children at Christmas.

I got into my own car after seeing the Pascualli siblings disappear down the road. It was a different direction, so we wouldn't cross paths until we were at the pub. Due to the late hour, the streets were quite empty, so I didn't take long to reach the condo where I lived. I parked in the building's parking lot, greeted the guards on the evening shift, and walked to the elevator, whose doors were opening to reveal a familiar redheaded figure. My lips curved into a sly smile; it was Amanda, my upstairs neighbor.

"Neighbor," I said in a hoarse voice by way of greeting. Normally, I didn't behave so obnoxiously with any of my neighbors, not even with the occasional fling I brought home, but for some reason I couldn't understand, this petite redhead triggered all my hunting instincts.

"It's always a pleasure to see you," I said, trying to sound more casual.

"I wish I could say the same," she replied, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

I couldn't help but chuckle softly; I loved her defensive attitude, like that of a wild animal. "Are we starting with the insults already?" I asked, leaning in slightly and letting my hand rest on the wall. At that moment, I noticed that Amanda was still inside the elevator, stopping it. I took a step back to give her space to exit, which she did immediately. She stumbled, and I caught her gently by the elbow to prevent her from falling. For a few seconds, I got lost in her spring-green eyes, and I had the fleeting feeling that she was experiencing the same thing. Amanda was the first to pull away, as if my touch burned her. I tried not to feel offended by it and stepped back. We both stood in silence, each lost in her thoughts and not knowing what to say. I didn't understand why we got along this way; we would never be best friends, but I tried to remember when we started behaving like soldiers going to war every time we saw each other.

"Thank you very much," Amanda's melodious voice snapped me out of my thoughts. From the way she looked at me, it seemed she had been talking to me for a while. I prayed my cheeks didn't flush.

"You're welcome," I assured her with a nod of my head. Silence fell between us again, and I was the one to break it. "Have a good night; I guess I'll see you later," I said, pressing the elevator button again and stepping inside its walls. The last thing I saw before the doors closed was her face, reflecting the same confusion I felt. It didn't take me long to reach my floor.

The doors opened, and a deserted hallway greeted me. I looked at the walls, where the paint was starting to peel, and jumped as I heard the shrill sound of pipes. Many people didn't understand why I lived in a place like this, given who my father was. Whenever I visited my parents, I heard malicious comments, claiming that it was just a phase and that I would soon return home with my tail between my legs.