The loud noise startled the audience. Mutters of light exclamations filled the air.“Oh dear”“What was that?”“What in the world?”“Emilio, please help me check if everything is ok there”“Yes Father”, Asher stood up immediately, grateful for the opportunity to inquire from Garfy. “Hey Garfy. Where are you?”“Sir… I'm a little further from the parking space.”“Is that where the loud sound came from?”“Yes sir”, Garfy said breathing heavily.Meters away, a small crowd had already gathered.“Are you ok Garfy?”, Asher said as soon as he saw his bodyguard.“I'm fine sir.”They both looked at the burning tower. “What happened?” Garfy led his boss away from the crowd until he was sure they were safe from any hearing.“I detected a bomb sir. You were right. It was specifically lying in wait for you. At the parking lot, with your name reserved on a parking space.”“So what about the tower?”“I sighted someone on top of the tower. Locked him in when I detected a bomb in the building too. U
The event soon came to a close. People filed out and the whole place was almost empty with most of the people left, not guests, but waiters clearing up the used dishes and event staff taking off decorations.“What was that about?”, Lana asked Vincenzo as he came walking in from the parking lot.“I was just seeing Paolo Salvador off”“You wanted Emilio to get married to Paolo's daughter?” Adora asked.“Yes, err, Paolo and I have been really good friends over time now. We do good business together”“Paolo?”, Lana asked.Vincenzo looked at Lana, puzzled.“You speak as if he is someone of despicable character. Is there anything you find wrong with the man?”“Haven't you heard? He has a series of bad history.”“Lana!”, Vincenzo said with a little chuckle.“She's serious. Heard them myself too, Vincenzo”“I have known Paolo for quite some time now, Adora. He's a good person so far”“I dare say, I heard he has a history of abuse of women”“Abuse you say, Lana”“Yes Vincenzo”, Adora said, no
Luna stood at the door of Marco's workplace. From where she stood, she could see him through the glass doors of the gallery, putting away boxes one by one, his expression clear with unhappiness streamlined with bitterness. The gallery was completely empty by this time; it was past 10 and the gallery had closed since 8.00 p.m which was the reason she'd chosen to come by this time. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the glass door and walked in.“Marco?”Marco stopped abruptly, his back to the familiar voice, recognizing it immediately. As if shaking off from a trance, he continued piling the boxes and unboxing the new artefacts they'd gotten.“Marco please…”He ignored her.“Marco please. Please hear me out. Please look at me”“Please leave, Luna. It's disrespectful enough for you to jam my call logs incessantly and now you bring your face to my workplace? That's some shitty guts if you ask me”“Marco please. Just hear me out. It's not what you think”“It's not what I think?!” Marco shot
Luna put on her light green jacket gown. The weather was chilly outside and she didn't want to catch a cold. She ran the transparent lip gloss across her lips, giving it a satisfactory even rub before taking her seat to fix her hair.She brushed her hair and made it into a bun atop her head, curling two strands to stay in front. Just then, her mother knocked on the door.Luna paused.“Who's there?”“Open the door, Luna. It's your mother.”“Oh oh”, Luna said in a tone that suggested that her mother's presence meant trouble.Luna got up and opened the door slightly.“Yes mother”“Can I come in?”“Urr…is there something you want to tell me?”, she said smiling and still standing at the door.“Open the door, silly and let me in. What do you think you are doing?”Isabella pushed herself through. She looked at Luna who was fully dressed with low block heels on.“Where are you off to, young lady?”“Nowhere”“Nowhere? But you are dressed up”Luna remained quiet, avoiding eye contact with her
Just as they were getting to the fair again, Luna sighted Benny there.“Isn't that your bodyguard friend?”“Driver and bodyguard. The rest is history.”“Oh”“C'mon”, Luna said, still pulling his hand. Benny saw them both first and headed towards them.“Where did you go, Luna? I looked all over for you”“I'm fine, Benny. I didn't get missing like a little child. You can go back to the car now.”She walked past him. “Marco, where's your spot?”“Right here”“Oh”. She stopped pulling him and left him to arrange his spot in the art fair. Benny nonetheless stood near, determined to keep an eye on her.“Woah, I love this one”, Luna said, feeling the artwork with her hands.“That's oil paint”“Hmm…interesting. How much is it?”“Just €75000”“Not bad”Marco laughed. “Of course. For a princess like you, all you need to do is drop your earrings. They are more than worth it”“Oh please”, Luna took her seat on a nearby stool.“Any special paintings for me?”“Well… not exactly and definitely not he
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you…”.Isabella shifted the curtains so that light could enter into her daughter's room and perhaps wake her up.The maids held the cake and the various gifts in their hand. Luna rubbed her eyes, streams of sunlight landing slowly on her bed and piercing her eyes, cruely disturbing her sleep. She tossed and turned, trying to block the light that seemed to come from all directions.“Wake up, sleepy head”, Isabella said, tracing lines on her daughter's cheeks with her fingers. Luna rolled away, the touch filling quite ticklish.“Wake up, you sleeping beauty”“What is it, ma?”, Luna said, slightly opening her eyes.“Buon compleanno!”, the maids chanted.“Awwn, mum. You remembered”“Of course I remembered. Didn't I give birth to you?” Her mother said, chuckling.“Well, yeah but, you know we don't really celebrate birthdays at home here”Isabella smiled warmly. The only reason she was doing thi
“We'll have the braised chicken, sour cream and salted crabs.”As the waiter scribbled down their order, Emilio's confident choice of braised chicken, sour cream, and salted crabs raised Luna's eyebrows in a mixture of curiosity and mild skepticism."Sour cream? Salted crabs?" Luna questioned, her tone laced with a playful incredulity. Emilio responded with a mischievous wink, accompanied by a reassuring, "Trust me. It'll be nice." Luna shrugged. “Okay”The ambiance of the restaurant, with its soft lighting and gentle murmur of conversations, set the stage for a culinary adventure. Their anticipation grew as the minutes passed, weaving an air of excitement around their table.Soon, the waiter returned, skillfully balancing a tray laden with the promised delights. The aroma of braised chicken wafted through the air, enticing their senses. Luna, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, eagerly dug into the dish, savoring the rich flavors that emanated from the tender chicken.Her fo
Luna got back to the Garden but didn't find Marco. She pulled out her phone from her purse and sent him a text.“Are you at work?”“Yes, why?”“I'll be there in a jiffy”She got back to where the car was parked.“Where to?”“The gallery”They soon reached the gallery in thirty minutes.“Hey babe. What are you doing?”, Luna said, hopping playfully towards him.Marco continued to stack the cartons together.“Hellooo…”“What? What do you want?”“Cold”, Luna said, taken a little aback. “Look, if it's about today, I'm sorry. I really am.”“I don't want your apologies. Where could have possibly been so important that you ditched the dinner I had planned for you?”“I had something really important to tell Emilio. He was…”“Emilio Rodriguez?!”“Yess… whyy?”“The same guy that you almost married?”“Yes. It was a life or death affair really. He texted me he was leaving today and…”“So he's the one who called you, huh? Is he disturbing you because…”“Hey, hey , hey. No, ok? Don't start having se