CHAPTER 10.
TRAIL HIM IN SECRET.
Luca wasn't moved by her words. What he had said had clearly struck a nerve with Alessia, and he could see it.
Indeed, as the saying goes, the truth can be bitter, and it was evident to him that he wasn't there to beg George for money. However, what about Alessia? It pained her deeply to know that she was there to sleep with George!
"I knew he was just a pathetic joker!" the woman who had confronted him earlier chimed in, showing her support. "But the joke's on the joker today because I'll make sure you don't get inside this place."
Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted from behind. "What's going on here?"
Luca turned and saw George. He quietly let out a sigh of relief. He had grown tired of arguing with these slow-witted women outside.
As soon as the woman saw George, she quickly bowed. "I'm sorry, sir, but the only problem we have here is this petty thief who is desperately trying to get inside the hotel to pickpocket!" She pointed accusing fingers at Luca.
When George followed her gesture, he snapped angrily. "What the fuck?!"
"Slap!"
A hot slap landed on the woman's face, and George shouted, "Why would you call him a thief? Do you know him? You had the audacity to keep him outside and mock him," George scoffed. "Is this how you run my hotel? Is this what I pay you for? To keep my guests outside and insult them!"
The woman immediately fell to both knees. "I'm very sorry, sir. I didn't..."
George interrupted sharply, "Save your lame apologies. You're fired!"
Alessia and her colleagues were stunned. They had never seen George react in such a manner, especially all because of Luca.
"Oh my goodness!" The woman quickly clutched onto one of George's legs. "Sir, please, I'm very sorry. I didn't know he was your guest. Please don't fire me!"
Tears streamed down her face.
Luca smiled with satisfaction as he watched her beg for her job. That was a good enough lesson for looking down on him!
He glanced up at Alessia, whose gaze remained fixed on George. She was still shocked that George hadn't noticed her or even spoken to her. She had come to see him, and her ego was deeply bruised. When Luca looked at her with a triumphant smile, she almost felt as if she would disappear into thin air.
Annoyance stabbed at her, but she clenched her fists and watched Luca walk away with George.
"He would choose that riffraff over me?" she muttered frustratingly, while Luca winked at her, causing her to grit her teeth in anger.
"Boss, please this way." George gestured for Luca to enter the elevator, and he quickly complied. In a matter of minutes, they arrived in a dimly lit hallway. When George switched on the lights, Luca couldn't help but gulp in shock at the extravagant display of glass. This was true luxury.
George was undoubtedly a man of luxury, and there was no disputing that fact. As Luca walked through, he couldn't conceal his astonishment. Who would have thought he would ever step foot inside such a magnificent building in his life?
They continued along their path, taking another elevator that brought them directly to the room they intended to stay in. As Luca entered, his eyes widened slightly at the stunning interior, and then his gaze fell upon the man seated right in front of him.
He looked at him for a moment, ensuring he wasn't mistaken. And his eyes didn't deceive him—it was Giovanni!
Giovanni wasn't just filthy rich; he was also one of the most handsome men in the city. Many people referred to him as the handsome god, and they weren't entirely wrong. He had the looks of a Greek god,and his ruthlessness matched his appearance.
Luca knew him from the Apple Club, but he wasn't certain if Giovanni still recognized him. Giovanni was a VIP patron of the club, with his own room dedicated to him. Merely looking at him, Luca could feel a cold chill running down his spine.
Giovanni was too ruthless to be around. Who would have imagined that he would be one of the elders of the mafia? The last encounter Luca had with him was a few months ago when Giovanni had requested a male stripper to join two female strippers to please him. Luca had refused, which resulted in tables being broken and bottles smashed. And now, here he was as Luca's member who was under him!
Giovanni was engrossed in a phone call and didn't immediately notice Luca's presence. However, his attire sparkled like diamonds. Rumor had it that he only wore Prada clothes worth $150,000 each, and he adorned his wrist with a Richard Mille wristwatch. Giovanni was widely renowned for his sleek business ventures as well.
"Welcome, Lord Ercole," one of the waiters bowed down on both knees in front of Luca. "What can I get for you?"
Luca was taken aback to the core. Bowing down on both knees? That was completely uncalled for. He looked at the woman and wondered why they felt so comfortable around her. She was dressed in a sheer mini dress by Mugler, revealing almost every part of her body, and she wore dark shades of sunglasses.
He quickly helped her to her feet but was confused about which wine to request. He didn't know many wine names, only the cheap red wines. He glanced at Giovanni and then at George, unsure of what to say.
George came to his aid and asked, "What wines do we have in stock?"
The lady smiled. "We have Remy Martin Black Pearl Louis XIII, Billionaire Vodka, Tequila Ley, Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne, and lastly, Ross0-Baltique Vodka."
Luca paid close attention, realizing he had never heard of any of those names before.
"So, what are their prices, Liv?" George asked.
She smiled softly. "Remy Martin is worth about $165,999, Billionaire Vodka is worth about $3.55 million, Tequila Ley is worth about $3.2 million, and then Henri IV is about $3.94 million."
George smiled and said, "You know what to go for, Liv."
"Yes, boss, the most expensive one since Lord Ercole is here." She bowed to Luca and George before leaving. As she turned, she accidentally bumped into Giovanni.
"Boss Gio," she quickly bowed, and Giovanni smiled back before walking in and settling into the last empty chair.
Luca was surprised as to why they had to discuss the worth of the wines and bring in such expensive ones just to catch up on old times. But he pushed the question aside and didn't ask further. Instead, he scrutinized Giovanni: the bracelets around his wrists, the tattoos, and his imposing presence even while seated.
Something was distinctly different about Giovanni. He was quite different from George. Giovanni had a commanding aura, and his mere presence demanded respect without the need for words.
Soon enough, the door creaked open, and two other waiters entered with a basket of wines. Luca watched as they set three bottles of wine on the table, followed by ice and three cartons of cigarettes.
Luca was taken aback in shock! Didn't Liv say each bottle was almost $4 million dollars? And she had the audacity to bring in four bottles?!
The waiters bowed and left with their empty baskets, and George immediately uncorked the wines, pouring a full glass for each of them.
"To Lord Ercole!" George raised his wine glass, and Luca quickly followed suit. Giovanni reluctantly raised his glass, as if he didn't want to. This amused Luca, making him wonder if Giovanni was willing to accept him as George did.
But suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, and a man rushed inside.
"I'm sorry, Boss, I think someone is secretly trailing your guest!”
CHAPTER 11. GUILLOTINE ROOM?! The atmosphere immediately shifted, charged with a different type of energy. George quickly stood up. "What?!" His brows furrowed. "What do you mean someone is trailing my guest?" The man bowed. "Boss, I believe he has been following your guest since the beginning. Based on the security footage, it seems his main objective was to trail him," the man explained slowly. Luca's heart sank as George and Giovanni's eyes turned towards him. They must be wondering who he had offended, or perhaps if anyone knew that he was Lord Ercole and was already attempting to have him killed. Various thoughts raced through Luca's mind. Who could be trailing him? What did they want? Giovanni cleared his throat. "So, what you're saying is that someone managed to sneak in here, and without the cameras, there would have been a different, untold story by now? I expected better from you, George." He mocked. George rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood for Giovanni's bante
CHAPTER 12. AXE THROWING GAME. George glanced up at Luca, determination in his eyes. "You shouldn't go through with this," Giovanni chuckled mockingly. "What's the matter, George? Afraid Luca isn't good enough and will lose to me?" "If he can't prove himself, how can I respect someone who's weakling?" Frustrated, George rolled his eyes. "Giovanni, this isn't the appropriate time for all of this. We just located Lord Ercole, and there are many people searching for him. Can't you see the person who was just trailing him some moments ago?" Giovanni hissed, dismissing George's words. All that mattered to him was giving Luca a chance to prove himself. It was the best way to determine if Luca could defend himself. Giovanni whined, "That's even more reason for him to demonstrate his worth. A lord's life should never be in danger! Did you not see how he reacted at the sight of the guillotine? He shivered!" George quickly glanced at Luca. Well, Luca hadn't exactly shivered at the sight
CHAPTER 13. GETTING ALONG. The entire atmosphere fell into a hushed silence as Luca prepared to throw his axe. Mirroring Giovanni's grip, Luca held the axe with both hands, almost as if he were mimicking Giovanni's technique. George's eyes widened slightly as he wondered if Luca was just learning it on the spot. Gio glanced at Luca, noticing his grip and hesitation. "Throw that shit, boy!" he shouted. Luca slowly released one hand from the axe, surprising Giovanni. "What the hell is he trying to do?" George muttered skeptically. Even George couldn't hide his astonishment as he rose from his chair. Did Luca truly believe this was some kind of ball throwing game? If Luca didn't throw the axe with enough force, it would hit the board and simply bounce off, resulting in a score of zero. "You must think this is some ball throwing game, man!" Giovanni laughed, still caught up in his amusement. While Giovanni was still engulfed in laughter, Luca let go of the axe, and everyone's e
After a few minutes, Luca arrived at Ventral Company. It was primarily a delivery company that partnered with other businesses. As Luca approached, he noticed around ten to fifteen delivery bikes parked outside. This made him wonder why his boss needed him for deliveries when he hadn't even paid him for the last two months.As he entered the premises, Luca's anger began to boil. His anger stems from two things;Firstly, he was supposed to be working with Giovanni and George, but his boss disrupted everything with a phone call. Secondly, his boss owed him two and a half months' worth of salary, and to make matters worse, he had recently cut his bonus after an argument with a customer.Luca's footsteps echoed through the space, interrupting the conversation his colleagues were having. It was evident that there were fewer clients for the day."Where's the boss?" he asked as soon as they noticed his presence.One of his colleagues pointed towards the office, and Luca quickly made his way t
ARRESTED.Luca immediately turned his head, locking eyes with two policemen who had entered the room. He couldn't help but laugh. It was amusing to him that Mr. Duke had gone to the extent of calling the police when he was the one who should be considered the victim."That's him! Arrest him!" Duke yelled, pointing at Luca, urging the policemen to take action.The officers approached Luca and sternly said, "Put your hands up, sir."Luca didn't move. He remained silent, displaying a different demeanor. There was something about him that caught Duke off guard. Luca didn't flinch in the presence of the policemen, and this puzzled Duke. He couldn't understand why Luca was acting tough. The old Luca would have pleaded, knowing he wouldn't have enough money for bail. But now, Luca stood his ground and even refused to be handcuffed."May I know the reason for my arrest?" Luca asked, raising skeptical eyebrows."Officers, I told you to arrest him! He nearly strangled me to death because I dedu
THE DINNER."We've been waiting for a straight fifteen minutes, and the person you called isn't here. I'm sorry, but Mister Luca, we will have to lock you up," one of the officers said to Luca."Don't worry, that won't be needed," Giovanni's voice boomed as he walked in.In fact, Giovanni was nearby when Luca called him, and he rushed to the station. It would be a failure on his part if his boss ended up being locked up.Luca's face lit up with a happy smile as he saw Giovanni.Meanwhile, Mister Duke trembled in fear. He had no idea that Luca knew someone as wealthy and ruthless as Giovanni. Everyone in the station knew Giovanni, and as he walked in, most of them bowed and greeted him, including Mister Duke."I'm sorry for not coming earlier," Giovanni apologized to Luca."That's fine!" Luca replied. "I have to leave now. Settle things with them and make sure that man is arrested."Giovanni's gaze fell upon the figure Luca had just pointed at, and he nodded in approval."I can drive y
After the family finished their meal, Sara and Luca continued to exchange smiles, radiating the aura of an ideal couple.Sara was well aware of the effect she was having, deliberately trying to provoke Avery and Alessia, and she had succeeded. Every glance Avery directed at Luca felt like daggers.Grandpa cleared his throat. "It seems like you two are getting along so quickly," he said with a smile directed at Sara and Luca. "I think we should plan a beautiful white wedding for you both after the summer!""A white wedding?" Avery hissed. "Can he even afford it? And I mean a grand affair, not some modest celebration that suits his status."Luca smiled. He didn't know how to explain to his mother-in-law that he could organize the most extravagant wedding in the history of their family lineage. Revealing that would blow his cover, so he decided to ignore her instead.Besides, the last thing he wanted was to upset his in-laws, especially Avery, who had disliked him from the beginning.Ave
Sara quickly handed the customized diamond armlet to Grandpa. "This is an exclusive piece from Harry Winston!"A smile appeared on Grandpa's lips. "Are you serious?" He eagerly opened the box and began to admire it as soon as he saw the jewelry designer's logo. It was indeed from Winston. Alessia couldn't hide her disgust as she witnessed Grandpa's admiration for the piece.Winston wasn't just any local designer, but an international one with a prestigious reputation spanning over fourty years.Grandpa looked up at Sara. "I thought he had retired. How were you able to convince him to create this for you, Sara?"Sara laughed. "Anything for you, Grandpa."The old man couldn't stop himself from admiring the diamond piece Sara had brought him. The fact that it came directly from Winston himself made it even more valuable in his eyes. Meanwhile, Alessia couldn't help but feel a surge of rage at how Grandpa praised Sara for what she considered a simple gesture.Luca walked over to where Gra