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 of the guillotine; he was simply shocked. It was the first time he had encountered something as deadly as that. Growing up, he had never witnessed such a thing.
Luca smirked, fully aware of Giovanni's intentions.
Upon seeing Luca's expression, George quickly intervened. "Don't listen to him, Luca. He's trying to mess with your head!"
"No, George," Luca responded. "I actually think it's the right thing to do."
George wanted to protest further, but before he could, Luca cut in. "Where do we go to play the game?"
A smug smirk appeared on Giovanni's lips as he ushered Luca and George into his car, a Porsche 991 RSR worth over $3 million dollars. Luca glanced at the car's exterior and interior quickly, hoping to avoid any more jabs or criticisms from Gio about his appearance.
Though George's expression remained grim, he couldn't prevent the duel from taking place. As Gio revved the engine to life and sped away, George let out a defeated sigh, realizing that the duel was truly happening.
After a few hours, they arrived at a beautiful garden where the axe-throwing game would be held. It was one of the places Giovanni had acquired for himself, as he had developed an addiction to throwing axes.
George looked around to ensure there were no witnesses to the duel, except for himself.
Giovanni strolled over to where Luca was standing. "Are you scared now? Come on, boy, you can do this, okay?"
Don't be fooled; it was a subtle mockery aimed at Luca. However, Luca shrugged it off with a smile.
"How many throws, Gio?"
"Since you're a rookie in the game, maybe I'll let you throw seven or even ten, and then I'll throw five," he responded.
George grew increasingly frustrated with Gio's subtle jabs directed at Luca. Sitting between the two of them on a wooden chair, he couldn't wait for the game to be over. At that moment, if he were asked to place a bet, he wouldn't know whom to wager on. Giovanni was known to be a pro in axe-throwing, undefeated by anyone, but George knew nothing about Luca's abilities. Putting his money on Luca would be like investing in something uncertain.
Luca and Giovanni stood facing the wooden targets, thick logs with designated scoring areas, placed about 12-14 feet away from the throwing line where George was seated.
Giovanni removed his wristwatch and handed it to George with a challenge in his voice. "Give it your best shots, Luc. I won't be going easy on you."
Luca smiled. "Enough banter, Gio. Let's duel."
Giovanni turned to George. "Hey, man, who's your bet on?"
Even though George was inclined to bet on Giovanni, he still wanted to uplift Luca's spirits.
"Fine, I'll wager $1 million dollars on Luca. If he wins, you'll give him $10 million. Do we have a deal?"
Giovanni laughed. "Gerg, you're damn well going to regret it. Fine, I'm in on your bet. In fact, if he beats me, I'll give him $15 million!”
Giovanni couldn't contain his laughter as he walked back to his spot. To him, the idea of Luca beating him in an axe-throwing game was utterly hilarious. It was highly unlikely that Luca would excel in this particular challenge.
"Who's going first?" Luca asked.
"Maybe you should go first, as a rookie. Give us your best shot," Gio replied, his voice laced with mockery.
"What about a coin flip to decide who goes first?" George suggested. Both Luca and Giovanni agreed, and George swiftly produced a coin. After flipping it, it was determined that Giovanni would go first.
Giovanni positioned himself at the spot and surveyed the board for a moment. He then turned and glanced at Luca with a slight smirk, clearly indicating his confidence in outperforming him.
Giovanni gripped the axe with both hands, one at the bottom of the handle and the other higher up near the blade. Taking a moment to focus, he aligned his body, ensuring his dominant eye was in line with the target. Drawing the axe back behind his head, he shifted his weight onto his back foot. The tension in the air was palpable, and George felt a wave of nervousness wash over him.
With a swift motion, Giovanni swung his arm forward and released the axe toward the target. The axe spun end over end as it traveled through the air, aiming to hit the scoring areas on the wooden surface. However, it landed in the second ring from the center, the blue section of the board.
The blue section represented the second ring from the center, carrying a rating of 4, just one step away from the bullseye, which was rated 7.
As the axe made contact with the target, a thud resonated through the air, prompting George to leap to his feet and inspect the result. Seeing that it had landed in the blue section, he muttered, "Damn! That's a 4."
Now the question remained: Could Luca do any better?
Giovanni looked at Luca and taunted, "Are you starting to feel scared? That's just the calm before the storm." He laughed. "Go ahead and throw yours. Let's see if you can hit a two.”
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
. All heads turned towards her in surprise. Why did she have to halt the smooth process that was clearly going to prove that Luca had purchased the wine and not stolen it?The entire room fell into dead silence, and Sara hesitated to speak. "I don't trust Rose," she finally offered a feeble excuse.In reality, she was afraid that the wine might not be genuine. She had never bothered to verify it since it had always been brought to her, and moreover, it was connected to criminal activity, possibly unregistered and acquired through illicit means."What do you mean you don't trust your own blood sister, whom you grew up with?" Avery scoffed. "The only person you shouldn't trust is this thief who is sleeping next to us as your husband. Girl, he will steal your jewelry!"Rose's lips curved into a smirk as she turned to Sara. "Hey, sister, even if you don't trust me, it doesn't matter. I'm only trying to help." Her tone dripped with sarcastic sympathy."Help me?" Sara laughed. "Bitch, keep
When they reached the room, Luca helped Sara to the bed and gently covered her with the sheets. He was really trying to play the caring husband role so well, if not for the fact that she is the black sheep of her family, at least for the fact that she is crippled. He dropped her and flashed her a smile, but instead, Sara glared at him with intense hostility. Luca quickly entered the bathroom and took his bath. After he was done, he moved on to the bed, but Sara quickly snapped, "What do you think you are doing?" He looked up at her skeptically. "I'm trying to sleep." "Here?" she laughed. "You must be sick to think I will let you share a bed with me!" "Then where do you want me to sleep?" Luca was shocked. So all the wifey things she was doing outside, there was just to piss off her mom and sister. Nothing more! Luca sighed deeply. He didn't know where else to go and quietly left the room, making sure to close the door behind him. He went to the other rooms that were empty, but th