CHAPTER 9.
SANTARO HOTEL.
Luca swiftly hailed a cab, utilizing the remaining money in his possession, and headed to Santaro Hotel, leaving Aiden at the bar. Aiden sat there, dumbfounded, as he witnessed my departure.
A few minutes later, Luca arrived at Santaro Hotel. True to its name, it was an expansive and luxurious establishment, boasting an upscale restaurant within its premises. Santaro Hotel held a prominent position among the top three most expensive hotels in the city, and it didn't fall short of its reputation. People esteemed it highly for its lavish accommodations, bars, clubs, delectable cuisine, inviting pools, and much more. Consequently, it primarily attracted a lot of affluence. Anyone spotted inside Santaro Hotel was immediately deemed filthy rich! .
Luca stood outside the hotel, taking in the opulence of the building. Did George truly instruct him to meet here? He gulped, a mischievous smirk playing across his face. He scanned the surroundings, locating the hotel entrance. Unbeknownst to him, a man in a sleek black Tesla car was discreetly recording his every move as he entered the premises.
In an attempt to quell his nerves, Luca heaved a deep sigh and stepped inside. However, his progress was swiftly interrupted by a voice.
"Hey, stop right there!" A petite woman with blonde hair called out to Luca, making her way toward him. She scrutinized him for a moment and let out a disappointed sigh. In all fairness, she had a point. Luca's attire could easily be mistaken for that of a janitor. He wouldn't even pass as a waiter since all the waitstaff at Santaro were impeccably dressed in Louis Vuitton suits.
Luca halted and looked at the woman with raised eyebrows. "Why are you blocking my way?"
"Where do you think you're going, sir?" she asked in a polite tone.
Luca was confused. "I'm going inside, of course."
His response sounded confident, but it only provoked a burst of hysterical laughter from the woman. "You must be quite the joker, or perhaps Joseph the dreamer, if you think I'll allow you into Santaro Hotel. You're clearly dreaming!"
Initially confused, Luca couldn't help but ask, "Are men not allowed inside the hotel?"
The woman rolled her eyes and gave him an assessing look from head to toe. "Men like you aren't welcome here."
Luca quickly followed her gaze, noticing how it lingered on his clothes and overall appearance. "I really have an appointment to attend. Please, you have to let me in," Luca stated firmly.
The woman scoffed. "An appointment? I haven't seen a bigger joker like you in a long time. Well, be my guest, sir. I've encountered plenty of your kind, and I promise you, even if the heavens were to come down, you won't be granted entry to Santaro Hotel."
Luca was taken aback. Did they have some previous encounter that would explain her hostility?
"Have we met before? Or perhaps in a dream?" Luca inquired.
"Well, Mr. Pickpocket, I don't need to know you to figure out why you're here," she sneered, her disgust evident. "Either you're here to pickpocket or, when you fail, you resort to begging. I wonder why you thieves think you can come here and get away with such behavior."
Luca felt a surge of anger at her words. Did she just call him a thief?
He wanted to cause a scene but restrained himself. Being in a posh restaurant, he knew that drawing attention would not sit well with George, especially if it ended up in the media. Meanwhile, the man in the Tesla had stepped out of the car and carefully scanned the surroundings. His name was Leo, one of Sara's informants who was on her payroll.
Leo approached Luca and the woman, clearing his throat, and inquired, "What's happening here?"
When the woman turned around and saw Leo, she smiled. He was the epitome of what she considered an ideal customer for Santaro Hotel. Neatly dressed in a Gucci shirt, Prada shoes, and a Rolex watch adorning his wrist, he fit the image perfectly.
The woman smiled softly. "This way, sir. How may I assist you?"
Upon hearing her soft and respectful voice, Luca was taken aback.
"What the actual fuck?" he thought. "Really? This ugly woman can be so respectful and composed?”
Leo waved the woman aside and turned to Luca, who was engrossed in his phone, trying to reach George.
"Hey, mister, are you okay?" Leo asked with a smug smile, but Luca paid him no mind.
When George finally answered the call,He wasted no time. "Boss, where are you?"
"I'm already in front of Santaro Hotel," Luca replied.
"Then come in already! We've been waiting for you! Please come in immediately."
Luca glanced at the woman one last time before informing George, "One of your staff members has refused to let me in. I've been waiting here for the past twenty minutes, and she won't stop mocking me either." He spoke slowly, noticing the woman watching him with disdainful glares, while Leo walked away and settled himself comfortably at the nearest table, where he could easily keep an eye on Luca.
George shouted angrily, "Who the hell did that? What kind of stupid person dared to keep you waiting outside even for a minute!" He paused and apologized, "Please, Lord Ercole, don't take it to heart. I'll be down there in a minute."
Luca smiled. "Fine, I'll be waiting for you down here."
The woman looked at him for another moment before taunting him again. "You must think I'm a fool, right? Screw you and your fake-ass calls if you think I'll fall for such petty tricks," she burst into mocking laughter. "You must be a lunatic if you think I'll let you in to wander around and pester the dignitaries.”
This time, her words pierced Luca's skin, and he was tempted to retort. However, before he could utter a word, his eyes caught something very familiar. His eyes weren't deceiving him in the slightest—it was his sister-in-law, Alessia!
As she almost walked past him, a deep voice asked, pointing at Luca, "Madam, isn't this your sister's husband?"
Alessia stopped abruptly when she saw Luca. "He is not my in-law, but my sister's stripper pauper," she mocked, walking closer to him. "His only specialty is his dick, nothing else," she remarked.
"What are you doing here?" she asked Luca.
Luca didn't bother to reply, knowing what would come next. But Alessia continued to taunt him even further.
"Hey, brother-in-law, you can never afford Santaro Hotel, so go back to fucking your crippled wife at home!"
Luca turned to her with a shrug. "Well, sister-in-law, I hope you're not here for whoring. I'm here on Mr. George's invitation. And you?"
Alessia was stunned.
"I hope you find a better dick to keep you at home instead of constantly searching for one!" Luca smirked knowingly. Her reaction spoke volumes—he had gotten under her skin before she could get under his.
"George invited you here, or are you pestering him for some tips on how to maintain yourself? I know my sister won't give you any cash," she laughed awkwardly, attempting to brush off Luca's insults.
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 finger
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