Whispers of the Damned

I swear I could hear the choked breaths of the women in my team, and their murmured compliments to the man with the last name Bernardi.

He didn't do anything, just talked about how happy he was that we were working at his place, or what I could only assume was that he was happy to be hosting us.

Nicholo Torvar spoke next. He welcomed us with kind words.

I tried not to look at the owner of the Royal Ridge, if do I would be face to face with that fucking Bernardi.

Fuck.

Damn it.

This was one more reminder that I shouldn't underestimate my keen instincts. That I should have trusted those who gave me signs of malaise, a sign that something bad was going to happen to me. Now I realized that I was indeed that stupid.

A rather loud applause made me look up, and the two men who held the highest power left the room. A sigh of relief overcomes me even though I realize that it won't last long.

Zane Bernardi will continue to ruin my peace if I stay here.

Should I call one of my brothers? Or should I just get out of Royal Ridge?

Well, it seems like the second option would be better because if I tell the truth, then Abraham will make a mess by sending me back to Colombia.

But really... do the guards who follow me everywhere not know about this company? About our enemies roaming around here?

I don't think they know yet.

Sitting in my chair, I stared blankly at the table. Just when I wanted to live a normal life, my dark past came along, taking away all that normality. This is really a chaos.

<<<

My work today went smoothly without a hitch. I'm relieved that Zane Bernardi didn't bother me. That's why I'm now sitting in one of the beachside restaurants with Damien. Enjoying a nice seafood dinner while listening to him talk about his annoying golf buddies and his plans to go to Alaska because he wants a vacation. While I responded to his ramblings with small reactions, and disinterest because my head was spinning. It was filled with a lot of things about whether I should talk to him about Zane Bernardi's company housing Royal Ridge workers or about me having to quit my job.

I don't know.

I was really excited about this job, but there was a dark past getting in the way. Clearly, the big smile Zane Bernardi gave me wasn't just a greeting. It could be a warning that I'll never be at peace and that he'll always be bothering me. If I said Zane Bernardi was here... would my brothers throw me into Madelin?

"Why are you so quiet?"

"I was thinking about work."

His mocking snicker came out. "Stressed, right? It's why you don't listen to what we say. You'd be happier in your room, shopping without thinking how much of Papa's money you're spending, taking vacations, and having fun. But instead you took a path that stressed you out. Don't blame me for your life choices."

"Not about that!" my teeth chattering, I snorted. "My job is fine. I really enjoy it there and my colleagues are nice."

"So?"

I shook my head, not ready to answer him but I asked him something else. "Why isn't Royal Ridge staying in your building?" I asked, curious about that.

Damien shrugged, as if he didn't care. "I don't know. One of them said that there was another building that housed them for free." he replied.

Wow. I didn't expect that Zane Bernardi could be that kind to his own friend.

I nodded and bit my lip in agitation. Damn. Do I have to tell him now?

*Yes.

No, I don't.*

"What's wrong with you?" he asked with a furrowed brow and refocused on cutting the lobster leg which was a bit hard.

"Royal Ridge.. I mean, we.. work at Scavi Titanio."

His hands that were cutting the lobster legs stopped, he looked at me with a deepening frown on his forehead. "Scavi Titanio?"

"You know about that company, right?"

"Who doesn't know that company? And in fact I've been keeping an eye on it for a long time."

I froze. "You did?"

"Hm," he mumbled, agreeing. "And you work there? Where our enemy is?"

"I didn't know that the owner of Royal Ridge was close friends with... *him*. I really didn't know. And.." I sighed in defeat. "Do you think I should back off?" Damien looked at me, from his features I guessed that he was thinking hard. "Did you meet with Zane Bernardi?" he asked.

I blinked for a few times before giving him the lie. "No, I didn't meet him." I replied.

"So he wasn't there?"

I shook my head.

"You don't need to resign."

I glared, disbelief creeping over me. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious." He replied in a casual voice, which wasn't serious enough.

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I kept staring at him who was back to cutting lobster legs.

He sighed heavily. "You didn't meet Bernardi... so what? Anyway like we said, he wouldn't dare do anything to you. He wouldn't hurt you on our own turf."

Yeah, he didn't hurt me, but he touched me... and fucked me.

"And what if he comes up to me and tries to hurt me or do something to me?"

"Never." Damien's answer was confident.

"You don't know that yet," I said, my memory going back to the night I was at the club in Los Angeles... Zane Bernardi made it clear that he didn't care about my families power, and he basically told me not to underestimate him... I was sure that my brothers were still so confident in the power they had here that they'd forgotten the worst that could happen. They underestimated Zane Bernardi too much.

"If he comes in his office, or does anything.." Damien said while chopping up another lobster. "...be sure to keep an eye on him and tell me what he's doing, who he's meeting with."

"You're trying to make me a spy again?" I glared, with a sudden rage welling up in my chest. "I already did that five years ago, I don't want to anymore. I'd better back out of that job."

"You can resign. No one is forcing you." Damien replied. "But I know it's better if you don't want to do it. You like working, you don't want to be alone at home doing nothing, and you also know that this job is a good opportunity for you. We know the situation now. You have to be careful, Daniella. That's the most important thing."

I let out a long breath, feeling frustrated. "So you'd rather I stay there and be a spy?"

"It's not like that," Damien replied. "I just think that with the information you have, we can be better prepared. But if you really feel uncomfortable, you can quit the job. We won't force you, Danny."

My mind was spinning, considering all the options. I liked this job, but the presence of Zane Bernardi made things more complicated. I needed to be careful, more vigilant. Maybe Damien was right, as long as I could avoid Zane and focus on my work, everything would be fine.

But Zane Bernardi seems to already be intent on targeting me, wreaking havoc in my life not in the way my parents and my three brothers thought. He was going to do it through his charm... ensnare me with it.

My heart beats with uncertainty.

Like there was something that bound me to Royal Ridge, that made me unwilling to leave, while there was something else at risk.. that made me indecisive.

I ate the lobster meat that Damien had arranged uneasily.

<<<