"Insomnia is not always a curse se endure; sometimes, it is the womb where all the solutions, which fail to surface in the daylight, are born".
~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The dinner at the Castle was a favorite time for many members of the Serrani clan.
They would gather in the dining room, sharing stories of their accomplishments during the day or week, or their future plans.
Moreno and Racina were the last to arrive, making their way to the large central dining table, adorned with candles, roses, and the finest Italian dishes.
Alejandro sat at the head of the table, with lady Rovina nearby, followed by the eldest descendants of the Serrani Then came the rest of the grandchildren.
"How was the atmosphere at Lord de Cavelli's party?" Alejandro asked.
"To be honest, Uncle, I wasn't entirely convinced when you asked me and racina to go, but now I thank you for it. I've returned with a deal that will give us a monopoly on the most important news in Italy."
Moreno replied, cutting a piece of meat.
Alejandro's gaze was serious, waiting for further clarification, while everyone else stared curiously at Moreno, waiting for him to reveal his deal.
"Well, there was a businessman at the party named Angelo, The owner of Bevandilanti, a company that sells and markets all kinds of drinks that a person needs daily to give him energy, was approached with a project for wine with honey. He liked the idea very much and is happy and excited to be working with us.
Alejandro smiled proudly. He never chose randomly; his choice of Moreno had been very precise because Moreno turned every idea and every opportunity into a major project.
"By the way, Racina, you didn't tell me about that man you were talking to at the party. Any deal?" Moreno asked her.
Racina was lost in thought and
stammered slightly.
" W.. Which man are you talking about?"
"The one you were talking to downstairs"
"Oh, I remember. Actually, I was wrong about him. At first, I thought he was suitable for presenting my idea, but I withdrew when it became clear he wasn't up to my standards."
.....
Bianca and Celia were in her room getting ready for bed.
or pretending to..
because their girls' night out, as they called it, never ended until very late.
"Oh, Celia, did you find your necklace? Where?"
Bianca asked when she noticed it around Celia's neck again.
Celia picked it up, smiling.
"Yes, thank God! It turns out I dropped it at my desk at the company. Rodolfo found it and returned it to me."
Bianca smiled slyly.
"Shut up، I warn you before you say something stupid, Bianca."
"What's wrong with you? I wasn't going to say anything in the first place."
" I know those looks."
Bianca laughed and hugged her friend.
"The important thing is that you got it back. I'm so happy for you."
Celia hugged her back, feeling grateful too. She felt like she had lost a part of herself when she lost it.
•Flashback•
____________
"Oh my God, I can't believe where You found it!"
" Is it for you? "
"Yes," said Celia as she took the necklace from Rodolfo.
Only then did Rodolfo smile, his eyes shining as he gazed at her.
" I found it by your office door; it must have fallen from you and you didn't notice. "
"Yes, I think so," said Celia, tears of joy in her eyes, she held the necklace tightly against her heart.
the chain was made of gold, ending with a short, prominent cluster of alyssum flowers in the form of thin diamond threads.
"Is it that important?".
Celia said, "it 's all I have left of my grandmother."
"You must have loved her very much,"
he said, throwing a small rock into the water.
"Actually, I never even met her. Isn't that strange, to be attached to someone whose face you don't even know?."
"Yes, very strange."
Celia smiled at his words. "Well, my parents said she died two months after I was born. this necklace... it's a gift from her."
"It's the alyssum flower, isn't it?"
" Yes, I discovered that recently when I researched it. "
.
.
.
«Back to the present»
_____________________
Rasina went out to the back garden. It was late and the weather was cold, but of course she didn't care.
She seemed very distracted, until she felt a thin blanket placed over her shoulders.
"You'll get sick if you continue like this"
Moreno said as he sat next to her under the jasmine tree in the middle of the garden.
This was like a secret place for them, they came when they wanted to relax, get away from the family noise.
" You have noticeably improved in your treatment of girls."
"No, in fact, I saw this shot in a romantic movie. I wanted to try it."
she hit his shoulder.
" Idiot. "
" Are you okay? "
His sudden question made her stop laughing and stare carefully into his eyes.
"You have been acting strange since we came from the party. If there is something bothering you, you know it would be a shame for you to keep it to yourself."
An almost smile appeared on her lips and she said as she uprooted a plant next to her:
" Moreno, your right. the one who dares bothers me. He will be under the dirt in seconds."
She looked at him with a glimmer of crime in her eyes.
" Of course he would," Moreno nodded.
Yes, It is true that she is the elegant and spoiled Barbie Chanel, but at the same time she is the most dangerous hired killer wanted by justice. She obtained this title after the success of all her operations in the last five years, after she killed all her victims and left her signature with the letter F. She made everyone think that she was a man and that was the letter of his name, but in reality it was only the first letter of the word fashion, as simple as that.
Rasina sighed wearily,
"Oh, Moreno, how annoying you are. I know you came to ask about the guy from the party."
He looked at her with fake pride,In the same sarcastic tone
"Oh, Rasina, how I love it when you understand me.. Is it a fling?"
"No, we're just friends hanging out."
" Friends. Damn it, don't make me jealous."
" Moreno. Damn it. Are you going to follow me forever? Go and find you a girl."
" Why should I do it while you're here?"
" I'm reserved."
She said as she pushed him away from her,.
but he was laughing.
"Well, have fun, but I've never seen you this distracted from a friendship."
He got up to go,
"so come in. I don't want you to get really sick, and this comes from me. I haven't seen it in the movies, I swear."
He said as he left.
Rasina smiled at his words. Yes, she and Moreno have been best friends since childhood. She prefers him even to her parents, for God's sake. She feels like the world is better just because Moreno is in it.
...
It was very late , even Bianca, who never sleeps, has fallen asleep...
but Celia... in her bed Lying there, staring at the ceiling of her room, she couldn't sleep.
Her last conversations and her discovery of that part of Rodolfo had left her very distracted.
It was true that only a month had passed, but she felt that her world had begun to turn upside down, and would turn upside down even more, especially after she had witnessed that crime at the party.
Although she had been fighting to pretend not to care, to deceive her mind that wouldn't stop thinking, well, this of course wouldn't work, especially with her.
But to be logical, what did she expect from a mafia boss? Of course, killing was normal for him.
but could she endure it?
Their work was completely different; he took lives, but she sought to heal and preserve them.
Was my decision to work for him and get involved in his world really the right one, because now I'm not really sure?...
.....
In his palace garden, Rodolfo tried to escape his troubling thoughts.
A small alyssumamong his favorite camellias caught his eye.
He picked it and gazed at it, then lay down on the grass, staring at the moon, which appeared full that night.
He remembered his mother telling him that the full moon was a sign of a new beginning..
that the period between two full moons was filled with radical changes, sometimes we notice them, sometimes we don't..
but the truth is that we are never the same people..
never.
Now he understood her words, he lived them.
Usually, what troubled him were his nightmares, his plans, and the burning desire for revenge that consumed him every night.
but now... what had happened in the past month flashed before his eyes like the life of a dying man: that mysterious woman, how she had occupied his mind with a conversation that lasted only a few minutes... and how she had vanished in a few seconds،
that dream; the alyssum flower he held in his hands...
.
.
.
.
......
꧁End of Chapter ꧂
This chapter felt like a breath of fresh air, a peaceful moment.
I felt comfortable writing it.
Will the atmosphere remain calm?, or will it change in the next chapter!!