Chapter 5

Liliana

It's eleven o'clock. This is the worst birthday of my life. From now on, I don't think I would ever be able to celebrate my birthday again. It will give me pain—only pain. Wiping my tears, I look at my reflection in the mirror. My face looks pale. I haven't eaten anything since the afternoon, and I'm not hungry. I'm feeling a little comfortable thanks to Arielle's hoodie and pants. I come back to the bedroom. There's a knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door opens, and my eyes land on Rocco, who is standing with a box in one hand and a bag in the other. He walks inside slowly until he is standing in front of me.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Better than before."

"Come here." He points at the bed. He sits, and I get beside him.

"Roger said that he would proceed with the funeral, and he doesn't want you to be there. He said Myrrha was the only person he had loved, and according to him..."

"He thinks I was in between their relationship! Right?"

Rocco nods in acceptance. "Sorry for your loss."

We remain silent for a while, both staring at the marble floor.

"Here." Rocco opens the box in his hand, revealing a cake. "Happy birthday."

"How can I celebrate my birthday? Today my mother died in my arms."

"She was murdered. Innocent people don't usually get killed, Liliana."

Now this is too much. "Do you mean to say she was a vicious lady? If you think so, let me tell you, Rocco, she was not involved in the mafia world; it was Roger who was a mafia man."

"Liliana, I know you are not stable enough to talk to right now. But there's a reason why I'm telling you this."

"I can't believe this, Rocco."

"Then don't! But please eat the cake. At least I know dinner won't work for you at this time. You can have the cake. It would be better."

Is he caring for me? "Keep this cake away from me. I hate this birthday."

"I'm not giving you this as a birthday cake; it's just to fill your empty stomach."

I look at him with my teary eyes. I know it would be unworthy to argue with him. He takes out a spoon from the corner of the box.

"Here."

I eat two mouthfuls of the cake. "Thank you." I put the spoon back in the box and hand it to him.

"That's all?"

"Yeah."

"Take this." He hands me the small bag he bought.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

I remove a box from the bag. Opening it, I see a chain with some crystals merged together. It is beautiful.

"Are you confused with these crystals?" I nod in response, still looking at the chain.

"Six years ago, I went to Brazil for a deal with the Irish. They chose Brazil because they found it straightforward for their consignment. Then I made a friend in Brazil; his name was Maverick. I had rented a car in Brazil. One night, the weather was stormy, and it was quite difficult to drive on the road. That night, Maverick's girlfriend was injured, and they did not have transport to reach the hospital in time. Maverick called me at one in the morning, and I went to help them. When we returned to his house, Maverick's mother gave me this chain as a gift. She told me this chain was two hundred years old, and she also said that these crystals are believed to be lucky and that it has six different crystals in it; they all have different definitions. It is believed that whoever has worn it has received good results in return. That's why I'm giving you this. You need it."

"Thank you, Rocco. But this is yours. I can't accept it."

He shakes his head. "I never needed it, Liliana. I have everything."

"Thanks then. It might help me."

"Can I help you wear it?" he asks me.

"Sure." I give him the chain and then turn around so that my back faces him. He places the chain around my neck while brushing his hand on my neck. I feel the same thing as I felt earlier today. His touch affects me a lot.

"Go to sleep. We'll talk in the morning," he says while collecting the cake, box, and bag from the table.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep." I was fine while Rocco was here, but now I can feel the grief again.

"Can I ask you something?" My voice is low and a little shaky. He was walking out of the room. Then he turns to look at me.

"Sure."

"Can you stay with me? Please. I am not feeling good. I would've asked Arielle, but she needs to stay with Alaïa. If you don't mind," I say while scratching the back of my head.

Rocco walks toward the table in the corner. He clears all the trash, then removes his jacket. He opens the first two buttons of his shirt, rolls up his sleeves, then walks toward the bed and sits on the other side. I get on the bed, and Rocco pulls up the cover for me.

***

"Good morning." Rocco half-smiles at me. He is sitting beside me, gazing at me.

I sit up immediately while pulling the cover near my chest. "Why are you sitting here? I mean, why are you sitting close to me?"

"Did you have a nightmare?" His voice is calm. He looks concerned for me.

"Everything seems like a nightmare now." My voice comes out like a whisper. I nearly cry but try hard to hold back my tears.

"You were crying in your sleep."

"Sorry. You couldn't sleep because of me."

"It was my duty to stay with you," he says, then stands up from the bed. "Arielle left some clothes for you. Change and join me in the living room. I have something important to talk about."

I nod my head. What does he want to talk about? As soon as Rocco leaves the room, I rush to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, I walk under the water and stand still. I feel my life has become upside down. Chaos roams everywhere around me. At this moment, I can't figure out anything. Closing my eyes, I find myself lost in the chaos of questions. Where would I find my parents? Why did Mrs. Pachino attack my mother, and why did someone else kill Mrs. Pachino from behind? It all seems like a game. I need to find the mastermind behind this plan. But first, I need to hide the Orlov diamonds in a safe place. But which place?

After thinking for a thousand times, I finally feel relieved after getting an idea. After my shower, I wear the mini white dress that Arielle left for me. Before stepping out of the bedroom, I glance at myself in the mirror. Then my eyes land on the crystal chain. I remove it from my neck and place it on the nightstand.

"I will be back for this chain," I grin at it, then walk away from the room and find the stairs. Last night, I was not able to take a look at this mansion. It is beautiful. From the exterior, it has an ancient view, but the interior is designed with luxurious Italian furniture—it has a classy look. The furniture is mostly grey and black. The floor has white granite. There is a chandelier with thousands of delightful diamonds. I wonder if these are real diamonds.

Climbing down the stairs, my eyes land on Rocco, who is sitting in the living room, posing like a mafia king. He has a cigarette lit in one hand and a coffee cup in the other. At the knock of my shoes, his attention drags toward me. I sit on one of the couches facing him.

"You had to talk. Can we start? Afterwards, I need to leave."

He lets out the smoke from his mouth, then takes a sip from the cup. The cigarette smoke makes me cough a little. He watches me coughing, then crushes the cigarette with his shoe.

"Liliana, last night was dreadful. I understand you lost your mother. But if ever you are tired of this city and want to move out from here, I can arrange everything for you. As far as I know, your life might be in danger at this moment."

"How do you know my life might be in danger?" I ask him nervously. I wonder if he knows something about the Orlov diamonds.

"Roger did not let you attend your mother's funeral. Do you think he'll give you space in his house?"

He's got a point. "I want you to drop me at a safe place, somewhere in between freedom. I don't want to see myself in the same situation I have been living."

"You really want to leave Chicago?" he raises his brows.

I don't want to. But I don't have any other choice. I think this will be right. "Yes."

"Fine. We'll go to Roger's place. After taking all your belongings, I will arrange a place for you. If you don't want to go to Roger's place, then I can buy your stuff. I don't want you to go there ever again."

"No, I need to go there. I have something important to take," I say immediately.

"How important is it?"

"Extremely..."

"Something I can't afford?" His lips curl into a smirk.

"Maybe." I lift my brows.

"When are you planning on showing me your precious thing?"

"When the right time comes."

"Okay." He gives me one of his naughty looks. Standing up, Rocco places his coffee cup on the table, then after fixing his suit sleeves, he glances at me.

"Should we?" He gestures toward the door, and I nod in response.

Walking by the huge entrance, I survey Adonis—my steps halt only to admire the beauty of Adonis. My dream man.

"You seem quite interested in this statue." Rocco's eyes flicker with a special gleam, and he looks handsome as hell.

"Yeah." I feel a heat growing on my cheeks. How will I tell him that he looks like Adonis?

Rocco takes a few steps near me. His hands are in his pockets. Taking them off, he caresses my cheek with his knuckles. "Are you blushing?" There is a smirk on his face. His closeness makes me lose my mind. Slowly, he brings his face near mine. He is about to kiss my lips, but he slides to the side while kissing my cheek.

"I would never let anything happen to you. If ever any danger faces you, it will have to go through me first." He runs his finger along my lips.

Why does he want to protect me? "I feel a different kind of emotion when you are around me. Liliana, you are someone I can't control around me. I can slay any person, but I can't see myself being rough with you."

"Rocco, caring for someone this much is not good. Please don't create a connection between us. We both know we can't be together. Our personalities are different."

He glances at me, then walks away. I look at Adonis, "Was it love?"