No Place for Love

CHAPTER 4

Sasha stood with her hands akimbo. Today, she was wearing a short red furry armless dress. It seemed she liked showing off her tattoos.

"What were you doing?". Sasha asked this time around peering behind Valeria.

Valeria could not let the tension she felt show so she folded her arms and smiled.

"I was... actually looking for you".

"You were?". Sasha raised a brow.

Valeria only nodded and walked up to Sasha whose hands fell beside her.

"I wanted a tour but went on my own since you weren't anywhere around".

"Yeah, I went on my nail and lash appointment". Sasha said waving her hand to showoff the acrylic she'd fixed and blinking to make the lashes flutter.

"Oh Sash, you look gorgeous". Valeria gushed beaming at Sasha, trying not to look like the ball of nerves she felt.

"Yeah, I'm Sasha De Luca after all". Sasha gave a small flip of her blonde hair and turned on her heels, and started walking away.

Valeria followed suit, matching Sasha's pace so she could walk in line with her. If Sasha noticed, she didn't act like it.

"You want a tour?". Sasha asked after a brief moment of silence. She still wasn't looking at Valeria, only straight ahead.

Valeria bit her lower lip and nodded, hoping to glean some information about the mysterious studio she'd discovered.

Several minutes and tours later, Sasha and Valeria were seated in the garden and eating some snacks when Valeria stared at Sasha who was busy on her phone.

"Sasha, can I ask you something?" Valeria said, trying to sound casual. 

"Ask away Val, what's on your mind?"

"Is there a studio in the villa?".Valeria asked, watching Sasha's expression closely. But Sasha's face remained blank. 

"Studio? I don't know what you're talking about."

Valeria twisted her lips and her eyes narrowed slightly. She wasn't sure if Sasha was telling the truth or not. But she decided to let it drop for now.

Valeria nodded thoughtfully as Sasha picked a cookie from the ceramic plate. "Why?"

"Oh it's nothing just asking...". Valeria gave a small smile and also picked up a cookie.

If Sasha didn't know then it must be some secret studio, right?

A notification popped up on Sasha's phone and she literally jumped out of her seat making Valeria startled.

Sasha punched some keys in her phone before placing it on her. She picked another cookie before mouthing "Bye" to Valeria who returned a smile. Sasha started walking away.

"I have this show I have to attend and this new club I wanna check out. You in?". Sasha asked the person on the other side of the call.

Valeria let out a deep breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Later that day, Valeria decided to investigate further so she made her way to the studio, her heart pounding in her chest. As she slipped inside the room, she was struck yet again by the array of art supplies and half-finished canvases.

It was clear that someone in the villa was an artist, but who? Valeria's eyes scanned the room, searching for any clues. She went to the canvases and uncovered them revealing breathtaking Paintings that Van Gogh would approve of.

As she uncovered one, her fingers slowly ran across the painting with tears in her eyes.

"A new dawn". She whispered, recalling her childhood when she painted.

She slowly walked to a donkey with a plain canvas and sat down. She picked up a paint brush from the table next to the canvas and opened the closed tin of colours which could still be put to good use, to her surprise.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"What freedom feels like", she could only imagine but wanted to feel it through the canvas of her painting.

Valeria's fingers danced across the canvas, the brushstrokes bold and expressive as she lost herself in the art. Her mind drifted to Lorenzo and she paused the painting.

"Should I have obeyed father and married Lorenzo?". She asked in a whisper, "did I do the right thing?".

She closed her eyes and griped the paint brush tighter.

"Or should I have taken a chance and run away?"

But where could she go?

And what would happen if she defied her family?

...

"Use the road leading through the outskirts". Lorenzo ordered the drivers who were dispatching the Calude tablets loaded in blacks vans parked in a hidden warehouse .

"Yes boss". They all answered in unison. They were all dressed in an all black overalls with black face caps and nose mask.

"And have them know that we have only one original Calude tablets, the others are fake". He went on, "The offenders producing fakes will be caught and will pay for their sins".

"Lift the bars". Rafa ordered and the warehouse bars which served as a gateway was raised up. The drivers got into the vans and started driving out one after the other in order of arrangement.

"That's five thousand tablets. A thousand in each van". Lorenzo said as he and Rafa started walking back to the table at one corner of the warehouse.

Rafa powered his iPad and watched as the vans drove onto the road leading to the outskirts of the city. That was their territory and they had cams installed in every area.

"Father wants me to expand the territory where we sell the Calude tablets". Lorenzo informed Rafa who only nodded.

They were now both standing at a table with other men standing on guard both inside the warehouse and outside.

"What's on your mind, Rafa?"

Rafa sighed and dropped his iPad on the table, "You want me to say something? Sure. You know what's at stake".

Lorenzo's gaze was neutral as he folded his arms staring back at Rafa whose gaze was intently fixed on him.

Rafa went on, "Love is a weakness in our world, Don".

"Where is this going to?". Lorenzo didn't see the need for such a statement.

"Can't you see? The pawn is in the game. Use this to your advantage, as a leverage to uncover the answers you've been seeking for years".

Lorenzo frowned, he knew who the pawn was. This meant it was show time.