"I punished myself once by being among mankind, and I rewarded myself once by choosing solitude."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Midnight.. Venice
"Do you think you're some damned Cinderella?"
Rasina rolled her eyes in boredom.
"Get ready, let's go, and stop acting like an old man, for God's sake!"
Racine, or Barbie Chanel as she was known, was finally getting ready to attend the Duke of Cavalli's party.
"Last in line, always in the spotlight" Her famous saying ..
though she didn't need to be late to attract attention, because wherever and whenever she set foot, she was the center of attention.
She wore her usual red Chanel dress, fitted to suit her height and perfect figure. She wore lipstick the same color as her dress and a black hat Long black threads emerge from its edges, covering its entire face like a curtain..
Her motto was "Always be different and dazzling," so she couldn't wear masks like everyone else.
Moreno was looking down the stairs like an obedient servant, not like the great-grandson of the Serani,
grumbling and cursing every breath he took,
until he saw her finally descending the stairs, radiant as usual.
He forgot everything as he smiled at her...
one second...
two...
three...
until that smile faded when he saw her take off one of her heels, leave it in the stairs, and go down...
" Seriously?! "
She passed him arrogantly, so he sighed and brought her heel.
"Call me Damn Cinderella Again , and watch how I'll make you see stars at noon."
Moreno smiled.
"I'm sorry, Your Honor, Countess," he said, bowing to her sarcastically...
....
Footsteps drew closer to Celia, who trembled behind the pillar, struggling to stifle her ragged breaths.
A cat emerged from the grass.
The man glanced at it—
"nothing here, just a cat"
and turned back.
With a quietness Celia didn't know how she mustered, she slipped away into the hall.
Her face was pale, and her breath came in ragged gasps.
She leaned against the nearest wall she could find.
Bianca, who was kissing with Marcello, spotted her from afar and rushed to her
"Celia! Celia! Where's my inhaler?"
pointing to her bag, which she had left on the table.
Marcello ran as fast as he could and fetched it.
They helped Celia breathe.
Minutes passed, feeling like an eternity..
Finally, she calmed down. She whispered to Bianca,
"Take me home."
Bianca nodded.
"I'll drive you,"
Marcello said, and they sped off to her house.
Celia kept her eyes closed and remained silent the entire way until they arrived.
....
Rodolfo re-entered the party after ordering his men to clean up the mess they had made in the garden.
Passing the painting of Ophelia, he stopped again, gazing at it silently, unaware of how much time had passed.
His reverie was broken by Alfredo's voice.
"I've met five women. Come help me choose."
"Rod... Rod..."
"Did you hear that?" Rodolfo said.
"Hear what?"
"A girl's voice" he replied.
"Hey, bachelorhood is getting to you. I need to find you a brid quickly."
Rodolfo, seemingly distracted, decided to move away from the painting.
"Alright, finish the job. I'll see you at home," Rodolfo said, and left the party.
...
Alfredo turned to take a glass from the waiter, but was surprised when a woman reached for the same glass, the only one left on the waiter's tray.
He looked at her and smiled.
"Ladies first," he said.
She smiled back and took the glass.
"How about sharing?"
" if you insist, madam"
Racina laughed, a playful glint in her yellow eyes that shone beneath the threads of her hat.
Alfredo said, "There's a legend that says yellow eyes are originally flames that fell from hell to earth. That's a logical explanation for why you're so Hot ."
Racina was taken aback by his words, which resonated deeply within her.
She had heard many compliments about her eyes, but this one appealed to her.
She replied playfully, "Then be careful, sir, you might get burned."
He responded with the same playful gaiety.
"fiery is my second name, or third... I forget..."
Racina let out a spontaneous laugh as she looked at the attractive blond man.
Actually, she wasn't usually a fan of blond men, but this one... was really handsome.
She passed him her glass of drink after taking a sip.
He took it, and they began to share sips. She noticed that he wasn't wearing a mask, unlike the others.
"I see you don't respect dress Code, Mr..."
" Alfredo.
" Racina".
He kissed her hand instead of shaking it.
Racina smiled again.The thing Barbie Chanel loves most is being treated like a princess, and this man..
he replied.
"No rules govern me, especially when it comes to my style,"
he said smugly, adjusting his dark blue suit jacket.
"And you're not wearing a mask either..."
She said smugly,
"Yes, I don't like being told what to wear. It's vulgar..."
"I strongly agree with you," Alfredo said seriously.
.
.
.
Moreno was at the top in a corner on the left, talking with some businessmen he knew.
He was very busy because they seemed interested in the wine with honey that Serani was about to launch.
It was a crazy idea from one of his young cousins.
If he said that the person who came up with the idea was 15 years old, no one would believe it.
That's why؛ it's the smart Serani genes.
The best thing about this clan is that every opinion that is put forward is taken into consideration and discussed with complete seriousness.
So here they are, going to implement a teenage girl's idea in one of the largest and most famous companies in Italy.
Moreno spotted his cousin Racina talking to someone; he could only see his back.
He smiled because he knew that if she talked to a man, she'd come away with a very lucrative deal, and he was proud of that.
.
.
.
....
8:00A.M.
Rodolfo walked on, just walking, trying to clear his mind and reflect on the past events, which had been so fast and complicated.
He found himself in a green forest with very tall trees and chamomile flowers scattered everywhere in a seemingly random yet very soothing way.
He doesn't even know where he is or the name of this place that seems..
comfortable...
A soft, feminine voice drifted into his ears; he could hear it from afar, singing a song whose words he couldn't make out clearly from that distance.
So he began to approach, following his intuition and the echo of that gentle voice, until he reached a lake.
A pink flamingo swims in it, but wait, it's not swimming; it's circling the girl lying on her back in the water.
Her brown hair is spread over the water.
She whispers these words.
Tin... Ton... I know you can hear me... Please open the door...
"Ophelia? "
The girl was startled when she heard his voice. She stopped singing. She looked at him in terror, on the verge of drowning.
"No... stop.."
" it's fate," she whispered.
And Rodollo openedHis eyes widened, and he found himself in his bed...
his heart was pounding and sweat poured from his forehead... Was this a dream.
Damn it... He found a glass of water and quickly emptied it completely.
"Since when, for God's sake, have I been having these teenage dreams?"
He had a terrible headache... maybe from drinking too much last night... or maybe... wait... why was he suddenly remembering that mysterious French girl from the party?
Rodolfo snapped out of his daze when he remembered the alarm hadn't gone off.
"Damn it..."
it's eight o'clock...
" Damn it, damn it... "
in Rodolfo's code.
Late sleep... bad mood... bad day... in that order.
.
.
.
.
.
Sometimes, many interesting events happen to a person in his life, some beautiful and some not.
but the person thinks they are mere coincidences, when in fact they are not.
he don't know that everything he experience is predestined and written from the beginning,
and he is simply walking the path of destiny, unaware of what he will encounter, unaware that perhaps their entire life will be based on one of those coincidences...
He just doesn't know ... !
...
꧁End of chapter ꧂
A light and fun chapter, friends! Give me your opinions; your comments encourage me... Kisses