25.

-HER-

I decided to go to the gift shop and meet Levanna tomorrow before I got into my bed with my phone. I checked some emails before finally logging into my social media account to look at other people’s lives, especially Derek and Amanda’s.

I found recent pictures of them in a posh café in Itaville. The picture had been posted just early that evening but what surprised me was a cast on Derek’s hand. My eyes instantly widened as soon as I remembered the night when I went out with Derek.

On the way back, he was acting rude to me and I had to throw him out of my car. Did he fall out of my car and broke his hand? I stared at the picture to understand if the injury on his hand was caused by me.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt guilty. I had been having self-loathing thoughts already that evening and seeing the picture just made it worse for me. Although, they looked happy together and Amanda looked more beautiful than before.

I had tried to apologize to Derek after that night’s incident but he still hadn’t replied to me yet. I was starting to think that he had permanently cut ties with me. I contemplated showing up on his doorstep tomorrow to apologize for my behaviour and to ask him how he was doing. Even though I was genuinely concerned for him but deep down I knew that he wouldn’t be happy to see me, especially with Amanda around.

All the possibilities of sleep were driven away. I was wide awake throughout the night, overthinking. The guilt for hurting Derek wouldn’t let me sleep while Nana’s strange behaviour was making me start questioning everything.

I managed to get a couple of hours of sleep in the early hours of the morning but those weren’t enough for me. I woke up feeling groggy and miserable. All of a sudden, I was anxious to go to work. I didn’t want to go to work. I wanted to disappear all of a sudden.

Although, I ended up getting up and getting ready to go to the office. I met Nana in the dining area for breakfast, which was being prepared by her. She glanced at me coldly from over her shoulder when I had entered the kitchen before she went back to preparing the breakfast.

“You look so bad,” Nana commented as she put my plate on the table before taking her seat.

“Thanks,” I muttered before drinking the smoothie she had made for me. Meanwhile, I felt her eyes on me. After I had finished my smoothie and put the glass aside, I found her looking at me pensively with the food on her plate remained untouched.

“What?” I asked her when I found myself staring back at her, expecting an answer but all I was met with silence.

“Nothing,” She answered coldly.

“You have been acting weird lately,” I told her, “What happened to you last night?” I asked while she ate. I didn’t know why but all of a sudden, she seemed to be an entirely different person.

“Would you leave me?” She asked instead. Her question took me off guard all of a sudden because it was absolutely out of context. It bewildered me.

“What?” I had to ask. She gave me a pensive stare before she asked again, “Would you leave me like your mother left me when she found herself a man?” I was left staring at her dumbstruck. I didn’t know what had taken upon her early that morning.

“Why are you asking that?” I asked her instead but she pressed, “Just answer my question, Annelise Greg,” Her calling me by my full name instantly made me realize that this conversation was very serious.

“Of course not, Nana,” I told her while shifting in my seat uncomfortably before adding, “You raised me after my mother had abandoned me. I could never forget that,”

She maintained her pensive gaze on me after I was done answering her. I found myself staring back at her. Again, the more I stared at her, the more she seemed to get younger.

“Good,” Was all she muttered before she continued to eat. I couldn’t have been more bewildered by her demeanour. She was acting really strange and it was starting to creep me out. I didn’t like that. Nana was the only family I had and I didn’t want her to turn cold to me.

“Please tell me, Nana. What’s the matter?” I asked her with grave concern. I was met with silence as she continued to eat without looking at me again. “Please talk to me, Nana,”

“What do you want me to talk about?” She asked sharply. Her eyes were back on me, watching me warily.

I gulped and spoke, “Last night when I told you about my new client, you acted wired. Is everything alright with you? Do you…” I trailed off to contemplate if my next question would make any sense but after a moment’s pause, I asked her anyway, “Do you know him?”

“No,” She answered very calmly but she was quick to add, “But I knew the Vittori family,” My eyes widened at her revelation, “They’re not good folks. You better stay away from him,”

“How did you know them, Nana?” I asked her curiously.

“My previous family used to work for them,” She answered. It made me more curious because it was the first time when Nana had spoken a word about her previous family. She never talked about them. Ever.

“What work?” I asked. She remained silent for some moments as she continued to stare at me warily. It was after a prolonged silence when she finally spoke, “My previous family had served the Vittoris for generations. Although I am cannot tell you what they did,”

“Why?” I frowned at this. This made me realize that there was a good possibility that she wasn’t telling me everything. Whatever she had told me till then was all filtered and carefully chosen- something that Nana would absolutely do.

“I have told you to stay away from that man, so you will stay away from that man,” She told me stiffly, leaving no room for argument but that morning, my thirst for answers was uncontrollable. It genuinely interested me to know that somewhere I might have a distant family.

“If you give me some reasons then I might consider it,” I shrugged at her. This made her eyes blaze with anger instantly.

“Annelise Greg, you will do as I say. I want the best for you and the men with Vittori at the end of their names are creatures not to be taken casually. They are the vilest creatures to exit in this re-“ She stopped speaking abruptly and pressed her lips in a thin line- something she did when she had a slip of tongue. If anything, her words drowned me deeper into bewilderment.

“Nana?” I called for her. Her words had left me wide-eyed and shocked. I wondered why she never talked to me about this before? Hadn’t I met Theodore, she would have taken this to her grave most probably.

“Anna, please listen to me, dear,” She tried this time again but more softly and gently, “Please, stay away from him. As soon as your work is over, come home straight. You don’t have to talk to him about anything unrelated to work or go out with h- Wait a second, you were going out frequently last week. Was it with him?”

She asked me all of a sudden, standing up from her chair and looking at me with wide eyes. I sunk lower in my chair, feeling caught.

“Er… no. It wasn’t him.” I told her. She sighed in relief before I added, “It was Derek,”

“I don’t care about him anymore, Anna but please stay away from Theodore. I am surprised to know that he is here but why? Does he work in that Seidon company?” I was again surprised at how much she knew about him. The only thing I could do was nod in shock.

“I should’ve known,” She hissed more to herself before speaking to me, “That’s another good reason for you to avoid him like the plague,”

“Nana, how did you know so much and why did you never tell me anything before?” I asked her weakly. Her eyes softened at me instantly before she answered, “I don’t want you to suffer the way I did,

“If you don’t tell me anything then how am I supposed to know?” I questioned. This brought back the stern look on her face.

“Annelise, you must trust my silence. That’s all I can tell you,” With that, she ended the conversation.