Episode 24

Episode 24.
"Mr Marcello?"
A slim young woman with a blond ponytail calls as she stopped in front of me,an ice full bucket of champagne in her hands.
She smiles sweetly,her petite body rather attractive than usual. I forced my gaze from her exposed breasts to her face and replied with a smile "yes beautiful?"
"Someone asked me to give you this"she said,setting the champagne bottle on the table.
" who asked you to"
"He didn't say. Said a friend sent it"
"Okay. Thank you" and she was gone.
It's no new thing for someone to send champagne to me at casinos,bars,bubs,parties and most of the time,they're usually from women who are attracted to me.
I know that trying to find who sent this would be a waste of time. If they don't wanna be known, they won't be known. I glanced at the bucket again and found a white paper hung at it's rim. A letter. How shy could he or she be? I pull out the letter and found its a mini envelope. I opened it and found a small paper with a quoted letter written on it in black ink.
"hello Mr Marcello. It's a pleasant surprise to be seeing you tonight. I'd have loved to say hi in person but I'm running late to meet with Victoria. I'll tell her you said hi"
My brows furrowed in confusion and anger. Who dared to mention that woman's name to me? I looked up to the far distance,then to the corner and then to my sides and back. Nobody seeming suspicious.
This message had came from someone who knew me too well,someone who knew I was going to be here tonight, someone who knew Victoria, someone who knew more than I did.
Frenchie. That bastard. I rose to my feet in an attempt to walk out but Miranda stopped me on the way.
"Hey Riccardo, we meet again" she said politely, standing in front of me.
I glanced behind her to the door. What was going on out there? Is Ashley doing okay? Damn,I'm just being ridiculous ".
"Miranda Morales," she smiles at my acknowledgement of her name "I didn't expect to see you here"
"Why not?" Her smile is as sweet as the term itself "can't a single mother have fun too?" She sits on the booth and I slowly sat beside her "besides,this is just an event"
I gave her a small smile "You look beautiful tonight"
"Why thank you,I picked my dress from Jenna's collection specially for this occasion"
"I have a feeling it costs fortune"
"You bet. You picked up pretty fine too,Ric"
"Thank you"
"This is a really nice party. I hear Pablo threw it"
"He didn't invite you?"
"Ah.....no....I came with a friend"
"Really"
"I'm not so an important person like yourself Mr Marcello"
"You flatter me,Miranda"
"I'm actually glad for meeting you here tonight,Riccardo. I have a business proposal for you"
"Let's hear it"
Her eyes glances over the ice bucket on the table "well are you gonna drink that?"
I laughed and replied "you can have it,Miranda"
"No,we're gonna drink it together to celebrate our new partnership after you hear my proposal"
"Why are you so sure that I'll agree to your proposal?"
She leans closer and whispered "because you're gonna like what I have to offer."
She leans back and I watched her,with a little bit of interest. Miranda Morales is known to take after her father who was a business God and is well known around the world for his skills.
She flips the glass cups table face up on the table before looking at me again.
"There's a cargo ship coming to town on Saturday, 13:30,North Carlo. It houses ammunitions and Arsenals. We could steal it for ourselves"
I stiffen a short laugh "Miranda, I'm not a thief. Maybe you should talk to the other mafia guys sitting around this room"
"But you won't be stealing it"she throws me a mischievous smile.
"How do you mean?"
"Because it belongs to Victoria"
Victoria?
I always knew that woman involved in illegal businesses but Arsenals?
"Plus I know a buyer," she continued "we would make a lot of money"
My eyes met hers and she smiled,pulling the champagne close to her. Victoria. Victoria. Victoria. That woman. But when I see Miranda, I can't figure out her hidden card,can't tell what her ulterior motive is. Why would she choose me to offer this deal when she's powerful enough to steal this cargo for herself? Easy: because she knows Victoria is my mother.
This was all so frustrating. The popping sound of the champagne bottle's cork opening brings my thoughts back to her.
"I take your silence for a yes to my proposal then"she said.
The Spanish businessmen are known to be conniving and ratty,so as the Italians. There's something suddenly so off about this woman but it's hard to point it out. I guess there's only one way to find out if she's true or not,if she has a hidden card or not.
" how do we share the money?"
She leans into me again and replied "Fifty fifty"
I watched her pour two glasses and threw one over to me. I picked it up and she said "Cheers to us"
I clung my glass against hers before drinking.
"So on Saturday? You have a plan or something?"
"Yes. I have men guarding the ship station twenty four seven. They'll report to me any time before Saturday. It's really easy. All you need to do is be there at 13:30a.m"
"I will"
I notice a slim figure walking in. The woman's face is hidden behind the darkness of the room. She stands at the entrance, her face still hidden from me due to the darkness. She looked around for something or someone. Then she finally walked forward, her face coming into view. It was Ashley.
She spots me immediately and starts walking up. Miranda having noticed my look follows my eyes to her back and spots Ashley just as she stopped before us.
"Oh! It's you again" Miranda said to her. Ashley looks confused for a while then she smiled in realization.
"It's so nice to meet you again" Miranda adds.
"Me too" Ashley replied courtly.
"Come join us" Miranda scooted over to make space for her. Ashley sits next to her. Miranda fills another glass and hands it over to her.
"Come on,cheer with us" she says to her.
"I'd really love to cheer with you but I think I've had enough to drink tonight" Ashley says,her eyes throwing a quick glance at me before looking back to Miranda.
"Come on,don't be a downer. There's never such thing as having enough of a drink"Miranda tells her, drinking from her own glass.
Ashley slowly drinks too before I drank mine too.
" so tell me,"Miranda says to her "I don't remember your name,sorry"
"It's Ashley. Ashley Shawn"
"That's nice. I see you're really close to Mr Marcello. I'd really love to know more about you" she starts filling her glass again and I suppress a laughter.
"Well.....I.....I'm from Canada. My parents are Americans but I was birthed in Canada. Lived most of my life there until I left for the university in the states. Business and then I started working with Mr Marcello"
"You don't live with your parents anymore?"
"Miranda," I cut in "Even n eighteen year old isn't supposed to live with their parents in America"
"That's not true. I lived with my parents till I got married"
"You're not from America" I reminded her.
"Well I lost my mom when I was a junior. Then I had to leave my father at eighteen for the university"
When Ashley spoke,we both turned to look at her. She snatches the bottle from Miranda and pour herself another glass,gulping it down immediately. She winced as the content burned her throat. Something told me she wasn't a drinker.
"My mom had died in an accident on her way to pick me from a stupid ballet school I'd stubbornly insisted on going to. My dad hasn't been normal after then and I had to leave him because I couldn't bear the guilt that ate me up everyday, knowing that I'd lured the woman to her death."
"Oh dear," Miranda's arm goes around her back "Don't be so hard on yourself"
In one instant,Ashley is chunking down the contents of her glass cup,then talking away about so many things,about her parents,about her life. It was hard not to notice the truth behind her words. Suddenly I was questioning myself. How well have I treated this woman who has done nothing by work by my side. It's barely two months that she's been working with me but looking at her right now,listening to her talk now,it feels like a year,feels like I've known her much longer.
I knew she was drunk by the time she started smiling at me. She'd never look at me that way. Then she leans closer to Miranda's ear and whispered something, her eyes still watching me. Miranda cracks up in laughter and I felt the urge to ask her what she'd been told.
"I don't even know why I'm here tonight" Ashley went on "why don't you tell me why I'm here good sir?" She points at me,her eyes barely opened.
She's drunk. She must've been drinking with that frenchie before coming in here. I watched as she laid her head against the table,Miranda pulling her hairs back from reaching the floor.
"She's wasted,Ric" Miranda says to me "but you cannot blame her once she's sober. She deserved to be carefree for once"
And my eyes strained back to Ashley. Miranda's right. She deserved this.
I looked around, suddenly feeling faint. I should get the hell out of here. Amoretti is too much of a coward to show his face to me and instead hides behind petty letters.
"I think I'll be leaving now,it's getting real late" I told her.
"Okay"
I went over to Ashley's side and took her arm "come on Ashley, time to go"
She brings her face up again and watched me,then smiled and replied "You know I really hate seeing this face of yours"
Miranda snickered but I don't mind. Pulling her up to her feet,I quickly put a hand around her waist to keep her from falling. She falls on me immediately, her legs barely standing.
"Come on Ashley"
She breaths slowly against my bare neck,causing me surprise. I watched her eyes as they slowly closed. She tried to force them open but to no avail. I smiled at the view. She looked so vulnerable now. Who knew this stubborn woman could be in such a vulnerable state in my arms one day? I would've slapped myself if I ever thought that was possible. Now look at her,her chest pressed against my side,her hair sprawled all over me and her breath,sonorous to my ears.
I managed to walk her out of the place. Pablo caught me on the way out and I told him I had to go.
"Don't you dare take advantage of that woman,hear me?" He warned like a father warning his daughter's boyfriend before taking her on a date. I cursed him playfully before walking her to my care after my countless efforts to steady her on the ground.
I set her down on the limousine and sat from across,watching her chest heave up and down in a slow rhythm. She's fast asleep now.
Stupid, I thought. How could she be drinking like that? But again,I knew I wasn't supposed to blame her. But still,what if I wasn't there to bring her home? Who knew what some men would do to her in that party? Somewhere deep inside me,I was glad I'm there to drive her home. And then as I watched her face,I wondered what had come over me.
Once we were close to her apartment, I told my driver to change course for the hotel.