ice-cream?”
It was hard not to laugh, considering not long ago they were once at each other’s throats and now here they sat in kinship . “ I only have chocolate .”
Ari smirked . “ That’s fine, besides I came to eat and I’ ll be very disappointed if I’m not fed. You don’t want to see me unfed, I’m a downright bitch. ”
Selange shook her head . “Oh God Ari , it’s great to see you. Thank goodness you’re normal because that’s what I need right now . ”
Ari looked past Selange’s head at Nico as he mouthed, “I’ll be back.”
She gave him a discr e et nod and then resumed distracting Selange until they found Alfonzo and if he developed cold feet, she hoped Nico kicked his ass!
CHAPTER EIGHT
T ime passed without a whisper as Alfonzo perused the photo album, accompanied by another bottle of expensive wine. He’d nearly finished the entire bottle while staring at the pictures of his father and uncles during happier times. In one camera shot, the brothers were smiling , cigars hanging from their mouths as they sat at a table. In another his father was in a tub full of bubbles with a cigarette in his mouth, looking hung-over and Alfonzo chuckled in sympathy. There wer e many private moments like these, but it’s the picture of his father and Sophie that brought a scowl. “Fucking player!”
He sucked on the neck of the wine bottle and drained the liquor . His lips puckered at the sour taste of wine and the sad ending to what could have been a wonderful love story , except whose love story, Maria or Sophie’s?
The wine did not dull his senses or suppress the pain . He and Giuseppe were the sons of a guy who lacked moral s and he scoffed because they both possessed the cursed gene.
He noticed the edge of a velvet box beneath the items and pulled it free . When he opened it, his mouth went slack and he exclaimed, “Holy shit!”
A jeweled crown and necklace sat i nside the case with a stamped seal of the royal family and an indisputable provenance. An inscription read; ‘ My love Semira, you will always be my true Queen .’
Is this what Alberti died to protect? Was this what the descendants of some adulteress Italian King were after?
Alfonzo found it humorously sad . “Of course this is what it’s really about. ” He examined the piece of jewelry . “This is probably priceless to a greedy motherfucker who believes they ’re the rightful heir !” He said out loud.
“ T hat’s the same thing I said, kid !”
Alfonzo spun around to observe Nico approaching. He had n’t heard the footsteps and that didn’t sit well. When Nico came into sight , A lfonzo’s mood shifted from anger to annoyance. Nico had chosen the wrong moment to appear. The Mohawk and earring produced a sarcastic question from Alfonzo . “What the hell . A re you going through a midlife crisis or something ?”
Nico stopped and looked around. “Seems you’re having a crisis, too.” He quipped when he noticed the broken bottle and the open chest.
Alfonzo scoffed, “My heritage comes in a box, eh, Nico?”
“Your heritage is the Giacanti blood.”
“And this?” Alfonzo replied holding the shiny head wear fit for a Queen in front of him .
“That’s a bauble. You ’ve inherited a shitload of them. The crown doesn’t belong to the royal family. The king commissioned the piece especially for Semira . I did some research and the artisan was considered the Picasso of jewelry. This is the only headwear made by the craftsman . H e died after completing it and priceless is an understatement. His work is so rare; one ring went for one hundred and forty million at a Sotheby’s auction ten years ago. The Semira Collection is beyond priceless. ”
A lfonzo dropped the crown on the table and sn eered in disgust , “ I guess Semira wore it when the King fucked her and then he went home to his wife. How unromantic is that , huh ?”
Nico’s eyes narrowed and it’s the only give-away
It was hard not to laugh, considering not long ago they were once at each other’s throats and now here they sat in kinship . “ I only have chocolate .”
Ari smirked . “ That’s fine, besides I came to eat and I’ ll be very disappointed if I’m not fed. You don’t want to see me unfed, I’m a downright bitch. ”
Selange shook her head . “Oh God Ari , it’s great to see you. Thank goodness you’re normal because that’s what I need right now . ”
Ari looked past Selange’s head at Nico as he mouthed, “I’ll be back.”
She gave him a discr e et nod and then resumed distracting Selange until they found Alfonzo and if he developed cold feet, she hoped Nico kicked his ass!
CHAPTER EIGHT
T ime passed without a whisper as Alfonzo perused the photo album, accompanied by another bottle of expensive wine. He’d nearly finished the entire bottle while staring at the pictures of his father and uncles during happier times. In one camera shot, the brothers were smiling , cigars hanging from their mouths as they sat at a table. In another his father was in a tub full of bubbles with a cigarette in his mouth, looking hung-over and Alfonzo chuckled in sympathy. There wer e many private moments like these, but it’s the picture of his father and Sophie that brought a scowl. “Fucking player!”
He sucked on the neck of the wine bottle and drained the liquor . His lips puckered at the sour taste of wine and the sad ending to what could have been a wonderful love story , except whose love story, Maria or Sophie’s?
The wine did not dull his senses or suppress the pain . He and Giuseppe were the sons of a guy who lacked moral s and he scoffed because they both possessed the cursed gene.
He noticed the edge of a velvet box beneath the items and pulled it free . When he opened it, his mouth went slack and he exclaimed, “Holy shit!”
A jeweled crown and necklace sat i nside the case with a stamped seal of the royal family and an indisputable provenance. An inscription read; ‘ My love Semira, you will always be my true Queen .’
Is this what Alberti died to protect? Was this what the descendants of some adulteress Italian King were after?
Alfonzo found it humorously sad . “Of course this is what it’s really about. ” He examined the piece of jewelry . “This is probably priceless to a greedy motherfucker who believes they ’re the rightful heir !” He said out loud.
“ T hat’s the same thing I said, kid !”
Alfonzo spun around to observe Nico approaching. He had n’t heard the footsteps and that didn’t sit well. When Nico came into sight , A lfonzo’s mood shifted from anger to annoyance. Nico had chosen the wrong moment to appear. The Mohawk and earring produced a sarcastic question from Alfonzo . “What the hell . A re you going through a midlife crisis or something ?”
Nico stopped and looked around. “Seems you’re having a crisis, too.” He quipped when he noticed the broken bottle and the open chest.
Alfonzo scoffed, “My heritage comes in a box, eh, Nico?”
“Your heritage is the Giacanti blood.”
“And this?” Alfonzo replied holding the shiny head wear fit for a Queen in front of him .
“That’s a bauble. You ’ve inherited a shitload of them. The crown doesn’t belong to the royal family. The king commissioned the piece especially for Semira . I did some research and the artisan was considered the Picasso of jewelry. This is the only headwear made by the craftsman . H e died after completing it and priceless is an understatement. His work is so rare; one ring went for one hundred and forty million at a Sotheby’s auction ten years ago. The Semira Collection is beyond priceless. ”
A lfonzo dropped the crown on the table and sn eered in disgust , “ I guess Semira wore it when the King fucked her and then he went home to his wife. How unromantic is that , huh ?”
Nico’s eyes narrowed and it’s the only give-away
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