CHAPTER 58: WOMAN TO WOMAN

Aurora with one eye behind her, and one in front of her, walked through the halls of Neravalle.

On her way to her destination, she saw Sonia who just rounded a corner.

"Sonia!" She called out to her swiftly.

Sonia’s head whipped behind, as her feet came to a pause.

The other parts of her body followed when her eyes saw who had called out to her.

Switching directions, she walked up to Aurora instead.

"Signora Aurora." She bowed.

"There’s no time for all of that, Sonia. I need you to be at LaNotte in exactly ten minutes. Bring with you some breakfast and water," she ordered.

Sonia’s brow clamped, but she held her tongue so as not to go against the Luce Neras’ only sister.

"Did you hear everything I just said?"

"Sìsignora," she replied.

"Good."

Aurora took a step forward, but stopped, before the other foot followed.

"And Sonia, for both our sakes, do not mention this to anyone."

"Sìsignora."

Aurora went her way, and so did Sonia.

As she walked through the halls, she tried to come up with a reasonable excuse for why she was heading to her destination.

However, it was a little too late, the moment she perceived the shift in the air.

Aurora looked up to see the small gate that demarcated normal grounds from the grounds of LaNotte.

Just as she expected, two guards were patrolling the gates.

They stopped on seeing her, and immediately bowed.

"Good morning, signora Aurora," one said.

"Sergio?" She called out first to the basket mouth who was sure to spill about her presence there.

"Sìsignora?"

"I need to come in. Open the gates for me," she ordered as politely as she could muster.

Aurora spotted the moment his jaw clenched, and knew she was in for some negotiation of a lifetime.

"That’s not possible, signora," Martinez, his partner replied.

He was more malleable, so Aurora paid him no attention.

She kept her focus on Sergio whose face held no trace of brightness anymore.

"If you let me in, I might have something juicy for you in return."

Martinez’s eyes sparkled on hearing those words, and he swiftly tapped Sergio’s shoulders.

"You heard Signora Aurora. When has she ever promised and not fulfilled her promise?"

"You’re so easily swayed," Sergio hissed through his teeth in irritation.

"But—"

"No buts. Luce will have our heads if we allow anyone to go through this gate without his permission."

"So you’re saying you’re going to refuse me then?" Aurora’s tone was harsher now.

She was done playing nice.

Sergio gave her a once over, noticing the scowl that had claimed her face.

Knowing how difficult Aurora could get when she didn’t have her way, he swallowed hard.

"I’ll give you another chance to let me in with a promise of compensation."

"Will the boys get some compensation too?" He retorted.

"How many are currently watching?" She questioned, trying her hardest not to move her gaze towards the hidden camera.

"They’re probably three right now in the camera room. The rest are in training," he replied.

"Fine. All five of you will get something from me. Let me in, and not a word of this to Luce. Understood?"

Both men exchanged glances, and with that look, a pact was made.

Together, they opened the gates for Aurora to go through. That way, if trouble came, they would both bear its consequence.

Aurora breathed out as she walked through the pathways of lanotte.

The air here was simply putrid. She squeezed her nose to wade off the stench, but it was too thick in the air to fully disappear.

If the solitude didn’t kill whoever was unfortunate enough to end up in this place, the stench certainly would.

She took a turn, and the light her eyes had grown accustomed to, switched to darkness.

Now this was the real lanotte. This was darkness.

She turned on the flashlight of her phone immediately, and continued walking until she finally stopped in a cell.

A whistle note instantly filled the air on her arrival.

"Signora Aurora, like the people say. It has been forever since I last sniffed the fragrance of your perfume," Tyler James, hidden from the light that came out of her phone, said.

Aurora rolled her eyes. "All these years and you’re still so cringely poetic. Good for you."

He laughed. "Should I be sad then? That would depress me more, and I’ll end up killing myself. We both know that’s not a choice I dare to make."

"Whatever," she hissed, and shifted her touch forward.

It fell directly on Valentina who sat at a particular spot with her head resting on her folded knees.

She made quiet humming sounds, as if there was no one else around.

Aurora cleared her throat, hoping it would draw Valentina’s attention to her.

But when Valentina did not give her the attention she needed, she kissed her teeth.

"Valentina!" She yelled her name out with vigour.

Valentina still did not respond, neither did she break her hum.

"I think she is soliloquizing through a tune. Valentina?" Tyler called out to her in a singsong voice, and then hurled into maniacal laughter.

Aurora wheezed at his crazy reaction. However, part of her couldn’t even fault him for it.

This place was cruel enough to turn even the sanest of minds into a delirious mess.

"Valentina Wallace!" she screamed.

The humming paused immediately, as Valentina listened to the echoes of her voice that lingered for a bit.

Slowly, she lifted her head, and moved it towards the direction her name had come from.

Aurora’s raging heart paused a bit, as her gaze widened in puzzlement.

Valentina’s hair scattered all over her face in a tangled mess.

Any other person would look like a gremlin in this situation.

Yet somehow, she managed to look even more beautiful.

Envy squeezed her heart, but it was overridden by curiosity.

If she could hear what was in her mind, she wouldn’t be so captivated by the beauty of Valentina.

"We need to talk," she said.

Valentina laughed. It was curt, and dry. "Why?"

Aurora’s nose scrunched. "Don’t flatter yourself. I do not want to talk to you any more than you want to talk to me. My presence here is simply out of necessity."

Valentina didn’t respond, but only kept staring at her.

"Won’t you say something?" She pressed.

Still, silence remained from Valentina’s end.

Aurora grew even more irate. She wanted to lash out badly.

What would Valentina be able to do in defense, especially in her condition?

"No Ro. It’s not in your nature to do that," she said to herself internally.

"I want to talk to you about my father, and the role you are going to play in restoring the glory of his name." She shot straight to the point.

Valentina couldn’t help the laughter that flew out of her guts.

It was heavy like the flapping wings of an eagle.

This time, there were some emotions in her laughter.

And at the very top of these emotions, was the intense intent to ridicule.

"Over my dead body." She ripped the bandage off the instant her laughter ceased.