The Phantom Conspiracy

2. The Discoveries

Milan, Italy, 12:01 am

The moon was in all it's glory that night, the sky was blanketed in misty clouds. Giana peered out, taking in the darkness and silence. Her eyes searched for clues to locate where the sound had come from. She stepped out of the room allowing the crisp wind to blow against her face and hair. A shiver ran down her spine, the weather was chilly and winter was just around the corner.

She pushed open the sturdy verandah door and a little further away, a tiny spot glinted. Giana walked towards it and bent down to get a better view of it from a safe distance. It was something resembling a seal, it even looked very royal and expensive. She removed the weeds and soil stuck to it. The seal was attached to a thick red envelope made of ornate paper. It had a gold outline with several impressions of doves. Giana picked it up and attempted to tear it open. Her curiosity was making her extremely impatient. At her first try, the seal just slipped-off itself. It was designed very efficiently; in a way to make the task of opening it less tedious.

The envelope revealed a yellow paper with text printed on it in bold black block letters.

'Giana Hades,

This is to inform you that certain bank bonds and other belongings have been traced, you are the sole inheritor of the same. We require your physical presence in order to verify your identity and hand you what rightfully belongs to you. Once you receive this message, please leave a text on the phone number given below. We shall contact you and guide you through the rest of the procedure. The current location of your inheritance is in Venice, Italy. You will be required to reach the location by the 5th, Sunday. Travel expenses will be covered by us and all further details will be co-ordinated via text.

Best Regards,

The Guardians'

The princely style of the envelope and name used to sign-off made Giana burst into fits of laughter. Of course it was joke, there was no inheritance for her. Even this villa that belonged to her parents would go to the government soon. It was disputed due to the lack of proper paper work and they still hadn't found a solid way to prove that it was theirs.

Plus, she was sure that she didn't have any mystery family members. Giana shook her head amused, and casually lifted the paper to have a better look at the mockery that was being made of her. That was when something caught her eyes... a watermark.

It was very similar to the one she was used to seeing on the potraits of her ancestors. It was supposed to be their family emblem, but since both their lineage as well traditions were long forgotten, nobody actually knew that they hailed from the Italian Royalty. This fact was ignored and hardly ever brought up, except for when explaining the heritage to the younger generations.

Giana still thought the letter was a joke, but the watermark had caught her off-guard. She had to dig deeper and find this trouble maker. What if they were in possession of some information that they could potentially use to threaten her. She anyway had enough problems to deal with and didn't want to add another to the ever growing list.

Dazed with the days happenings, she crumpled the letter and pushed it into the rear pocket of her jeans. Tired and confused, she walked back in and headed up the stairs to the room which Riccard had previously stepped into. She must have a chat with him before he falls asleep, the rest can be taken care of in the morning.

Quietly, she crept into the room and found Riccard sitting on the edge of the bed. He had buried his face in his hands and was breathing deeply. He immediately sensed her presence and turned to face her.

'I am sorry... I didn't mean to... Oof, I spoiled your parent's anniversary.' He made a fist and lightly hit it on his forehead.

'You almost burnt me idiot.' Giana said playfully.