His Collateral

Chapter 18

Standing on the doorstep, was a tall brown haired man, I had never seen before. He was good looking with an air of elegance about him.

"Sorry but who are you?" I asked staring at the stranger

He smiled. "You must be Bella." He said, his voice smooth and confident.
"I'm Marco, a friend of Alessandro's."

I was stunned and felt a rush of anxiety.

How did this man know me?

I didn't know who he was and had no idea what to say. I blinked, not sure how to respond. I had never met any friend of Alessandro's before and I wasn't sure what to make of him.

"Y..you know me?" I asked, my voice hesitant and uncertain.

"Yes of course, I know who you are." He said, his smile widening. "You're Alessandro's wife, and it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"I am here to see Alessandro." He added and I quickly realized we had been standing

"I apologize for keeping you waiting at the door." I replied, gesturing for him to come inside, and he stepped over the threshold.
I closed the door and turned to face him.
"Alessandro is in his study. I'll let him know you're here."

"Thank you." He said, his voice full of gratitude.
I made my way upstairs and to his study. I knocked on the door and heard a low come in.

I twisted the door knob slowly and stepped inside just a little bit. He looked up and a small smile appeared on his face.

I still have to get used to that.

"Someone's here to see you. He said his name is Marco."

He got up from his seat behind the desk. "Alright."
We leave his study and make our way downstairs. Marco is sitting down in the living room, but hears our footsteps and stands.

"Marco!" Alessandro exclaims fretting him with a warm smile and a friendly embrace. They exchanged pleasantries and talked for a while. I turn to leave when Alessandro takes hold of my hand.
"I believe you've met my wife Bella." He said and I could've sworn his friend Marco had the same shocked expression as I did, but he tried his best to cover it, whereas I... and you know the rest.

"Yes. We've already met." Marco said

"Alright then. We'll be in my study." Alessandro said to me before walking off with his friend. I watched as both their figures disappeared up the stairs and then made my way to the kitchen. As I entered, I saw Mary, her back turned to me as she stood at the sink.

"There was someone at the door." I said, drawing her attention.
"I took care of it."

"Oh?" Mary turned, a curios look on her face. "Who was it?"

"His name is Marco. He said he's a friend of Alessandro's." I replied

"Oh yes," Mary said a smile playing at the corner of her mouth.
"Sir Marco. Him and Alessandro have been friends for years. They're quite close."

"So he's here often?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Yes, he visits quite often." Mary said. "He's always been a friend to Alessandro even when things were tough."
My curiosity was piqued, and I wondered what she meant by that.

"What do you mean when things were tough?" I asked and saw Mary's expression change. She looked like she had said something she shouldn't have.

"Oh, never mind that! I meant it business wise." She said waving her hand dismissively.
"Let's start dinner."

I hesitated but I knew she wasn't going to tell me anything else. So I nodded and turned to the task at hand, dinner.
A few hours went by and we were almost done with dinner.
I decided to get started on plating when Mary asked me to go tell Alessandro and Marco that dinner was ready.
I nodded and walked up the stairs to Alessandro's study. I was about to open the door but paused as I heard my uncles name. I pressed my ear closer to the door, trying to make out more of what they were saying.