His Collateral

Chapter 20

Alessandro's POV:
"The plan is simple. You'll meet with Aldo. We'll make it look like a coincidence. You need to keep him distracted, you know, engage him in a conversation. And that's where my part comes in. I'll come in and I'll make a scene. I'll confront Aldo, giving you the opportunity to bug his phone." I explained to Christy and she nodded
"I'll also be wearing a recorder when I confront Aldo. That way we'll have a recording of our conversation in case he says anything incriminating. If everything goes according to plan, after I confront Aldo, he would definitely try to get rid of whatever evidence he thinks is left. He might contact whoever is doing his dirty work for him but we'll be able to track all of his calls and texts through the cloned phone." I added.

Marco also nodded in agreement. "But we would also need to monitor Christy's meeting with Aldo, so you can know when to make your move. We can't risk leaving anything to chance." He said

"I know. I'll sort that out. One of my men would be here tomorrow with the necessary equipments. We'll be able to monitor everything from start to finish." I replied

My eyes then wandered off to Bella who had been quiet the whole time. I could tell she was nervous. She seemed to notice me staring at her and straightened up in her seat, giving me a tight lipped smile. I smiled back at her and then at the group.

"Done?" I asked and everyone nodded. "Alright! Let's have dinner." I added. Everyone made their way to the dining. Bella began serving the food and Christy helped her while Marco took his seat.

Some hours later...
After dinner, Marco and Christy bid their goodbyes as it was already late, while Bella who was already exhausted, made her way upstairs.
I sat alone in the living room, my mind reeling with thoughts of my brother and of Aldo. I thought about my plan, and all the risks that came with it. I wanted everything to go smoothly. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling of doubt that lingered in the back of my mind. Aldo was a cunning man and would do anything to save his ass.

After hours of sitting alone in the living room, I decided I needed to get some rest. Tomorrow was a big day. I made my way upstairs and walked into the room. I noticed the lights were dimmed and Bella was curled up on the couch, turning occasionally. I then continued to the bathroom, where I took a long, hot shower. When I was finished, I threw on some gray sweat pants and climbed into the bed.

I laid there, in the dimly lit room, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts still racing as I tried to get some sleep.
But I could hear Bella, still tossing and turning on the couch, which made it hard for me to fall asleep. I sat up on the bed and stared at her for a moment.
She looked uncomfortable.

Of course she is, stupid.

I felt an instant pang of guilt hit me hard. My gaze then drifted to the empty space beside me on the bed and then back at her. As if I had no control over my body, I got off the bed, and walked over to the couch, sitting next to Bella. And as carefully as I could, I lifted her up in my arms, trying not to wake her up.
I walked back to the bed and as I carefully placed her on the bed, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked, up close. I had never been this close to her before and I felt my heart beat increase. It was like seeing her for the first time.
I continued to gaze at her sleeping form as my eyes wandered from her smooth skin, to her long dark lashes that rested against her cheeks. And then my eyes drifted to her lips. I was caught off guard by the surge of emotions that washed through me. I felt myself being drawn to Bella, in ways I couldn't explain.
I quickly shook my head and pulled away from Bella in an attempt to clear my mind of the thoughts that had began to cloud my thinking. I gently pulled a blanket over her body, ensuring she was warm before laying back down. I tried to push away thoughts of her and focus on more mundane things like tomorrow's plan but even as I mentally listed the tasks ahead of me, I could still feel my heart racing, and my thoughts lingering on the woman who had taken up residence in my mind. I sighed, trying to simply let my body rest, even if my mind refused to cooperate.

Bella's POV:
I turned over to the other side of the bed, wrapping myself even more with the blanket. I had never been this relaxed for years while sleeping.

But this couch has never been this comfortable.

"That's because you're not on the couch silly." My subconscious replied.

Then where am I?

I slowly opened my eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight streaming through the window. As my vision adjusted, I became aware of my surroundings, the comfortable bed, the soft sheets that covered me... I was in Alessandro's bed.
I felt a flood of panic wash over me. I didn't remember falling asleep on his bed. I could imagine how angry he would be if he saw me here. I quickly jumped out of the bed and decided to make it, so he wouldn't notice.
I was halfway down when I heard the door to the room open and Alessandro stood there, staring at me with a cup of coffee in his hand. I looked at him, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Why are you making my bed?" He asked, his voice calm and curious.

I took a deep breath and tried to speak, but the words were stuck in my throat.
"I...I...I'm so sorry," I finally managed to say. "I didn't mean to fall asleep here. I don't know how it happened. I was so tired yesterday..I.." I couldn't complete my sentence because I wasn't even sure of what to say.
I looked at him, expecting anger or annoyance, but instead, I saw a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Was he actually amused by the situation?

"It's okay." He's said, his smile growing a bit wider. "I'm just happy you slept well." He added.
I couldn't believe it. I knew he had let me bend the other rules but, I never expected it for this one. I expected him to be upset and try to hurt me or something but he seemed to be making light of the situation.
I looked back at him, still trying to make sense of what had just happened when he spoke up.
"Freshen up and come downstairs, everyone's there."

I nodded and he left the room. I quickly got into the bathroom and took a hot shower after which I dried my hair and threw on some underwear then a green knee length, long sleeved, floral gown. I combed my hair out and held it back with a scrunchie, before heading down.

On getting downstairs. I spotted a man in all black, he had blonde hair and a tanned skin. He was seated behind a computer with a really wide screen. I assumed he was the guy Alessandro had mentioned last night.
There wasn't just a computer but a huge black box with a lot of other devices, speakers, cameras and so on. Everything was set up. I looked around for Alessandro but I couldn't find him neither could in find Christy. It was then I noticed Marco, who was also seated behind the guy, staring intently at the screen, in front of them.
So I slowly made my way over to the computer and I saw him, face to face with my uncle, Aldo.
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