Twisted Fixation

『 Chapter 72 』

Giancarlo looked in their direction, and his eyes were narrowed. He walked toward them with a stern expression on his face. Valentina, on the other hand, had an amused look as she approached them cautiously, following her brother.

That's when Yuri realized that she was still holding Favio's hands, so she quickly let go, feeling a rush of embarrassment.

"Why are you here outside under this scorching sun?" Giancarlo asked, his voice filled with annoyance, but he cupped her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Because I missed you," she said in response, but he raised a brow at that as if silently telling her that her answer wasn't convincing enough, especially since he just saw her holding hands with Favio.

Yuri averted her attention to Valentina and smiled at her. She also stood from her seat.

"I was waiting to finally introduce myself to you. My name is Yuriko Rivera, but you can call me Yuri."

Valentina smiled back, although one of her brows was also raised. "I've heard a lot about you, Yuri. I am sorry, but I even had someone check your background, so it kind of feels like I already know you."

Valentina's smile faltered slightly, as if she was trying to gauge Yuri's reaction to her confession. Yuri's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure and chuckled softly.

"Well, I suppose I should be flattered that you went through all that trouble just to learn about me. I hope what you found didn't disappoint."

"I am certainly not. In fact, learning more about you only piqued my curiosity further. It's always intriguing to meet someone who has the reputation of a deadly assassin but has the face of an angel. I heard you even managed to put two of Giancarlo's men in the hospital."

Yuri smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders. "I did what I had to do."

Giancarlo shook his head and put his arm around her shoulders. "Yuri had been looking forward to meeting you, mia sorella, so please indulge her curiosity. Favio, seguimi." (Follow me)

The two women watched the two men walk away, leaving them behind.

"How's the preparation for Sicily going? Did your doctor say that you are alright to travel in your condition?" Valentina asked, caressing her stomach even though the bump is still not visible.

"We went to my doctor the other day, and I was told that I am in good health and there should be no issues with traveling to Sicily. However, I will need to rest during the trip."

"Well, my brother has a private plane, so for sure you'll have a comfortable journey. Is your mother going to join us as well?"

For a moment there, Yuri was surprised by the mention of her mother, but she quickly remembered Valentina saying that she did a background check on her.

"To be honest, I do not want more people to be involved in this, and with my mother's condition, it would be best for her to stay here."

Valentina nodded understandingly at that. "You know, I find it quite amusing that you are with someone like my brother. Unlike you, who risked her life to seek the justice your father deserved, my brother killed his own."

She smiled at that. "He had to do it, and I am certain that it was not easy for him too. And it's impossible not to fall in love with your brother when he never failed to make me feel safe and loved even though we almost killed each other the first time we met."

Valentina laughed at that. "That's really cheesy and cliché; I want to throw up."

***

The day of their departure for Sicily has come, and the people in the villa are busy making sure that they already have everything they need, especially Yuri's belongings, which Giancarlo emphasized should be taken care of with high attention and priority.

"You do not have to bring those apple juices anymore, mia cara. I could get them for you in Sicily," Giancarlo said, almost laughing upon seeing her pile up a box with her apple juices.

She pouted and crossed her arms, saying, "No, I don't want anything different."

Giancarlo shrugged and smiled as he walked in her direction and pulled her into an embrace, realizing that it was just one of Yuri's quirks that made her endearing.

"Alright, but let the maids do that. Our travel time is less compared to when we travel to Manila, but I want you to rest."

He knew he couldn't argue with her determination, so he decided to let her have her way. Even though he could get the best apple juice for her in Sicily, he's still unsure whether Yuri would like it, so he doesn't want to risk disappointing her.

Valentina then appeared in the doorway. She looked at her for a moment, then at Giancarlo. "I got confirmation that Stefano had already left."

"That's good to know. Just in case he wants to die, at least he is going to die in the place where he came from."

Yuri remained silent as the siblings continued to talk about their plans once they were already there. She suddenly felt the need to breathe, so she reluctantly removed herself from Giancarlo's embrace.

"I want to call mom," she said, leaving the two to their conversation.

It was just an excuse to get away from the tense atmosphere and find a moment of solace, but she realized that it would be good to really call her mother, so she pulled out her phone and dialed her mother's number.

"Is everything alright?" her mother asked right away upon answering the call. She smiled at that.

"I am alright, mom. We haven't left yet, and I figure that it would be great to give you a call before we go. Are you taking your medicines properly?"

She heard her mom sigh deeply. "I have been taking my medicines really well, and since your husband got excellent doctors for me, at this rate I might even be able to go off some of them soon since the doctor also said my health has already improved, I could even go to work already. What time are you going?"

"I am just waiting for Giancarlo to give the signal. Anyway, I want you to be careful while I am gone, alright?"

"You are the one who is going to a different country to meet a criminal family, so I guess you should take care of yourself and not worry about me. Anyway, is Giancarlo nearby? Give him the phone, and I need to talk to him."

Yuri walked back to the kitchen where he found Giancarlo still talking to Valentina. He paused upon seeing her approach.

"Mom wants to talk with you." she said, handing the phone to Giancarlo.

"Agatha," Giancarlo said, taking the phone from her. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, and Giancarlo is quiet too, so she couldn't gauge the nature of their conversation.

However, Yuri could sense the tension in Giancarlo's demeanor as he listened to his mother's voice on the other end of the line.

"I'll make sure that nothing bad happens to her, Agatha. My sister is also going to take care of her."

Giancarlo motioned for her to come closer, and when she did, he put an arm around her shoulders. He then handed her her phone back.

"What did she say?" she asked intriguingly.

"Of course, she's just worried about you. Are you ready to go now?"

Yuri paused for a moment before taking Giancarlo's hand. "Let's do this."