Dreaming of Versace (The Monteverde Series 6)

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Chapter One

VERA

              If there's one person I really look up to – it's my mother. I know people say that nobody is perfect, but they clearly have not crossed paths with her. She is the epitome of the word. She is kind, and beautiful, and gracious, and gentle, and caring. I could see why my father fell in love with her. When she was my age, she put up a non-profit organization to save the abandoned and neglected cats and dogs. She pushed down her fear of showing up on television to encourage people to adopt and not shop from breeders.

              Often, I find myself wondering if I really am my mother's child. I had none of her grace and gentleness. I was disastrous, and messy, and indecisive. My father would sometimes joke that I got these qualities from him, but even in my father's worst days, he's not as troublesome as I am.

              Where I go, trouble follows.

              Even my sister, Maree, has got her life together. She's just flown to London last week to oversee the expansion of the Clohessy, Inc. Empire built by our grandmother. Unlike her, I didn't have any passion for running the family businesses.

              So, what did I do with my degree?

Nothing. I built a tattoo shop in Manila.

              "Il fait trop chaud aujourd'hui," said a voice from behind me.

              "Oui, Maman." My mother handed me a glass of cold orange juice before she sat next to me on the couch. "Merci."

The two of us sat in silence, while enjoying the view from the porch. From here, we could see the towering gate of Villa Blanco, the first point of access to this piece of land. In the middle was a discolored fountain with little cherubs. On the right, bushes and tall trees stood proudly, leading to the chess area, and then the gazebo. On the right was where the pool is situated. And at the back, is where all the magic is – the chicken coop and the stables. And if you walk or ride far enough, you'll reach the lake.

It's a beautiful place – that's why I understand why my parents chose to raise us here. It's peaceful, private, and you feel closest to nature.

"Everything okay?" She kissed the top of her head. "You seemed really distracted when you came back, ma poupette." I love how that endearment stuck around. When I was a child, she'd always call me her doll, because she said I looked exactly like her, minus the blue eyes.

"I'm alright, Maman. Just tired lately." I leaned against her, and she hugged me with one arm. Suddenly, I wanted to tell her how shitty this month had been for me. "And I missed you and Papa."

She raised her eyes teasingly. "Did you run into any trouble in the city while you were away? You're being oddly... sweet." She didn't even mask the suspicion in her voice.

I thought about the guy I went on a date with – well, technically, we didn't go on a date because I wasn't really his date. "Of course not. I was mostly just staying in my apartment." The lie seemed to burn my throat. It always feels awful when I leave out information from her. In truth, I couldn't stop thinking of that encounter. It has disrupted my sleep far too many times than I cared to admit.

"Okay, if you say so." I'm glad she didn't press further.

              Ansel has just entered the seminary last month, just like he said. All my hopes went crashing down when I dropped him off. At that time, I was still half-expecting him to tell me it was a prank and that he'd want me to be his girlfriend, but no, he was committed. And so, I did what a normal person would have done in that situation, I begged him to reconsider.