SPITEFUL CHARADES - BOOK V

- Chapter 5 -

Back at his Penthouse apartment in São Paulo, Gunay stood in the sleek glass rainfall shower, and waited for the tension in his shoulders to ease. He waited. And waited and waited. To no avail.

Did his mission fail? Yes.
For the first time in his life? Yes.
Did Iuliana insist for him to take the credit for the sleazeball Giancarlo's demise even though it was clear as day that Iuliana took him out? Oddly? Yes.

And he could not figure out why...

The more he waited for the resolve of his consternation to come, the worse it was becoming. The raindrops falling on his shoulders stopped bothering him long ago. So did the scorching heat of the water pouring down on him. Though he often regained balance in the hottest of showers, that did not occur this time. He showered. Rubbed off the dust of the sand blown around by the blades of the helicopter. And yet, he could not extinguish the scent left behind by Iuliana's perfume. Nor the tingling sensation on his cheek left behind by her hand. Nor the throbbing caress on his lips left behind by her kisses.

He bit his lip out of restlessness. Placing his hands on the wall in front of him, more out of anger than for support, he swore out loud. Twice. It did not help. Hitting his fist against the wall did nothing, either. Whatever he felt on a physical level mixed with the pain of rejection he felt years ago. And all the memories came flashing back in his mind. Whether he could stop it or not...

"What do You want?" Gunay reluctantly greeted his brother Caelum the moment he left the shower, and did not bother to hide the annoyance in his voice during the unexpected video call.

"Who turned Your water cold?" Caelum chuckled in his usual cocky manner while calling on his laptop to check up on his brother from the garden patio of their Isola Bella home overlooking the sea.

"No one," Gunay grit his teeth while running a hand through the hair still dripping with water.

"Awww," Caelum smirked. "So, are You pissed no one turned it cold for You? Or that Iuliana didn't do it?"

"Shut up," Gunay sent his brother a warning gaze. Not because he was upset with Caelum's accusation, but because he must have found out about Iuliana's re-appearance in his life. "I'll pay Roberto for not keeping his mouth shut."

"Pay him well, then. He's a good man," Caelum chuckled. "He cares about Your wellbeing."

"Sure," Gunay shook his head and walked into the master closet, with a towel tied around his waist, to retrieve a pair of slacks.

"You bet," Caelum retorted. "For a mind-reader, be sure not to punish Roberto for keeping Your secrets - punish Your big brother for bragging about You wallowing in self-pity."

"Ras told You?" Gunay paused.

"You bet," Caelum clicked his tongue. "Though, I wonder why You would keep such big news from the rest of us in the first place?"

"It's not big news," Gunay brushed off Caelum's words. He dressed in his favorite designer slacks and made his way to the kitchen with its open concept wall-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city of São Paulo.

"I may be the cocky one, but You're the dumb one if You think we'll fall for it," Caelum mocked him.

"Fall for what?" Emmeline Alistair joined th conversation with a glass of radiant Aperol Spritz.

"Hi Emme," Gunay smiled at her.

"Hi," she saluted him with the glass. "What did You want us to fall for?"

"Nothing," he declined to say anything further.

"Finding the one from the past who'se meant for Your heart is not nothing," Caelum explained in a tone of a self-proclaimed expert, kissing his wife's hand. "Believe me, I know."