Santi's Downfall

Chapter 7: The Trip

To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.

Freya Stark

Santi Marchesi's POV

It was only half-past eight in the morning and the grim expression on my face was now permanent. I was standing on the balcony on the second floor looking at the garden area of my house and the annoyance was emanating through my whole body.

The subject of my exasperation was my charge doing yoga on the perfectly trimmed lawn in her sports bra with matching skin-tight pants. Her bright pink hair was high up in a ponytail drawing the attention of male eyes to her toned body.

The scowl on my face deepened. Doesn't she realize that this household was filled with men? Why was she doing yoga in the middle of my garden for everyone to see?

I held the stoned baluster in my hand with a death grip while watching her doing extreme poses with deep concentration. What the hell...

I heard the smoldering laugh of Nico behind me. I pointedly ignored him as he stood next to me on the balcony. He didn't say anything and just watched the young woman on the lawn with amused interest I was grateful for his silence but I knew it wouldn't last long.

"One of the downsides of having a charge that's barely an adult," Nico commented mockingly on my side. "I see why you're having a bad day early in the morning, boss."

"Don't start with me, Niccolo," I warned darkly, still looking at the little creature in the garden. "I don't have time for your jesting. And can you tell those bastards over there to keep their eyes off James' daughter? I can see from here how they drool."

Instead of heeding my threat, the moron whistled softly sliding his gaze on me and then to my ward outside. "Noted. I see that you're turning out to be an overprotective guardian, cousin. I didn't expect that from you."

I bit back a rough curse because he was highly mistaken there was no way in hell that could be true. I chose not to correct him because it was only a waste of time and he would just accuse me of being defensive so I just remained silent.

"How's your dinner with the fine young lady last night? Was it great?" Nico queried casually beside me while looking at Haven with interest.

I shrugged nonchalantly still taking notes on who I should send to the next dangerous mission we have among my guards who were busy checking James' daughter. Didn't they know that I could see everything from here? I would gladly send them to hell right now if they didn't avert their eyes on her.

"...Santi?"

My cousin dragged me out of my dark thoughts as I was forced to focus my attention on him. I scowl formed on my face when I saw the way his eyes smiled knowingly in my direction. What's wrong with this moron today? Why does he keep looking at me like that? "It's fine," I replied recalling his last question on me.

"Just fine?" He asked indecorously, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

"Yeah. Why?"

He shook his head in disbelief as if he found my answer truly bizarre. "I thought she would be truly happy and grateful after you made sure that the head chef would cook every food that she likes. You know, an A for your effort."

I glowered in at him while I was tempted to smack his head on the stone baluster for having the audacity to say that out loud. "I didn't do such a thing, you bastard!"

My cousin hollered, holding his stomach while he was laughing like an idiot. "That's not what Ricardo told me when I had my breakfast earlier."

"I see that my chef has a loose tongue now maybe I should cut it off for him," I remarked darkly. I couldn't believe that they had the balls to gossip about me behind my back. I thought they were loyal to me I guess I need to reevaluate my beliefs.