NICCOLÒ

10. Worth Dying For

She didn't remember walking back to her room, but when she woke up, she was lying in the Pink Room, her blanket still wrapped around her shoulders.

Tap tap. "May I have permission to enter, Miss?" Cee blinked, struck with deja vu.

"Sure," she called, sitting up slowly. Flo walked into the room, tray in hand, as if nothing had happened. "Flo!" Cee jumped out of bed, hugging the girl tightly. "Oh my god, Flo!"

"Miss Cee," Flo replied, laughing. "I'm okay, Miss, I swear."

"Where were you? Are you hurt?" Cee pulled away, inspecting her at arms' length. "Did Nic- Did Mr Romano hurt you?" Flo shrugged, placing the tray down on the bed. As she moved, her sleeves slid up her arms, revealing yellowing bruises. "Oh, Flo- "

"Miss," Flo said firmly, "Mr Romano did not intend to hurt me." Cee pulled back Flo's sleeve gently, despite her protests. "I tried to slap him, Miss. His men hurt me." Cee noticed the shadow along Flo's jaw.

"Flo- "

"No, Miss," Flo smiled, "I deserved that. No one should disrespect Mr Romano. He has been nothing but kind to me before."

"Tell me what happened," Cee pleaded, making Flo sit with her on the bed. Flo sighed, her fondness of Cee overcoming her desire to work.

"Mr Romano believed you were a spy," she started, noting Cee's eye-roll. "He confronted me about allowing you into the medical wing, in case you were there to collect information on the explosion."

"But I wasn't- " Cee tried, angrily, but Flo hushed her.

"And that was when I tried to hurt him, Miss, to defend you." Cee's eyes widened fractionally. "I understood I put the family at risk, but you mean no harm, Miss, I know you don't."

"Flo," Cee whispered, her voice hushed.

"They locked me away for a few days, just to teach me a lesson. Mr Romano came to see me this morning."

"This morning?" Cee checked the clock on her pink wall. It was one in the afternoon.

"To let me go, Miss. He said he valued my loyalty to you."

"He should have apologised, Flo," Cee snapped, her expression distraught, "he shouldn't have locked you up like that." Flo smiled, shaking her head.

"I forget you're still new here, Miss. Mr Romano does not apologise, Miss. Ever." Cee went quiet, running over last night's events in her mind.

---

Cee wandered up the stairs, trusting her feet to lead her to Niccolò's office. She had to thank him, for releasing Flo.

"Niccolò?" she called softly, knocking twice on the door. "Are you there?" 

"Come in." Cee opened the door, her heart picking up speed slightly.

"Niccolò, I- " she stopped suddenly. "Luca?" Luca spun around in his cousin's chair, a grin on his face, his fingers laced together like some movie villain. 

"Since when have you been on a first name basis with my cousin?" Cee blushed, hiding her face behind her hair.

"Where is he?" she asked curiously, her heart calming down again. "Does he know you're in his chair?" Luca leaped up with a guilty smile on his face.

"Business," he said, raising an eyebrow, "but that doesn't answer my question."

"I won't tell him you were borrowing his office if you stop asking about Niccolò," Cee bargained, grinning as Luca swore jokingly.