A Twisted Tale

Home Sweet Home

Valerio's POV

To say I was thankful that Meera was going back was an understatement. Greta knew that it would be impossible to talk to me without alerting Meera so she called me up. She was frantic over the phone because she spotted Aurora walking away from the house with fury written all over her face. Greta was worried for my safety but I knew that Aurora wouldn't hurt me. Not until she carried around her love for me. I was worried for Meera. She must have known that Meera spent the night in my company and assumed the worst like always.

Aurora was a mad woman. Despite her claims of her treatment going right, I knew she would resort to her old ways. I learnt from her psychiatrist that the medicines made her drowsy and incapable of sound decisions. I took his advice and didn't call her but turns out that she became a lot worse after I stopped calling. After the first encounter with Aurora at my house the day Meera was here, I called up her doctor once again. The conversation went something like this.
"Hello Mr. Moretti. How may I help you?" Asked Dr. Adrian Vasilakis. I told him about my encounter with Aurora and asked him if she was a threat anymore. "Mr. Moretti, I assure you that she has changed. After you stopped calling her, she didn't resort to tantrums. Instead, she started taking her medicines and became more compliant to the treatment. Our regular sessions included you and the women you were spotted with. She didn't show any of the violent tendencies. Which is why I've personally cleared her but told her to continue taking the medicines. If you feel she is resorting to her old self, please don't hesitate to contact me. But for now, I can safely say that she is not a threat."

I took his word for it and believed that she wouldn't be a threat. But I knew that Aurora was a ticking time bomb. And I had to get Meera far away from here for the sake of the partnership. I asked Greta for some strong coffee and waited for Meera to get dressed.
She came down wearing what I brought for her. She looked effortlessly chic in the clothes. She had her hair down and wore almost no make-up. Her eyes were her most defining features. But her lips drew the most attention. I didn't realize I was staring at her until she stood right before me and cleared her throat.
I smiled at her and asked her if she would like some breakfast. When she nodded, I asked Greta to serve the food. She wanted to get straight to the point but I shook my head and asked her to finish her meal first. Greta pulled out freshly baked chocolate croissants and made me a café latte. I asked Meera if she would like some coffee but she declined the offer and stuck with her usual green tea. She opted for bread, butter and orange marmalade. We ate in comfortable silence.

I took my time to eat because I was thinking of how to approach the situation without making things worse. Given my history, Aurora's entry always left me in a bad mood and right now, I didn't want any conflict with Meera. "I thought of booking a commercial flight for you but decided against it. I've decided to personally accompany you to London. After all, you're going back home and I want to leave a lasting impression so that you don't forget that there is someone waiting for you here."

She gave me a smile and said "That's really very sweet of you but it's unnecessary. I will be fine on my own. Besides, don't you have a company to run here? Coming with me will only be taxing. Coming to forgetting you, the way your dad threw the proposal in my face, I'll never forget the feeling in a lifetime."
I leaned into her and said "So you won't forget me because of the proposal my dad offered or is it because of this?" I captured her lips in a lingering kiss. I knew that stealing a kiss occasionally would not be enough, but I knew that the wait was worth it. "Oh yes, definitely this." I said with a gleam in my eyes when I saw her blush. I looked at my watch and sighed. "We have to leave now. You have to get back to the apartment and pack your clothes. We'll leave for London in an hour. Is that sufficient time for you to pack?" I asked. Since the apartment was a good thirty minute drive from here, she told me that she needed more time to pack. We left for the apartment in my car. I introduced her to Josh. Josh was well built and looked like a tough cookie. But I learnt that he had a great sense of humour and only liked people based on his gut instinct. He instantly took to Meera and started conversing with her about London. I held her hand the whole way as she chatted with Josh. Josh and Meera had one thing in common. His wife was a fellow Londoner. She moved here two years ago but can't stop biting his ears off about all the things she missed about London. Meera didn't realize that we were at the apartment until I started pulling her out of the car. Our ride up to the penthouse in the elevator was silent. I was trying to control my possessive instincts but gave up once we entered her apartment. The lights switched on and I immediately held her in a vise like grip. I turned her around to face me and grabbed her in a hungry kiss. I wanted to leave my mark everywhere so that men knew she was taken. She responded back with excitement and ran her fingers along his hair. She was the one to pull back first. I looked at her and said " I'm not known to be a jealous man but I sure as hell am possessive about what's mine. Watching you talk to Josh animatedly made me want to see his blood." She rolled her eyes playfully and said "One, Don't objectify me. Technically we're not together yet. And Two, Josh is a married man. Ma and Martha taught me better!" I laughed and said "You said yet. That's a good sign." She walked into her room with me following behind. I plopped on her bed while she pulled out her clothes and started packing. I took in her appearance and smiled. Until the meeting in London took place, I wouldn't get to see her. She was done within thirty minutes.

I looked at my watch and saw that it was exactly twelve noon. Meera told me that she was ready to leave. I informed Josh to take the luggage and then drive us to Linate airport. It was a fifteen minute drive because she lived in the centre of the city. On reaching the airport, we spotted my jet on the runway. If it was any other woman, she would have swooned at the sight of my luxurious private jet. But Meera was bathed in luxury as much as I was, she didn't seem impressed in the slightest. We were comfortably seated when our hostess walked in and asked us if we wanted anything to drink. Meera declined politely while I asked for a stiff whiskey.

Given a chance, Meera would have stayed silent forever but I couldn't let that happen. Her voice was musical and I absolutely enjoyed listening to her. "I'm serious! There is an actual legit band called Infected Mushroom you wanker! Laugh all you want but I'm not making that up." she yelled. I made the mistake of asking her about music preference and she started off with a whole list of bands and artists she liked. It was hard to keep up with her love for music. We discussed about a lot of trivial things throughout the flight. The hostess told us that we would be reaching London in thirty minutes. I sobered up when it dawned on me that I wouldn't get to see her for a while. She noticed the sudden change in my mood and asked me if I was alright. "Meera, you know I'll miss you right? I can't imagine going back home and not getting to see your pretty face. I'll come to London for the meeting but know that we are not done. Whatever exists between us, I'm more than willing to take it to the next level with you. The ball is in your court now." I said squeezing her hand.
She gave me a reassuring smile but didn't say anything else. I didn't know what to make of it. I knew I had to head back to Milan so I bid goodbye to Meera with a kiss on her forehead and returned home to the problem at hand. Aurora.