A Woman's Empire

XIII

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The car pulled up into the driveway of a fancy hotel and Audrielle felt like someone had squeezed all of the air out of her lungs. Leo and Audrielle both hopped out of the car and neither didn't bother about their luggage. People rushed around in a hurry and when Audrielle walked in through the doors of the hotel, she gasped. Beautiful pillars held up the ceiling which had intricate paintings of the Roman gods and goddesses that danced through blue clouds. Everything about the hotel had already screamed luxury that Audrielle wouldn't believe what the room would look like.

Instead of waiting at the front desk for a key to their room, Leo walked straight towards the elevator, not worrying about his wife who was still in awe of the entrance.

"Sbrigarsi." Leo snapped and Audrielle scurried into the elevator. She had no idea what Leo had said but by the tone of voice, she could tell he was talking to her.

(Translation: Hurry up)

The elevator was dead silent and it stopped two times; once for an old man who couldn't stop staring at Audrielle and then a mother and her crying daughter that threw a tantrum.

The doors finally dinged and Leo walked out of the elevator, not once acknowledging Audrielle. When Audrielle looked up, she was amazed. The large windows gave a beautiful view of the city of Rome and the living area was furnished with expensive looking couches and a large marble and glass coffee table, stacked with books and magazines of fashion and business. The kitchen that was tucked away behind the wall on the right of the kitchen glimmered in the light that oozed from the skylight above.

Leo took a seat on the couch and scrolled through his phone, uninterested in the penthouse. After taking a stroll around the living area, Audrielle grabbed a glass and sat down on the couch opposite of Leo. Minutes went by and the light that once streamed through the windows was fading as night fell. Audrielle's eyes skimmed across Leo's face. His eyebrows were etched into a frown and every now and then he would pull his lip in and bite it. He sat in a slouch and his appearance wasn't as clean like it was earlier. He no longer wore a tie and his cufflinks were chucked on the coffee table, next to the magazines.

Finally, as the sun burned out and golden rays streamed through, Audrielle broke the silence.

"I'm not pregnant." She stated and Leo glanced up from his phone. Their eyes met and Audrielle felt the dark red colour of embarrassment and shyness etch her cheeks. She didn't like the way Leo was looking at her. The seriousness and the darkness that lurked in his forest green eyes made her feel like she was just an ant compared to Leo.

"I-I mean, I don't t-think I- I'm pregnant because for that to happen... then we would -um- you know..." Audrielle rambled, fiddling with her fingers.

"What? You mean we'd have to have sex?" Leo chuckled. Audrielle looked down at her lap immeditatly as her locks of brown hair covered her blazing red cheeks. She swallowed the ball of saliva that was building up in her throat and she tilted her head back up when she heard Leo clear his throat.

"T-then why did you tell your grandmother that I-I was?" Silence fell through the room again and Audrielle hated it. She just wished that Leo would talk to her and not put her through the pain of silence. Silence was a slow killer.

Just as she was about to give up and walk away, Leo finally spoke up.

"Come here." Leo ushered, and Audrielle quickly stood up, her feet quiet and cautious as she walked closer to the devil. Audrielle stood in front of Leo and was surprised when Leo pulled her closer to him, causing her to fall onto his lap.

"My famiglia are very complicated." Leo muttered, tucking a strand behind Audrielle's ears as she held eye contact with him. "I know you're not pregnant. Well, not with my children and hopefully no one else. But my family on my father's side are very, how would I say this? Hmm, they like to stick to 'tradition' and therefore I had to lie about you being pregnant. My father was born into business, Audrielle. Much stricter than yours. Hustling runs through his veins and he does not see this marriage as love, it is a business deal. And part of the deal is for you to become pregnant with my children." Leo said, never taking his eyes off of Audrielle.

(Translation: Family)

"My father wants this to happen very quickly and so will my grandparents, my aunties and uncles. Simply because they've grown up in the business world. They will be expecting children very soon. But I don't want to force you." He said. "So I shall feed them lies everyday until we are expecting our first child." Leo sighed, placing a simple kiss on Audrielle's cheek.

Audrielle rested her head on Leo's chest as his hands gently ran up and down her back, almost soothing her to sleep. With her head tilted to the side and Leo's hot breath fanning her forehead, she watched the stars float in the dark sky and the city lights of Rome create a warm silhouette of the buildings. For a busy city, it sure was peaceful or maybe it was because the windows were sound proof. Just as her eyes were fluttering close, Leo began to speak.

"Fiorellino, it is getting late. Do you want me to run you a bath and I'll call room service for some dinner?" He asked and she shyly nodded. Audrielle crawled off of Leo's lap and sat back down as Leo walked away towards the bathroom.

(Translation: Petal)

When Leo returned to the living room, Audrielle watched him make his way to the dining table and pick up a gold telephone that sat next to a bouquet of white roses.

"Buona sera. Vorrei ordinare il servizio in camera per due." Audrielle listened to what Leo was saying. She was amazed at how fast Leo was talking and she suddenly admired the Italian language.

(Translation: Good evening. I would like to order room service for two.)

"Vorrei due pasti di tre portate e una bottiglia del vostro migliore champagne. All'attico per favore." Leo said. Leo put the phone down after a few more words were said and then his eyes fell onto Audrielle's.

(Translation: I would like two three course meals and a bottle of your best champagne. To the penthouse please.)

Leo couldn't believe that she was his wife and although he hadn't planned on getting married, he was starting to see the business deal more than what it originally was. He too found himself admiring his partner. The way she walked around gracefully and her impeccable manners that she showed to everyone. When his father told him about the arranged marriage, he wasn't happy. He thought that Audrielle would be a spoilt brat who only walked around spending her father's money and telling everyone what to do. But Audrielle was the complete opposite to his expectations.

"Come." Leo suddenly ushered and Audrielle stood up, standing in front of him. They held eye contact for a brief moment as Leo caressed Audrielle's cheek with his thumb. Slowly leaning in, Leo placed his lips on Audrielle's and they shared an intimate kiss that found Audrielle's insides ignite in flames. Even if the kiss was somewhat PG, Audrielle wanted more of the affection that Leo was suddenly offering.

"Dinner will be here soon, maybe it's best if you take a bath now and then we can watch a movie after dinner. How does that sound, hm?" Leo mumbled and Audrielle smiled, lifting her heels off of the wooden floor ever so slightly to plant a kiss on Leo's soft lips before she disappeared to the bathroom.