Chapter 1: The Death

Croesus, The King of Lydia who known for his wealth

~Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Laura Conti's POV

I remembered it very well that night. It was pouring rain as I was weeping on my father's grave. No one was there. No one was to comfort. The social workers that arranged the funeral only gave their condolences and went away after the priest had blessed the grave. The only people that gathered for the last goodbye was me and Greta, the help that took care of my father.

I only came back from Albania, my work stuck me for three years until I heard the news of my father passed away. I went there for a reason. It only took a day to realize that you sucked and you will never succeed to get the love of your life. But, not me. I don't wallow and cried over the spilled milk that had been done. Not this woman.

"Laura, it's time to go. Please, you will get sick if you stay here any longer" Greta told me to go home. I stood still in front of my father's grave as the rain was pouring heavily.

"You go first, I will go in a minute. Please..." I whispered, wishing that it was loud enough for Greta to hear it. Greta nodded at me and went to the parking lot to get out of the cemetery.

"You promised me to get better. You promised me you will bring me to the altar on my wedding day. You promised..." I wept as I dropped to the ground and crying my heart out. I looked down on the tomb that engraved 'Here lies a father, a brother and a leader that will always be remembered in our heart'. I wept even more as the rain was pouring down and there was a lightning that I heard from afar.

Then, some footsteps coming from behind me. It stopped right behind me and the rain suddenly was not pouring onto me anymore. I cried and cried that I don't even care if the person that stands behind me can hear it. After I wailed and wept like a bloody teenager that loses her love, I gained my posture and stood up. I took a whiff of the cologne of the person behind me and instantly knew who it was. I don't dare to turn around because I knew my heart cannot take any more pain today. I started walking when he took hold of my wrist.

"Laura..." he said. His voice was deep and velvety as I can remember that will always steer something in my heart.

"Not now, Lucca. Why do you care? Why are you even here?" I said before he released my wrist to let me go. I walked in the rain toward the car that was waiting for me. The butler opened up the door for me to enter. I took one last time to look at him. I turned around to see that Lucca was dressing in a black Armani suit that clung to his perfect body. He was standing in the cemetery near to my father's grave. He seems sad for someone that has everything in the world. I turned around and get into the car. The butler closed the door and sped off out of the cemetery, leaving Lucca in the rain behind until he was out of sight in the rearview.

The next day, I also remembered vividly everything that was happening. Our family lawyer reading the will of my father that was left for me and 2 of my brothers, Marco and Kyle. They were talking softly in the father's bedroom about the inheritance that they will get. I wasn't listening to them but the wall has ears. I was seating in my bedroom, wearing all black to show that I was mourning for my father. The butler fetched me to bring me to father's study. Marco and Kyle were already there as well as the attorney.

"Now that you all are here, I will proceed with reading the will. I, Oronzo Conti, will leave all my real estate, bank savings, business companies and 25 cattle ranches in the hands of my daughter, Laura Conti. This will not interfere with her 2 older brothers as they will be busy to find a job to contribute to the household. If they maintain a job for 2 years without help from the inheritance, they will be getting their shares of the will afterward" the attorney stopped after one read from a long breath.

"WHAT!!?" Marco and Kyle lashed out.

"THIS IS ABSURD! HE CAN'T DO THAT TO US! WE'RE HIS SONS!!! Please, is there anything that we can find to break the will, A loophole?" Marco asked the attorney.

"If you wish to work as an entry-level employee at the company without revealing who you are within 1 year, you will get your share afterward but beware, there will be more conditions to come. Are you ready for that?" the attorney asked my brothers. They were ready to lash out on me when the attorney stopped to remind them if anything happened to me, the inheritance will go to the charity. Marco and Kyle looked at me before lashing out of the room.

"Miss Conti..." he said.

"I need to find my father's killer," I said.

"Excuse me?" the attorney asked.

"I need to know who killed my father. Someone killed my father" I said firmly this time.

"But the autopsy told us that he died from heart disease. Surely, no one was held accountable for such disease..." he said before I interrupted.

"I know my father. He was a good man, a healthy man. He never smokes, never drinks took more calorie that he should. I need to know who kills him" I said.

"Miss Conti, you're overthinking this stuff. He's dead now. You need to accept that and let it go. Please, for your sake" the attorney said as he laid his hand on my shoulder before leaving the room. The room was so quiet as there was no one in the mansion anymore. My brothers probably having the best night out of their life as the father will no longer bother to come home.

The clock was ticking until it rang 9 times, an indication that it was 9 PM. I don't feel like eating. So, I just went into my bedroom and laid in bed for the rest of the night. At some point, before I closed my eyes, I cried and wept for my father as I knew that I no longer feel the warmth from him anymore.

But, whenever I closed my eyes, I felt the warmth that I usually got when I was a little girl. His sweet smile, his charming laugh, his eager, twinkling eyes that were looking at me. I was captivated the first moment we had spent together when our parents would be busy to have some business conversations. We would play hide and seek, climbing up the trees in the backyard and looked into the glowing sunset from my backyard and sometimes his. We would make jokes at each other and would be brought it up and then and when we laughed our parents would just look at us strangely.

I remembered the moment when we had to our school. It was my first day in high school during the fall where Lucca was a sophomore. I finally managed to convince my parents to let me go to Lucca's school as I insisted that I only want to study there. I did not tell Lucca yet the surprise. I was wondering around the school after my visit to the principal office and freshman orientation. It was tiring but it is worth it to see Lucca. The last time that I saw him was during the reunion 3 years ago when I was 12 years old. I feel so nervous and excited at the same time.

I was walking around the corridor when I saw some couples were getting it on. Like, GET it on. They were kissing, caressing and roaming onto each other's bodies. I was shy enough to look at them but I wondered what would I feel if I did it with someone that I loved? Immediately Lucca's image came to my mind. I pushed that thought away and just walking around the campus to find my class. It was lunch, so there are many people were roaming around the campus.

I was half a block away from my final destination and suddenly I saw Lucca outside the cafeteria. He looked happy, playful and more charming last 3 years. My heartbeat fast as I was approaching him. I wanted to say hello before something horrible happened in front of me. A girl who looked like the same age as Lucca was talking to him. He pulled the girl and kissed her hard on the lips. My eyes were wide as saucer as I watched the scene in front of me. I took a seat that was near me to hide my face as I was sure that I am red as a tomato. The girl said something to Lucca before heading out from there. Then, I heard them talking.

"Who is she?" one of his friends asked.

"That? One of my hookups," he said.

"Damn, Lucca. You took all the girls here. Leave us some," his friend joked.

"Hey, it's not my fault they want me and not you guys," he said, shuffling to get to his class.

"I bet you slept with every girl in the school," his friend said.

"You know it. No one can resist one and only Lucca Giovanni," he said before taking his backpack and walked out with his friend toward their class.

And of course, I googled Hookup. When I read the description, I wanted to throw up. I went to my class as well as my spirit was already broken to learn anything. Not much to learn anyway as it was intermediate trigonometry when I already took a test for advanced calculus. I guess my spirit was gone when I learned the fact that the person that I loved from childhood had already given himself to another person.

Lucca Giovanni's POV

Laura's perfume was intoxicating my nostrils as she went past me to get to her car that was waiting along beside the road of the ceremony. I wanted to hold her and went to her side as she went inside the car, looking at me for the last time as her violet eyes shone under the cloudy days.

It just reminded me of how she would pass me around in college with her friends. I would look at her but she just avoided me like I was a disease to her. I did not know what I do. We were close when we were young but then one day she just shut me out of her life. I saw her around campus but never had a chance to talk to her properly, partially because I was busy with the student council and all other girls that were hitting on me.

My phone rang as I was deep in my memories of Laura. It has been forever since I last met her as she was never around the last 3 years. I needed to get to her as soon as possible but my works just piled up and cannot get out of my office as quick as possible. I answered the phone as my friend hit me up.

"Yo, Giovanni, want to hang out this weekend?" A familiar voice rang through my phone. I sighed.

"You know, for someone busy flying around the world to get women in their bed, you kind of free all the time," I said as I heard a chuckle at the end of the line.

"What can I say, I was famous among the ladies, unlike a certain someone that I know," Nicholas said after he laughed at my weak attempt of sarcasm.

"I can't. I have some important stuff to do," I said as I looked at my watch. It almost 6 PM.

"look, I need to go now. Talk to you later," I said before I hung up and called my secretary to cancel my schedule for tomorrow. I have something that I need to do.