CHAPTER TWENTY

Cute little Bum

After minutes of Walking Ethan and Bella arrived outside the building, he took her inside a black Corolla and a driver drove them Through an inner gate with a fence slightly larger than the one that led them in revealing a Smaller, old-fashioned building with plenty of guards around it.

' the security here looked very tight' She thought.

"That was an extension of our mansion this is our Grey mansion. " He announced. "I want to show you around".

Bella's smile widened into a Cheshire smile... This was the part she had been waiting for.

Ethan helped Bella out of the Car as they walked into the building. The Living room was Richly Furnished with a Huge white Sofa, and on the wall was a picture of Williams Santiago and Lola in black, they wore a pair of dark shades.

A glassware shaped like an eagle stood at one side of the room and The place Smelled like a field of wildflowers.

"Lovely place" Bella commended. She felt a magnetic force pulling her in as she circled around the room.

"I'm glad you like it, it's not as pretty as our other mansions" Ethan felt proud she was Impressed by their old place but no, she was rather fascinated and curious to find out about them, the great Santiago's.

"I'll show you more come," He said as they walked past the dining table a few meters from the living room.

" You grew up here," She asked as he led her up the mahogany-carved stairs.

"Yeah, We were born here... I and Emily then moved to Russia...We stayed there for two years and then we returned to Brooklyn again" He replied.

"You said your Dad did business in Russia... What kind of business did he do?" Bella asked as though she didn't know of the business he referred to. Ethan felt silent.

"Perhaps He was building his companies then," She said hoping he would speak. She knew Ethan would never tell anyone about his past, He would likely lie to conceal it but she wanted to find out, she had to know. Ethan frowned at her statement.

"He had issues at that time, you see my Dad wasn't really the praiseworthy public Icon most people view him to be, The truth was that we were in hiding at that time" He began and Bella's ears stood begging for details, Unfortunately, he stopped in front of a door.

"This used to be Emily's room, The other room at the End is my parent's bedroom and my Dad's boring study is just opposite it, He sneaks in and out of it at night and spends most of his time there" Ethan Babbled on, then they got to another door similar to Emily's.

"This used to be my room, Wanna come in and have a look?" He asked and Bella nodded, How could she refuse such an offer. It wasn't Wiiliam's room but it was enough, Now if only she could lead him away and search the whole place but that wasn't going to happen, Even if Ethan left her alone, the guards might catch her snooping around, perhaps she might get something in this old fuzzy room of his.

Ethan inserted a key and opened the door gently, Bella wondered why he still had the key to his room, He had two mansions in Brooklyn and maybe others she didn't know about, well he sure had memories here. The room looked clean and wide, and it also had that wildflower scent she liked. Why would she admire anything from a place that housed these people?

A large bed dressed with deep blue bedsheet stood at the corner, it looked adorable with old toys packed in a basket and when she looked up her eyes met a picture of Ethan hanging on the wall, he looked about seven or eight, and he wore a wide smile with few teeth missing.

Ethan followed her eyes and when he saw she was staring at his picture he gave an embarrassing chuckle.

"I looked terrible right?"

"Absolutely... But look at you now, no one would believe you looked like that once" Bella found herself fascinated by the picture and at the look on Ethan's face.

" the haircut... You remind me of that kid in Little Rascals..." her giggles trailed off. Ethan though Embarrassed that Bella thought he looked funny found himself interested in the fact he made her laugh.

This was actually the first time he saw something interest her, and the first time he heard her laugh and it was all because of him.

Bella stopped laughing when she saw Ethan smiling at her, wasn't he supposed to be mad at her or something.

"I'm sorry I got carried away" She apologised, but Ethan's response shocked her.

"Wait here I think I have more pictures, our family Albums are in my parent's room. I'll go get them," He said dashing out of the e room, leaving Bella inside the room. Bella stood walking around searching for any CCTV cameras when the coast seemed clear Her eyes scanned the room, there was nothing much in the room, just old clothes and boy's stuff.

"Urgh! Why does it have to be here... why didn't he take me with him" She groaned stamping her feet, she didn't want to ask him to let her come because she felt it would sound somewhat suspicious.

When she stamped her foot, she noticed that the sound that accompanied it was the sound of metal, she touched the red carpet covering the floor and knocked on the ground and it sounded again... Wait she had seen this before, at their House in Russia they had two underground doors that led to an underground room her mum called their mancave, one in her room and another at her parents.

Even in Armando's hideout, some rooms had these doors so people could escape during an attack, just a few mafia's used this, this was quite a discovery if only she could go in there but Ethan could return any soon.

Just then Ethan walked in with two huge Albums in his Arms, he looked excited, and surprisingly so did Bella. They flipped through the pages that began with young Armando and Lola, their old wedding picture, and then pictures of baby Ethan.

" My mum said I was a cute baby," He said and Bella smiled seeing how tiny and fragile he looked, He was wrapped in a cloth sleeping peacefully on the bed. She wanted to agree with him this time but that would be like admitting he still looked adorable. They came across another where he had no diapers and he sat with his back turned.

"Now that's one cute little bum" She laughed, clasping her hand to her mouth in shock at her outburst.

"Well, it's not that little anymore.." He laughed and then their eyes met, Bella could hear her heart thumping loudly, she looked back into the Album as he flipped another page, this time it was little Ethan and a younger girl who looked like Ethan but chubbier with longer hair, her deep blue eyes bore into her soul, little Ethan had his cheeky smile and his arm was around her neck.

Emily looked rather serious in the picture, in another picture she stood alone with her Emerald blue eyes staring deeply and Bella guessed the cameraman must have been freaked out... Even Bella felt the intensity of her stare.