Cunning Dante

CHAPTER 10

Fabian Hugh glanced at his boss whose face was as calm as the summer breeze through the rear view mirror of the black Maserati Levante Trofeo SUV; its luxurious interior exuding an aura of sophistication with it's glossy finish reflecting the sunlight- a testament to its superior craftsmanship.

Though Leonardo's demeanor seemed calm, only Fabian who sat in the car with him could feel the temperature in the car drop drastically.

Leonardo had been in a foul mood after that call from his grandfather and it only got worse the closer they got to the Grahams' old mansion where Master Dante lived. He was really irritated by the fact that he was going to be asked to do something stupid.He took in a deep breath and decided to rest his head against the car seat.

Fabian after much mental preparation announced their arrival at the old mansion to Leonardo who seemed to be resting. He quietly made a sigh of relief when he saw Leonardo going into the mansion without making any excuses and asking him to relay the message.

The old man would have surely dealt with him and that equally would put poor Fabian in a dilemma.

***

Leonardo sat across his grandfather taking sips of his coffee without saying a word. Dante Graham arched an eyebrow in question- "Not even a hello?" He then glared at Leonardo, scoffing also at his grandson's nonchalance.

Leonardo truly did not care about the old man's drama and only kept sipping on his coffee gently with poise.

"Send flowers to your future bride." The old man stated without looking in Leonardo's direction clearly showing that he didn't care about what he thought.

Leonardo who was about taking another sip of his coffee halted halfway through. "You want me to do what?" His stern voice depicted his unwillingness to do so, arching his left eyebrow in question. He was already tired of the old man's antics.

"Send. Some. Flowers. To. Your. Wife." He picked the words one by one making sure that his grandson understood every word.

"And why would I do that?" Leonardo inquired.

"For the fact that you both would be married soon. It's just a nice gesture... as a gentleman." Dante explained.

"No."

"I'm only teaching you how to be a good husband. Try learning from me. You're not serious about this at all."

"Ohhhhh Dante.... I'll be in my room if you have other reasonable things to say." Leonardo stated already exiting the living room.

"Come back here, young man! I'm not done talking!" Dante yelled in frustration although not surprised at his grandson's unyielding personality but to his luck, Leonardo was already gone. He sunk in the sofa already exhausted from so much bantering with him.

Meanwhile, Leonardo chuckled lightly at his grandfather's reaction. He was really so dramatic; he actually loved getting on his tiniest nerves.

A silly idea crept into Dante Graham's mind. The smile which appeared on his face was a sly one. He glanced in the direction of the stairs where Leonardo had taken. "Let me see what you'll do."

***

Alika looked at the large bouquet of Slipper Orchids placed in her hands by a servant with confusion. Where did it come from? She looked at the paper and realized that it was from the Grahams accompanied by a telephone number. She wondered who it belonged to. Her thoughts were cut short when her phone vibrated in her palm.

"Have you received the present?" Dante's voice rang through with keen interest. Alika knew he was very excited and decided to be polite. "Yes, Grandpa. It's lovely." With these words, Dante Graham's countenance instantly became welcoming and Alika thought that this simple gesture was lovely and sweet- she momentarily forgot about her problem.

Dante didn't know what his granddaughter-in-law liked but went ahead to get those. He thought that since she was very artistic she would love simple things like these and it warmed his heart knowing that she actually did. His face instantly turned dark again after seeing Leonardo.

"My grandson's phone number is written on the paper... Call him later."

Leonardo froze in his spot at these words and turned around to look at him but saw that he was already far off into the garden for a morning stroll and quickly swallowed his words.

Having no mood to confront his grandfather, he got dressed and ready for work leaving the mansion with a gloomy expression.

In the interval, Alika understood that the patriarch of the Grahams was quite cunning. He had given his grandson's phone number because he wanted her to have it and when she decided to call him, the young man would equally have her phone number.

They were going to be married anyway so she didn't think much of it and decided to place a call through.