Charmed (20 page)

Ella walked up the steps to the Bianci residence and nodded to one of the guards, the same one that had blocked her way not long ago. He knew her now, as did the others, and whenever she came to visit he greeted her with a friendly nod. Nico stepped in front of her and opened the door, calling out to the family.

Fiorella appeared, looking fresh and vibrant. “Ella, so good to see you.” She gave her a big hug and guided her toward the kitchen, calling behind her, “Thank you, Nico.”

“I should have called first.”

“No, you are always welcome. I was just having something to drink, join me.”

Ella sat at the familiar wooden table and accepted the coconut water. “Tasty,” she said.

“Yes, it’s refreshing.”

“You look dressed to go out.”

“Not yet. Adrian is coming by later to take me to dinner.”

Ella saw the shine in her eyes. “So you’ve been with Adrian for a long time?”

“Well, not ‘with,’ exactly. The Tomonis have been friends of the family since I was a young girl; friends of Serena’s from church. My father, as you can imagine, didn’t have friends. Bellina and Davi were like second parents to me. I’d go over there sometimes when I was upset. Or Adrian would come here. He is one of the few that know about Claudio and what really happened. We became friends. I could always talk to Adrian. When I was very young, I thought of him as a brother. But as he got older, he became more and more handsome.”

“I noticed that. He looks like an Italian movie star.”

Fiorella laughed. “Yes, I agree. My heart beats faster around him. I love him, Ella. He was always so good to us, helped us when he could. And he was a friend to Adam. When everyone else at school shunned Adam for being different, Adrian remained his friend. He got in several tussles, defending him.

“I became very attached to Adrian, and as I grew into a young woman, the feelings I had for him were different. I no longer thought of him as a brother. I was impossibly attracted to him. For a long time, I worried he would never see me as anything other than Adam’s younger sister. Adrian is older than I am and he did date some other women.

“I was too young to go out, and I don’t think he thought of me that way, or didn’t realize he did at first. I used to get so jealous when I saw him with another woman. It killed me. But what could I do? When you are fourteen and are in love with a man who is eighteen, it can be awkward. I even went to some dances with other boys when I was sixteen. I had convinced myself Adrian was interested in other women, that I would never be able to compete. I was just the ‘girl nex
t door,’ as you say in America.

“One night, Serena had gone to bed. Adam was still in California in college. Adrian had dropped by for dinner. We always remained friends, and he cared about the family. He was studying law then, so was very busy, but stil
l made sure to come and see us.

“We played music and drank some beer. The attraction I felt for him was so strong. I tried to hide it, not wanting to feel foolish. Oh, but Ella. It was so romantic. He took my hand and we sat on the sofa. The lights were dim, and my heart was beating so loudly, I’m sure he heard it. Just his touch. He’d never held my hand before.

“He told me I was special, that I always had been. He said I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. He’d been afraid to tell me, afraid I’d reject him, since I’d known him so long and he was a friend of the family that I wouldn’t take him seriously.

“I was weak as he spoke, hardly able to believe what I heard. He told me he loved me, that he had always loved me, that there would never be another woman for him. He wasn’t sure how I felt, but he couldn’t hold it inside any longer. Even if I rejected him, he had to speak his heart.

“Ella, can you imagine? He actually feared I didn’t feel the same. I told him I loved him with all my heart; that he was the only man I’d ever want. I was so bold, but once he opened up to me like that, I couldn’t help it.”

“What did he do?” Ella was enthralled by the romantic story.

“He kissed me. My first kiss. It was so sweet, so good, and I was so happy.”

Fiorella’s eyes glistened. Ella could feel how moved she was over the story, and how much in love she was. “I understand how it feels to love someone that much. I couldn’t live without Adam. I love him so much it squeezes my heart until I can barely breathe.”

“Oh, Ella, I am so happy that Adam found you. I worried for him. He is so sensitive and I don’t think most people understand that. I feared he wouldn’t find anyone that appreciated him, not really. Women like him, he’s so handsome. But you can’t make a life with that.”

“You don’t have to worry anymore. There is no one like Adam, and I’ll never leave him.”

Ella looked down.

“What?”

“Oh, just all this stuff with Claudio. The future is a little uncertain. I’m not afraid of him, but he is trouble. Adam fears he will do anything, harm any of us, to get what he wants.”

“I wish I could reassure you. Adam doesn’t want to see you distressed, nor do I. That’s why he left you in Newport. It was his way of keeping you away from all this. I think he sees now that leaving you behind wasn’t a solution for either of you. Still, Claudio is ruthless. I do know that about him. There’s nothing I’d put past him. I’ve seen what he is capable of. Just have faith in Adam. He will do everything to protect us.”

“I know.”

“Now, how about a cooking lesson? What would you like to make today?”

“Fish baked in parchment. I want to make it for Adam.”

“Excellent choice.”

Fiorella guided Ella in making tilapia and banana rice, talking about food and shopping, and recounting the highlights of the formal event they’d recently attended. Serena wasn’t home. Ella learned she was with some of the other woman from church. They were often involved in community activities, helping those less fortunate and seeing to their members’ needs.

Brazilian music played in the background. Ella was getting more familiar with popular tunes by Ivette Sangalo and Cláudia Leitte, and moved to the music while she chopped and stirred. Between talking and the music, neither heard Adrian until he stuck his head in the kitchen.

“Thought I’d find you here,” he said, sweeping Fiorella into his arms and hugging her. “Ciao, Ella.”

“Ciao, Adrian.”

“I’m a little early. My meeting was over sooner than I thought.” Adrian kissed Fiorella on the neck and then on the lips, lingering.

“Good day?” Fiorella inquired, her arms wrapped around his waist.

Giving a thumbs-up, he said, “Molto bene.” Adrian’s phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket and stepped into the other room to take the call. “Pronto,” he said as he disappeared around the corner.

“We’re almost done here,” Ella said. “I’ll clean up. You go.”

“You sure? That’s nice of you. I’ll pack the food in a cooler so you can take it home. Eli will heat it up for you tonight. Tell Adam you are responsible for most of it. I just supervised.”

“He will lov
e it. Go have fun with Adrian.”

Fiorella took off her apron and left to freshen up. Ella began washing dishes, glad she could be of use. By the time she had everything dried and put away, Fiorella said goodbye and left with Adrian, delaying a minute to pack the food in a cooler for Ella to take home. Sitting at the wooden table, not quite ready to leave, she sipped more coconut water.

Serena arrived shortly after the others left, and entered the kitchen. Seeing Ella, she took the seat opposite hers and said, “Come sta?”

Ella smiled. “Grazi, va bene cozi,” she said, letting Serena know she was fine,
wishing she knew more Italian.

Standing, Serena motioned for Ella to come. Leading her to the living room, she sat on the sofa, indicating Ella should sit beside her. From under the coffee table, she pulled out a photo album and placed it on her lap. As only a mother would, she showed Ella family photos. It was touching to see Adam as a small boy, thin and golden ha
ired, looking thoughtful.

Fiorella was adorable, her friendly smile present in every photo. When younger, Serena had been gorgeous. With her dark eyes and striking black hair, she was a classic Italian beauty. Turning the pages, Ella felt affection for the family—now her family, almost. She’d become a part of their life, and she a part of theirs. The security of a loving family had never been available to her before. Now she felt it was.

Turning to one of the back pages, Ella saw a photo of Serena on her wedding day. The grim man with her had to be Claudio. Ella stared. He was medium build, slightly slouched, and rugged looking. He had dark blond hair and pale brown eyes, and even on his wedding day he had been frowning. It struck Ella that he looked mean.

The bags under his eyes betrayed his tendency to drink and stay out late. Adam had told her he drank to excess and gravitated to gambling and the nightlife in Rio. Serena had married him in Milan, before they moved to Brazil. Likely his bad habits had started early. In the photo, Serena smiled demurely and Claudio stood apart from her, just enough that Ella could see the discord even then.

Serena looked downcast and gently took the album from Ella. She held her hands in front of her, palms up, and hit her fingers on the top and bottom, changing hands. “Non mi importa,” she said adamantly.

Ella recognized the phrase: “I don’t care.” Serena was trying to tell her she didn’t care anymore. But Ella knew otherwise. Adam’s mother was a smart woman. Although Adam and Fiorella tried to protect her by keeping bad news from her, Ella suspected Serena knew more than they thought.

*****

With the fish dinner packed in the cooler beside her, Ella looked back at the Bianci home as they pulled away. There was so much history there; so much had happened in that home. She was just beginning to understand. Serena caught in an abusive marriage. Adam oppressed by his father and Fiorella unable to do anything about either. Always Adrian had been there, seeing all, caring but young himself and unable to do anything except be a good friend, which he always was. Despite it all, Ella couldn’t conceive of a more loving family. The evil and suppression pervading their life hadn’t changed them.

“I spoke with Adam,” Nico said from the front seat. “He expects to be home soon. He wanted me to let you know.”

Ella smiled. Seeing the photos of him as a boy and a teen made her feel she knew him better, knew a bit more about him. And she wanted to know everything about him. She couldn’t wait to see him, hold him, and tell him again how much she loved him.

Pulling into the garage, Nico opened the door for her. “Pronto,” he said into his earpiece, stepping away to talk. Ella assumed someone on the security team was contacting him. She walked inside, ready to punch the keypad and disarm the alarm system, but it wasn’t flashing. Music, a Miley Cyrus song, filled the room.

Maybe Adam was already home. She slipped into the kitchen and stowed the food. Eli would arrive soon and she’d tell him the plan for dinner. Stepping into Adam’s office, she didn’t see any evidence that he was home. Walking down the hall, she entered the main ro
om, but he wasn’t there either.

Seated in the chair by the window looking out to the ocean was a gorgeous woman flipping through magazines. Stunned, Ella stepped closer. Wondering how she got in, she held back from accusing her of trespassing. The woman looked relaxed, like she belonged, seated with her long legs crossed, turning the pages of a glossy magazine. There was the matter of the alarm system. Either the woman knew the code or the guards let her in. Either way, she wasn’t a stranger.

That thought process took under a second, and by the time Ella reached the chair where the woman sat, she’d decided to find out who she was before jumping to conclusions. Noticing her, the lovely woman stood. “Ciao,” she said, nothing more.

With her straight, shoulder-length black hair, startling lime green eyes, perfectly shaped red lips, and flawless olive skin, the woman was a picture right out of one of the magazines she was holding. Standing in her high heels, she towered over Ella, who guessed she had to be at least five ten without the heels. She wore a chocolate brown long-sleeved satin blouse with a short brown suede skirt. Around her neck was one glimmering diamond. Slender in an elegant way, she was all legs and glossy hair. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but Ella couldn’t quite place her.

“Ciao,” Ella managed to say.

“I’m waiting for Adam.”

Ella was caught off guard, first by the woman’s unexpected appearance in the living room, and next by the fact that she knew Adam. That fact should have been obvious. After all, who gains entry to Adam’s fortress unless the person knows him well?

Trying not to panic, Ella held out her hand, “I’m Ella Walker.”

“Nice to meet you,” the woman said, in an accent similar to Adam’s. “I’m Violetta Ganotti.”

“The Brazilian supermodel?” Ella gasped, reeling from the knowledge that she was talking with a famous beauty.

The gorgeous woman gave her a gleaming white smile. “Yes, you know of me?”

“Who doesn’t? You are in every magazine I pick up.”

“Please sit,” Violetta said, indicating a chair.

Ella marveled that she was being offered a seat by a stranger, but obviously not a stranger to Adam.

“Are you visiting?” Violetta asked, showing only mild curiosity. “Adam hasn’t mentioned you.”

Ella felt a little faint. “Um, I live here.”

“Oh, my mistake. I thought Adam still lived here. The guards let me in, so I assumed he…”

“He does.” Ella struggled for words, still mesmerized by the
other woman’s beauty and charm.

“Oh.”

“I met him in California. He didn’t tell me that he was expecting a visitor.”

“I thought I’d surprise him.”

I’m sure you will
, Ella thought, her annoyance rising. “Who are you? I don’t understand how you just showed up, unannounced, and the guards let you in.”

“Oh, they know me.” Violetta gave a low laugh, as though it was ridiculous for Ella to think the guards would be an issue.

“How do they know you?”

“I’ve known Adam, well, for a long time. Let’s put it that way.”

Ella’s discomfort was increasing. Unable to say why, she felt violated. “You live in Rio?”

“Not now. I did, for a long time, but my career demands a lot of travel. I’ve been away, but I’m sure Adam will be glad to see me.”

The stab of her words struck deep. Maybe Ella wasn’t an expert in matters of the heart, but she recognized the condescending tone. “We will see, won’t we?”

“It’s nice that you could visit him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that. When will you be going back?”

Now Ella’s blood was starting to boil. Even if this supermodel did know Adam, she had no right to barge in and start questioning her. Something was amiss, and Ella was going to find out what.

“I’m not going back.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Hmm, well, I’ll have to discuss that with Adam. I don’t deny him other women, but this is the first time one of them has moved in.”

Ella was in shock. Admittedly, she never saw it coming. Considering how most of her life had gone, she really should have. But another woman, it just didn’t seem like…

“Oh, don’t feel bad. I’m sure he cares about you in his own way. He has a big heart.”

Mute, Ella couldn’t respond quickly enough. Anger swelled in her chest.

“He didn’t tell you about me?” the woman said, not a hair out of place, sure of herself despite the discovery of Adam’s relationship with Ella.

Ella shook her head.

“Well, he wanted to have his fun while he could. You are adorable.”

Tears streamed down Ella’s cheeks and she wasn’t sure if it was from her fury or because of the knife in her heart. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t. Like letters in neon the quote about Brazilian men, from one of the articles she’d read, flashed in her mind: “If you fall for one, be sure he doesn’t have a wife back home.”

A Latin lover, was that all Adam was? The devastation of that possibility crushed Ella. “Are you…are you his wife?”

Violetta laughed, and answered without missing a beat. “Not yet. But I will be. It’s unfortunate you came all the way from California. I suggest you go back. You don’t belong in Brazil. You aren’t welcome here.”

Ella didn’t hear anything else. The words “But I will be,” were a slap in the face. Feeling the fool, she plowed through the back door, down the wooden steps, and out toward the shore. The world was crashing down around her. Her life was over. The betrayal made her sick, and she wavered between throwing up and plunging into the icy ocean to drown, ending the unendurable pain in her heart.

*****

Adam looked out the window, nearly home. He was anxious to see Ella and glad he had some news for her. She’d been so good about it all, scared and worried, but not dwelling on the danger hanging over them. Reflecting on his conversation with Quinn, he ran his hand through his hair and sighed. It was something, at least.

Miguel parked in the garage, opening the door for Adam, and staying to shine the vehicle to keep it in pristine condition. Nodding his thanks to his loyal driver, Adam walked through the door into the house. “Ella?” he called.

No answer. Nico had told him he’d brought her home.
She must be here
.

“Ella?”

Walking into the stark white living room, he spotted Violetta perched on the sofa as if preparing for a photo shoot. One thing about her was that she was photogenic, made for her career as a supermodel.

“Violetta.”

“Adamo.”

“I thought you were in Milan.”

“I just got back last night. I stayed at the Marriott, but after lunch I had a taxi bring me here. Nico and Miguel weren’t here, but I found one of the guards who remembered me. He let me in.”

“I can see that.”

Violetta gave him one of her winning smiles and stood, balanced in her expensive heels, then walked over to greet him. She gave him a hug that became a bit too suggestive. Adam held her at arm’s length. “None of that, Vee,” he said.

“What?”

“You know what. It’s good to see you, but you know how I feel.”

“You don’t admit what you feel, that’s all Adamo.”

“Vee, please.”

“I met her.”

“Who?”

“Ella, the adorable girl from California.”

“Ella?”

“You haven’t forgotten her already, have you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“We talked.”

“When?”

“I was waiting for you when Ella came home.”

“Oh, no.”

“Adamo, don’t be upset. I just told her about us.”

“I’m sure you did,” Adam said, panic rising.

“Where is she?”

“I’m not sure. She left by the back door.”

Adam didn’t wait to hear more. He raced to the back door, out and down the stairs, shouting in his earpiece. “Nico, where’s Ella?”

Jogging to the beach, he scanned the shoreline for Ella. In his earpiece he heard, “She’s okay, Adam. I’m watching her.”

Adam breathed a heavy sigh, his heart in his stomach. “Where?”

“Down the beach, toward Sugarloaf.”

“Thank God,” Adam said.

“She is sitting by the water, not doing anything foolish.”

“Nico, thank you. Violetta is here.”

“Yes, Simon told me. He recognized her and let her in.”

“Okay, well, tell Simon to take her home, or take her to a hotel—something. Get her out of here, please.”

Adam clicked off, running down the beach, frantically looking for Ella. There in the distance, he saw her with her arms wrapped around her legs, sobbing. His heart broke. Holding his palm up, he acknowledged Nico, who backed away from the scene to give them privacy.

Slowing his pace, Adam looked at Ella. This didn’t have to happen, shouldn’t have happened. It was his mistake. He should have told her. Reaching Ella, he dropped to the sand next to her. Touching her arm, he squeezed reassuringly but Ella didn’t look at him. She just kept crying.

“Ella.”

He put his arm around her, but she didn’t move. Her slender form felt like stone. “Please listen. It’s not what you think.”

“How do you know what I think?” she sobbed.

“I should have told you.”

“It’s too late. Having a fiancée is not something you forget to tell a person.”

“That’s what Vee told you?”

“Vee?”

“Violetta. She told you I was going to marry her?”

Ella buried her face in her arms.

“Amore mia, it’s not true. If what we have together means anything, you’ll trust me when I say it’s not true.”

“
Had
together. It’s over. I did trust you. And you betrayed me. I’m dying inside, Adam. You can’t fix it.”

“Please look at me,” Adam said, putting his hand under Ella’s chin to encourage her to look up.

Slowly she raised her head, but she looked down, unable to face him. She crossed her arms over her chest, still sobbing softly.

“Violetta is not my fiancée. She shouldn’t have told you that. It was mean, but she has her moods.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I really feel sorry for her.”

“If you will let me explain, you will see that nothing has changed between us.”

Ella looked into Adam’s amber eyes, now dark with heartbreak. “This better be good,” she said.

**
***

“I’ve known Violetta most of my life. She grew up in Rio. We went to school together.”

Ella listened.

“When I was a teenager, I didn’t date. I was preoccupied with other things, things I’ve told you about. Violetta would come by once in a while. She’d visit my mother and Fiorella. Her visits became more and more frequent, and I suspected she was attracted to me. Vee is beautiful. She is now and she was then.”

Ella cringed. There was no way to compete with Violetta, who was a goddess. No matter how many shopping sprees she went on, she’d never look like that.
That gorgeous
.

“But I was never in love with her.”

Ella felt a tiny finger of relief.

“Then how did she get the idea you were going to marry her—
are
going to marry her?”

“Violetta is unusual.”

“What do you mean by that? If you are referring to her sharp tongue, then I agree with you.”

“That’s an example.”

Ella stared at him, uncomprehending.

“Violetta has always been volatile. That’s putting it mildly. What I want to say is that she’s unstable.”

Ella waited.

“Can I tell you a story?”