SWNOVELS The Devil’s Fire by Mariam El-Hafi Chapter 18
Althaia
“Do you think they are okay?” Lasked for the hundredth-time to our driver whose name I had come to learn to be Dario. The poor guy was stuck in the car with me, and I kept asking questions and wouldn’t shut up. He never showed any annoyance towards me though and kept reassuring me that no one got hurt and everyone was safe. But somehow his words were not comforting me the way I had hoped for.
“Althaia, please shut up and leave Dario alone. He said they were okay, so hush!” Cara scolded and I clamped my mouth shut.
We had been driving for a while now, and I had no sense of time at the moment. I was too worried and kept thinking about if someone got shot and died. Did my father get shot? Damiano? He was the one risking his life to make sure I got out of there safe, and I couldn’t stop wondering if he made it out okay.
I kept checking my phone to see if I got any messages. I texted Michael a while ago to see if he had heard from my father, but he still hadn’t texted me back. I sighed and leaned back in the seat, staring out of the window with the hopes of getting to think about something else. My phone buzzed in my hand, and I quickly looked down at my phone to see Michael finally had replied.
Michael
I just talked to him. He told me what happened. Shit, Althaia,
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are you okay?
I breathed out a sigh of relief and texted him back.
Althaia
Thank God! Yes, we are okay and safe. We are on our way to
the Bellavia’s.
Michael
Okay, stay safe.
I smiled and locked my phone and my shoulders sagged in relief. Finally, I felt like I could relax.
“See, we told you they were okay. You have to remember they know what they are doing. It’s not the first time a similar situation has happened.” Cara said while playing a game on her phone. If there was one thing I had come to admire about Cara, was the fact how quickly she could recover from literally anything. If you took a look at her now, you wouldn’t know that she had just been in the middle of a drive-by shooting. I, on the other hand, was shocked and scared for a while but then I started to worry for the others.
“Well, sorry for worrying. It’s not exactly an everyday thing for me.” I said sarcastically.
“Right… Or is it someone particular you’re worried about?” She looked up from her phone and wiggled her brows at me. I rolled my eyes and ignored her. I turned to look out of the window, feeling my cheeks heating up slightly. I finally took the time to appreciate the amazing nature we were driving by. Beautiful, bright green fields with tall grass and big, tall trees with green leaves. The sun was shining brightly in the clear
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Majestic Manor
blue sky, creating a truly majestic view.
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“Holy shit.” Cara suddenly erupted. I looked over at her and found her looking straight ahead. I moved a little to see what had caught her eye. My eyes widened at the sight in front of me. At the very end of the road was the biggest house I had ever seen. It might as well be a freaking castle! I turned to look at Cara and she looked at me with her mouth slightly open.
“I guess me getting married is suddenly not so bad if it means I will stay in that.” We burst out laughing at her comment, and I even saw Dario crack a little smile at her comment.
The car slowed down as we neared the big gates of the manor. The gates opened and we drove into a big round driveway with a large granite fountain with water shooting out of gigantic lion heads. Dario stopped right in front of the manor where an older lady and a young woman were waiting for us. Based on their outfits, I assumed they were housekeepers.
We got out of the car, and I looked around, truly stunned by the place. It was something I could ever dare to dream of ever experiencing. This was something you would only see in
movies!
“Hello, and welcome to the Bellavia Manor. My name is Rosana, and this is my daughter, Sofia.” Rosana welcomed us and gave us a warm smile.
“Hi, I’m Cara, and this is Althaia, my cousin.” Cara introduced us. I smiled at them and greeted them as well.
“A pleasure to meet you, miss.”
“Oh no, please just Althaia. Thaia if you’d like.” I quickly said.
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Rosana just smiled in return, and I took a good look at her. She couldn’t be more than fifty years old, and her black hair was back in a tight bun, showing some of her graying hair. Sofia didn’t talk much, but she was tall and beautiful with her baby blue eyes, and her short black hair was up in a ponytail.
“Let’s get you to settle in, shall we? The men will bring your bags.” Rosana said and we followed her inside the house.
“Wow…” Cara and I said at the same time as we looked around. The inside was even more majestic with the two-way curved grand staircase with a black railing, carved in a unique pattern. The biggest crystal chandelier I had ever seen in my life hung right in the middle and hung right above a black marbled round table in the foyer, decorated with a large, black crystal vase. This place was huge, and I got excited about the idea of exploring.
We followed Rosana and Sofia upstairs where there were long, wide hallways on either side. I nodded a little, impressed by it all. We went down to the left hallway first, stopping after we passed a couple of doors, and Rosana opened the door.
“This is where you will be staying, Cara.” Rosana stepped to the side for Cara to walk into the room. The bedroom was
ridiculously big and could easily be mistaken for a freaking
apartment.
“Althaia, you will be staying just right down the other hallway.” I looked at her surprised.
“Oh, I thought we would be staying in the same room?” I asked confused but she just smiled at me.
“Mr. Lorenzo ordered Cara to stay in this room. If you would please follow me, we will get to your room now.” I’shrugged
and followed her down to the other hallway.
“This is where you will be staying.” She opened the door, and I stepped in. The bedroom was so just as large as Cara’s. It even had its own lounge area with a freaking fireplace. I did a
whistle in my mind, truly impressed.
“Dinner will be ready in a few hours. I hope you’ll settle in well.” I gave her my thanks and she closed the door right after my bags had been placed inside. I looked at the gigantic bed, and I couldn’t help but run toward it and belly-flopped on the bed.
“This feels so good!” It practically sucked me in, and the silk sheets felt amazingly good on my skin. I was going to have the best sleep of my life in this bed.
After a while, I forced myself to get up to explore the rest of the bedroom. I immediately went to the bathroom, and it didn’t disappoint one bit! Everything was in glossy beige marble tiles, even with a matching bathtub and a shower with glass doors. There was even a mini chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and this time, I whistled out.
“Damn, he’s rich-rich.” I chuckled to myself after my comment.
I walked out of the bathroom and found another door right next to the lounge area. I opened it and saw it was a huge walk-in closet any girl could dream of having. It had built-in shelves and in the middle was a big square puff sofa in a dark, grey velour.
Returning to the bedroom, I went to the big double doors that led right out to a large balcony. I gasped in bewilderment at the view in front of me. There was a large staircase that led
right down to a huge swimming be
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high up in the air, and sunbeds scattered around the pool.
What amazed me the most was right beyond the pool, there was a two-way staircase that led down to a beautiful garden with trees, and flowers of all colors going all the way around, creating something that only belonged in a fantasy world. In between the two-way staircase was a freaking waterfall. I felt captivated by it all, and I stood there for a while, taking in the remarkable view.
This place was meant for royals.
After dinner, I had gone around and explored the manor, which took much longer than I had expected because I kept getting lost. The place was huge from the outside, and even bigger and more confusing inside. Every time I rounded a corner, I thought I had just come from, it led to a whole different area. Cara had gone to unpack her many bags to settle in, so I was alone, and my sense of place was really not
the best.
It was late and I finally found my way back to my room after bumping into Sofia after what felt likes hours. I went to my suitcase to retrieve my nightgown. It was a dark, blue dress that went to my mid-thigh with the top covered in black lace. It showed quite a bit of my breasts, but it was for sleeping anyway, and I like to sleep in little to nothing.
+went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the hot water run for a bit as I liked my showers to be hot. I tied my hair up in a bun and stepped inside, immediately sighing and letting the hot water melt all the tension I had gone through earlier. Cara had done an amazing job of calming me
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down since I got freaked out to say it mildly. This was not something I was used to and definitely needed to grow thicker skin around these people.
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Once I was done, I dried off my body and put on my nightgown, letting my hair fall around my shoulders. I turned off the lights as I opened the door only to stop in my tracks when I saw someone had occupied the armchair, facing me.
It was Damiano.
(AN; FB page, Author Mariam, for visuals! :D)