I couldn't help but to grit my teeth while watching that Lucca guy and Athena having a happy conversation while he's pushing her wheelchair slowly until they stopped in front of the aviary.

Another three days have passed, and Athena obviously kept on avoiding me more than before. I tried to approach her a lot of times already, but that guy kept on interfering, preventing me from doing so.

He always comes over at the De Falco manor and it was frustrating the hell out of me. I couldn't even talk to Athena without him near her.

"Coño." I muttered through gritted teeth as I continued watching them from behind the big fountain that I was hiding at.

"What are you going to do now, boss? Looks like someone is blocking your way." I didn't bother turning my head to see who it was because I already knew.

"Do you really think that a guy like him could stop me from doing what I need to do?" I asked with a dangerous voice. I didn't like the doubt that I was hinting in his voice.

"Of course not, boss. I've never doubted you but looks like you're going to have a hard time this time because of that guy. They seem to be close."

"I don't care how close they are. No one could ever stop me, and you know that."

"Yes, boss."

"Then, stop asking silly questions like that because you know that I hate hearing it."

"Of course, boss. I just got worried that's why I came here to talk to you."

"Worried about what?"

"About the princess, boss." My forehead knitted together and looked at him.

"And why would you get worried about Athena?" He didn't answer right away. He looked hesitant to speak his mind.

"Manuel, just fùcking tell me what you mean. You know that I hate waiting."

"I just got worried that you might do something to her to get what you want. I know you when you're frustrated and mad and you might—"

"—You said that you know me, right, Manuel?" He nodded his head. "Then, you should also know that I'm impatient and patient at the same time. Impatient with the things that doesn't require my patience while I know how to be patient when I needed to."

"And that's why I got worried. You're more dangerous when you become patient and couldn't get what you want after exerting effort. I'm sorry, boss, if I'm telling you this. I'm just worried about the situation. The Romano family is very influential and—"

"—And that's why I need to give my all to finish everything that I need to do. I already started months ago, and I'll make sure that no one could stop me from achieving my goals. Just a little bit more and victory will be mine. I can't wait to see the look on my father's face when that time comes." Manuel looked relieved after hearing that.

He smiled. "I'm sure that you will succeed, boss. I'll be just here, supporting you from a distance."

"Good. Now, get out of here before anyone else could see you." I ordered.

"As you please, boss." He was about to go when I spoke again.

"What about our contact in Nuevo Imperio? Did he report anything yet?"

"For now, he hasn't contacted me yet, boss."

"Make sure that he's doing his job. We don't need any incompetent person right now."

"Yes, boss." He then swiftly left. I became alert when I heard footsteps coming closer to my direction.

"Who were you talking to, Mr. Vázquez? I heard another voice just now." It was Mr. De Falco. I turned around with a smile on my face and saw that he was looking around, trying to look if someone was there. Thankfully, Manuel was quick enough to hide himself.

"Really, signor? I'm alone here. Well, I was talking to the flowers just now though." I answered and touched the red rose near me.

He laughed. "You were talking to the flowers? I can't imagine a macho guy like you talking to a flower." I laughed as well.

"Well, I guess, I was just bored. The princess and signore Mazza were busy chatting there and I had to come here to give them some privacy." The don looked past me, to the happy pair near the aviary.

"I'm glad that Lucca decided to come home. He's been living in Nuevo Imperio for years. At least, he could be with Athena. My granddaughter needs her right now." That got my attention.

"Nuevo Imperio?"

"Yes. He's been living with his father there. I guess, he wanted to get to know his father that's why he went there. Athena was saddened when her only male best friend left Costavia but at the same time, she was happy for him because at last, he finally got the chance to be with his father."

"So, Mr. Mazza is the Princess' best friend." It was a statement.

"Yes. He is. He's her male best friend. They've been friends since they were young. Lucca is the son of the Mazza family who happened to be a close family friend of us." I nodded my head, trying to act casual about all the things that I was hearing even though I couldn't help but to get irritated than I already was.

So, that coño is Athena's best friend. My fists tightened as my jaw flexed. I couldn't explain that sudden turmoil inside my chest. Mierda!

"Are you okay, Mr. Vázquez? You suddenly became silent."

I faked a smile. "I'm fine, signor. I just got surprised that's all." He chuckled but there was a weird glint that passed through his eyes that I couldn't read.

"Yes, I can see that. Those two are very close and I will not even be surprised if one day, they would tell us that they're already together as a couple. I mean, they're always together. Lucca is a good guy and Athena loves being with him." For some reason, I felt like punching someone hearing that possibility. I felt like I was going to fly into a fit of rage, and I couldn't control myself anymore.

My fist tightened, trying to stay calm even though my breathing was becoming heavier with each passing second because of all these negative emotions that were surging in my chest.

I noticed that the smile on signor De Falco widened while looking at me. I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me, Signor. I just need to use the toilet." I alibied and then walked away without waiting for his answer. I hurriedly went inside the house and then entered the room that I was occupying.

"Calm down, fùcker. Calm down!" I kept on telling myself as I pulled my hair like I was going crazy. I couldn't explain the anger that I was feeling; anger together with some other emotions that were totally new to me.

That feeling that I wanted to go to Athena and take her away from thet b*stard was so overwhelming. Thankfully, I managed to control myself. I didn't want her to get mad at me.

My body went still when I realized what was going through my mind. Why did I suddenly care if she would get mad at me? I closed my eyes and gathered myself together. I inhaled and exhaled for a couple of times before opening my eyes again.

"You're just feeling like this because you don't want your plans to just go down the drain. Just do what you need to do and get it over with." I told myself. Then, a smirked appeared on my face when an idea popped up in my head.

"You're playing a dangerous game, mi hermosa. I know what you're doing. Do you really think that you could stop me? I already started and no one could ever stop me from finishing my plans. You will be mine, I promise you that." I looked at the mirror and saw that dangerous determination on my face.

I kept on laughing as Lucca tells me about his adventures in Nuevo Imperio. Just like before, he really knows how to make me laugh with his stories and sometimes, corny jokes.

"You can't imagine how I dealt with life while I was there, especially the first few months. Learning the language was difficult but living with their culture was way harder than I thought." Suddenly, his face became sad as if he remembered an unpleasant memory.

"Why? What happened?" He heaved a sigh and then forced a smile.

"Well, it's hard to explain. I thought if I get to know my father, I would be happy, but I was wrong. He wanted to change me into someone that I would never become." He sighed again. "I don't know. I guess, I was just expecting too much." I could hint the sadness in his voice and that made my chest heavy.

I reached for his hand and gently squeezed it. "You don't have to change for other people, Lucca. You're you and no one else could tell you how to live your life. If you're not doing something bad, then you don't have anything to be ashamed of. Just be you and you will surely be happy." He finally smiled and gently squeezed my hand back.

"You're really the only one who understands me. You're always there for me but I wasn't here with you six months ago when you—"

"—Shhh. It's fine. You don't have to feel guilty about it. We talked on the phone and that's enough for me." He looked at my legs down to my feet and was about to say something, but I didn't let him.

"Don't feel sorry for me. I told you, I'm fine." He rolled his eyes.

"Don't lie to me. I knew from the moment we met again that you're not fine. I heard from your grandparents that you still have the chance to be able to walk again but refused professional help. Don't you want to walk again? Don't you miss how to walk and run on your own two feet without anyone helping you?" My eyes went somber.

"You're really a keen observer. I can't hide anything from you."

"Well, I'm your best friend." He emphasized the last two words and I couldn't hold back my laugh. Daniella would surely oppose if she heard that.

Then, I accidentally looked at the direction of the fountain and my laugh died down when I saw Maximus and my unnon.

Maximus was walking towards the house in a hurry while my unnon was watching him walking away. Lucca curiously followed my gaze and chuckled upon seeing Maximus.

"Thankfully you're always with me because I feel like that guy is about to murder me whenever he sees us together."

"Maximus is not a bad guy! He will never do that!" I instinctively defended him without a second thought and Lucca looked surprised of my sudden outburst. Then, he grinned.

I covered my lips with my palm as I muffled a gasp. I was surprised myself of what I just said. It just happened.

"Oh, so, that's what's been going on here. Now, I understand his strange behavior." He uttered while nodding his head.

"What are you talking about? Nothing's going on here!" I answered defensively but his grin widened. He obviously didn't believe me. I could feel my cheeks blushing even if I didn't want to.

He laughed and then hugged me from behind. "You're so cute, Ath. You're still as easy to read as before."

"Stop it!" His laugh became louder and I smacked his arm because of irritation. After that, we continued talking about random stuff and my senses finally calm down. I thought, he finally forgot about Maximus but after about fifteen minutes, he spoke about him again.

"I noticed that his accent is different. He sounds like someone from Nuevo Imperio." My forehead crinkled.

"Who?"

"Your PRB."

"Lucca! I thought we agreed on not talking about him anymore?" He chuckled.

"Did we? I can't recall agreeing to that." I gave him a glare, but he just laughed.

"I'm serious though. He really speaks like someone from Nuevo Imperio."

I sighed. "Because he's from Nuevo Imperio." His lips parted in surprise.

"Really? I was right then. I don't know why but he looks rather familiar to me. I swear that I've already seen him before."

"Well, according to Daniella, he went home to Nuevo Imperio last year. Maybe, you saw him there."

"So, Daniella is related to him?" He asked curiously.

"Yes. They're cousins." He nodded his head.

"If he's related to Daniella, then I probably met him before. I just couldn't remember it."

"Yeah, maybe." We talked for about another 30 minutes more before Lucca and I decided to go inside the house. He was the one who pushed my wheelchair until we finally reached my room.

Just when he just finished opening the door and was about to push my wheelchair when his phone rang.

"Answer it. It might be important." I said. He went away for a couple of feet from me and answered his phone. After about a minute, he's done.

"Sorry, bella mia. I need to go home now. Mamma just called. She needs my help with something." I chuckled.

"Then, go. I can manage from here."

"Are you sure? Wait, I'll just call Sita to—"

"—It's okay, I'll be fine. I can always call Sita if I need her." He smiled and then leaned over to kiss me on my cheek.

"See you again tomorrow then, bella mia." He even winked at me.

"Okay. See you tomorrow, bello mio." We both laughed. When he left, I maneuvered my wheelchair to enter my room. I then closed it and turned my wheelchair around, intending to go towards the bed when I gasped in surprise when I saw someone.

"Is he your boyfriend?" It was Maximus. His voice was weird, and I sensed danger. His face was hard, and his eyes were smoldering. My heart began beating rapidly but for some reason, not because of fear. It was something else that I couldn't pinpoint.