They both got out of the plane and Stephano led her to the car. Leila quietly followed after him. She sat at the back and Stephano sat beside her but keeping a bit of distance because her knew that she wasn't exactly comfortable around him.

Her eyes were glued to the window as she focused on things that passed by since she was trying to forget that Stephano was in the car beside her but unfortunately his scent was a great reminder.

A mixture of jacaranda and coconut.

The car went through the great gates of the De LUCA mansion and stopped right in front while the second car came with their bags. She stepped out of the car and Stephano took her hands in his. It was like he made it a habit. Although it didn't make her feel awkward. It looked awkward. There was a large marble path that led to the house that followed by stairs. The interior of the mansion screamed luxury just like back home. She missed home.

He led her up the grand staircase which was ebony wood that had a chandelier hanging right above it.

They both stopped at a large wooden door and he pushed it open. The room was large and spacious with a large queen-sized bed and bed side cupboards. The was a dressing mirror with a closet. The room mostly had shades of grey and black except the furniture that had a creamy coloured surface.

"You're free to redecorate, I'm sure this isn't your style." he told her with his hands shoved deep inside his pockets.

"Thank you." she told him.

"I'll send in the maids to bring in your clothes and if you need anything, my room is right down the hallway.

She simply nodded and he excused her.

She plopped into the soft bed and closed her eyes

Her muscles ached from the flight earlier and she was terribly tired

♠️♠️♠️♠️♠️

Stephano was downstairs in his study doing some paper work when someone walked in. It was Nikolai, his childhood best friend. He was as tall as Stephano and had chestnut brown hair. He was quite muscular and he had brown eyes that were so dark that you would've thought that they were black from a distance. His facial features were sharp and defined which made him very attractive.

A slight smirk formed on Nikolai's gave when he saw Stephano working.

"He just came all the way from Ireland and here he is working" Nikolai said and plopped on a couch in the room

"I suppose you have a wife to take care of?" Stephano said and cocked a brow.

"Show some hospitality. You're already kicking me out" Nikolai replied.

Stephano rolled his eyes internally and exhaled.

"Get out"

"You won't even tell me how she looks like?"

"So that's why you're here?"

"Yeah. Who would've thought that O'Neil had a daughter."

"I was thinking the same thing."

Nikolai abruptly stood up when he saw Samantha by the door.

Stephano laughed but covered it up with a fake cough. He never understood why she scared the shit out of Nikolai but it was funny when she did.

"Stephano." she acknowledge with a smile.

"Samantha." he smiled back.

"Is this a sibling thing?" Nikolai asked

"You can say that, now let's get going." Samantha told Nikolai and pulled him out.

Samantha was Nikolai's sister that eventually got married to his bastard friend. They looked very much alike except their eyes. While Stephano had blessed eyes, Samantha had piercing green eyes. It made her look more fierce than she already was.

Stephano glanced at his watch. It was five pm. He shut his files and when into his room to get freshened up for dinner.

Leila woke up to the sound of her door being knocked. Slowly she got out of bed and opened her door. Due to her high, she had to see who it was. It was a plump woman with her hair packed in a bun.

"It's time for dinner madam." she said and left.

Leila looked at her outfit. She had to change because she HD crumpled her dress while she was asleep.

She opened her box and picked out a green hoodie that belonged to Killian. She sniffed it and smiled. It smelt like cocoa. Exactly how Killian smelt. She matched it with a pair of back joggers and wore her purple flip-flops then walked downstairs.

It was a complicated journey to the dinning hall.

There he was sitting at the table eating a dish that she couldn't recognize but the aroma want strong enough to make her stomach grumble. He was also sitting with two other people a beautiful lady and a man she couldn't see clearly because he was backing her.

"Come join us and stop staring." Stephano's voice boomed.

All three pairs of eyes were facing her and she nervously chewed her lip. Her face was probably beet red.

She got or seated opposite Samantha and offered her a shy smile which Samantha responded to by smiling back.

"I'm Samantha." she introduced.

"I'm Leila." she responded politely and she was relieved that she didn't stutter.

She looked at the man seated beside Samantha

"Nikolai." he said with a bright smile.

He had the same body structure as Stephano but he was less scary.

"Will you serve yourself or do you want me to serve you?" Stephano said interrupting their little talk.

She looked towards him and realized he was staring at her. He wasn't wearing the classy suit they arrived with. He had changed into a plain black shirt and jeans but he still looked intimidating.

Swiftly, she looked away and stared at the pot and the serving spoon instead. Leila wanted to eat a large amount of food but with everyone seated there, her appetite flew out the window.

"How about I help you serve?" Samantha offered and started dishing out the food.

She took a spoon of the dish and she felt her taste buds dance in her mouth. It was wonderful. In less that a five minutes, her plate was empty.

Samantha and Nikolai watched the girl with obvious amusement while Stephano tried his best to conceal his. She eats a lot.. Samantha thought

"You eat quite a large amount of food." Nikolai chuckled causing Leila to turn bright red.

"My brother said it's quite unladylike." she mumbled staring at her plate.

"There's nothing wrong with with that. I didn't mean it that way. Stephano likes women that feed themselves well. Nikolai teased and sent Stephano a wink but he received a glare in return.

Samantha couldn't help but laugh.

Leila got to know who Samantha and Nikolai was and she concluded that they were really fun people even though she still wasn't comfortable around them.

When dinner was over, she began packing the dishes but Stephano stopped her.

"I have workers for that" he said.

She replied with a simple "oh" and began walking to her room.

"Goodnight Leila" she heard her say. She wanted to believe it was Nikolai and not who she thought it was.

"Good night." she replied without looking back.

When she was totally out of sight, she picked up pace and walked faster to her room.

The room was neatly arranged, she guessed that the cleaners had helped her unpack while they were having dinner. Her diary was by her bed and her telescope was nowhere to be found.

"I forgot it." she whispered to herself.

She plopped on her bed and closed her eyes. She would try an she a new telescope.