Twin Tormentors By RARE

Chapter 32

LEIGH-ARI

A few weeks had gone by since the last incident. And since then, the twins were rather easy o n me. I was living the life of the castle hostess instead of a captive. Everyone knew me although I had a hard time keeping up with their names, especially because we met less. And it was crazy because I hadn’t since Valerie ever since, not even a glimpse of her. But I have heard the twins barking her name at least a million times. The castle was unusually quiet during the days, then insanely loud at nights when everyone was back.

I had taken a grand tour around the property just to kill time and it was safe to say that the Cattanio Twins were the richest in this country. Their castle itself spoke volumes. With the jacuzzis, saunas, insane indoor and outdoor swimming pools, play courts, and many more

ties, the castle was equipped with everything.

W

Somewhere between the two wings was a game room and a theatre. I have slipped into the theatre a few times to watch a film or two when Vernero was out or when he was distracted b y something. Since that incident, he never let me out of his sight. Probably because he thought I would escape or do something. He was always there, watching me and everything I did. Some other nights I have woken up to find him sitting in the dark, watching me intently. At first, I had screamed, but the following nights I had just greeted him and went back to sleep.

Life at the castle was well… fascinating to say the least.

“Good afternoon ma’am, Mr. Cattanio requires your presence in his office.” the maidservant called out from the door of my bedroom,

“Which one of them is calling me?” I had to ask that since each had a private study, one of the things I came to discover during my grand tour.

“The bosses are in Mr. Lorenzo’s office ma’am.” The maid explained and I nodded. She gave m e a small bow and excused herself, then closed the door behind her.

I got up and smoothed my dress then took off to where I was called.

Upon arriving in the lion’s den, I found the two kings sprawled lazily on the couch, arms stretched out with one hand holding whiskey glasses. Lorenzo was in his usual formal suit with a tie to complement his look, while Vernero had his signature black shirt and black slacks with no tie on, two first buttons undone to reveal his inked sternum.

Each one of them exuded the energy that made you weak in the knees. They just pulled the whole world on their sleeves and they knew it.

Upon realizing my presence, Lorenzo’s eyes moved up and landed on me, then a small smile stretched on his lips as he stood up and gestured me to sit on a single couch. For a single

seat, it was sure majestic and glorious.

“You look beautiful, Tesoro.” He complimented kissing the top of my head and then retreatedt o his seat. Vernero wore his usual scowl as if he was ready to murder someone in an instant. I t was always amusing how he managed to stay angry almost every second of the day.

“Thanks,” I replied shortly and smoothed the none existing greases on my dress.

“How are you liking the castle?” Ahhhhhmmmm, what was this? “It’s okay. I like it. The pools are fun, the jacuzzis also. I love the theatre and the gym.”

017

“Have you been to the saunas?”

“Yes, two times this we…”

“Don’t go to the saunas again.” Vernero chimed in his cold voice. My eyes shifted at him to find him staring at me intently.

“Huh?” I breathed out confused,

“Don’t go next to the saunas again!” He repeated and then sipped his whiskey, dismissing any questions that may have risen from me. I managed a small nod and a smile.

“We want to show you something,” Lorenzo informed getting up from his seat. He walked to his giant white marble desk to retrieve a big black folder.

My curiosity skyrocketed at the sight of a giant folder because man, things were always yummy in there.

“Okay.” I watched as Vernero shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the furrows on his forehead deepening even further. I was about to ask what was the matter with him when Lorenzo laid the giant book in front of my eyes and opened the first page.

“I’ll get you a drink.” Vernero offered and tore off from his seat. He was sure one hell of a

weird man I have ever seen. He was so unstable, in all possible ways.

I looked back at the folder in front of me,

“It’s a photo album.” I pointed out to no one in particular.

“Yes. And I presume it will give you answers to all the questions you have been meaning to ask.” Lorenzo answered and gently brushed my hair off my face. For someone who lied to me, he was sure passionate and insanely gentle with me, unlike his twin who was… well, he was that way! Like THAAAT

way. Unpredictable, very unstable, and very unnerving. But I have come to realize that he actually cared for me, even more than Lorenzo did. He just didn’t how t o show it or how to do well with emotions. As a doctor, I understood that very intimately.

As if hearing my thoughts, he got into my line of sight and insisted that I take the wine glass from him, if it was before, I’d have thought that he spiked it. But now, I accepted it with a smile and said a small thanks.

Then refocused on the elephant in the room.

I flipped the cover page and gasped when my eyes landed on a photo of me. The younger

version of me.

I was wearing a very yellow summer dress with my hair bundled in a messy bun. I had a cheeky grin which revealed my braces and pearl white teeth. With me were…

“This… You are here! Both of you.” I breathed out as the two giant teen boys stood unmoving o n both of my sides. The other one was broody, with no smile while the other was bubbly. I looked up to find the two of them looking at me.

“You knew me. We knew each other.” I called out and stared down at the photo, then flipped t o reveal yet another one. Here, it was winter, and we were posing beside a huge snowman with a big tall man behind us. The man was a spitting image of me and the sight of him opened a flood gate to so many emotions.

He was my dad. The very same dad I had no memory of, let alone had a single portrait of. After the accident, they had tried to find something that linked me back to the past, but there was nothing. Just some distant relatives that didn’t want to be involved with me at all cost. When I woke up from a six- month-long coma, I remembered nothing, nothing at all. After that, I was taken in by my paternal cousin who saw me throughout my college life. Sadly, he died two years later and since then, it was just me.

“That’s Big Mac over there. He took us to the mountain for barbeque in the woods. It was cold, so cold that your cheeks were inflamed all over the way to and from the cabin in the woods. But it was fun.” Lorenzo elaborated causing me to sniffle. It was then I realized I was crying.

My dad, my father. Did he think of me as an unfilial daughter for failing to remember the happy times we shared together?

“What’s his full name?” I asked in a croaked voice only to be met by deafening silence. I looked up to find them staring at me with pitiful eyes.

“Mac-David Maxwell Montreal,” Vernero answered.

“He was a professor at the biggest university in Poland. That’s where we all lived.” Lorenzo clarified further.

Hours ticked by as we sat in there, me watching the short frozen memories of my past, how happy and carefree I was. I came to know that the lively bubbly boy in the photos was not Lorenzo like I had thought, but Vernero. How much they had changed. How much we all have changed. This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

They told me everything there was to know, hiding nothing from me. I laughed, I cried, I was a n emotional mess.

We had lost each other, but they found me.

It’s true I remembered nothing about them, about me during those times, but these photographs told me everything there was to know. The happiness they had when they were with me, the fulfillment in my eyes when those silly pictures were taken, was right in front of my eyes.

We may have changed, but I believed that that fulfillment, that pure joy evident in their eyes when they looked at me back then, they were trying to find it.

And I was going to help them.