Entwined With the Villainous Guardian
Chapter 232: An Ambush

Chapter 232: An Ambush

Leander decided to bring the dinner to the bedroom. Steve was standing by the stairs clenching a folder in his hands. It looked important. Gesturing for him to go to the office, Leander walked up the stairs.

Viviana was still sleeping. He placed the dinner on the breakfast table and went to the office.

"The transaction details of the money from Signora’s account before she..." Steve offered the file to Leander.

Leander got the file and shifted through it. After passing through many accounts and going through many mutations, the money close to $250,000 was deposited in a trust belonging to Father Flannagan.

He didn’t have to guess where he was from... Abenney!

He was a Priest in St. Michael’s Church, Abenney. He was supporting a bunch of orphans using his trust. He also remembered that name from somewhere else.

The fire!

If Father Flannagan was with St. Michael’s orphanage before the fire and if what Gabriella said was true, then it makes sense if she sent all her life savings to him. She knew him since when she was a child. She suffered in the fire.

And if she is Melanie, then, she suffered a lot more.

She was there when it all went down, and she was the only witness. They lied to protect her and even her dying declaration was treated like dust. She carried the wound in her heart all these years. She knew all the secrets, yet she watched everything get burnt to ashes without being able to do anything.

When she was young, they saved her life by faking her death. Years later, she wanted to end her life to get back at the family who destroyed her everything.

"You cousin Russo ever talked to you about the Abenney fire, Steve?" Leander asked. He didn’t expect to hear the truth from Steve. But he wanted to put it out that he was open to getting answers.

"No, Capo, he didn’t," Steve answered immediately. "I also don’t believe the conspiracies around his death. I believe my cousin died of~"

"What are the conspiracies, Steve?" Leander asked.

Steve gulped and looked at Leander probably to understand the intention of Leander to talk about the past. Leander’s gaze was unwavering. He couldn’t read much from his face.

Steve opted to say the truth. "Some say my cousin refused to kill a child. Some say that the don wanted to kill a woman and her child along with burning an orphanage, some even say that the don tasked my cousin with burying someone and didn’t want the secret out...And some say..."

Leander furrowed his brow. "What more?"

Steve bowed his head. "Your driver Luca’s father died around the same time as my cousin. And some say that Luca’s father was killed because he confronted my cousin for killing... Signora Victoria...There are rumors that Signora Victoria didn’t die of an illness but she was alive during the fire of~"

"That’s enough!" Leander threw the file on the table. He was irritated. He thought he might get some useful facts, but all he is getting are useless rumors.

His father’s first wife’s grave is on the family’s gravesite. He’s been with his father when he used to sit by the grave and talk to his dead wife. He even wept crying out his wife’s name.

His mother hated him for it. Maybe she hated him more after that.

How can his father’s first wife be buried in the family gravesite if she died in the Abenney fire?

"Find out everything you can about Father Flannagan... without using the family’s resources," Leander said.

"Yes, Capo." Steve retreated. He understood that his boss wants to find out about the priest without the knowledge of the don.

-----

Leander patted Viviana to awaken her. "Eat," he kissed her cheek.

Viviana woke up. "Leander," she leaned on him and hugged him around his waist. "Sweet Leander..." she sniffed him.

Leander smiled and kissed her head. Guess she is out of whatever "that" mood was. He hugged her close. He felt like his soul returned to him as he felt her warmth.

She is not a mouse. She is a lion by heart. She withstood a lot of tribulations and became successful. She survived somehow even when life offered her nothing but struggles.

Maybe that’s the appeal of her eyes. The mysterious force that binds him to her is the strength she holds in her soul.

"My lioness, my queen," he kissed her.

"My lion, my king," she crawled on his lap and kissed him.

He chuckled out of happiness.

Viviana could hear his stomach grumbling. "You didn’t eat?" she asked.

"No," he carried her to the table. "I was waiting for you."

He let her down on the table and checked the temperature on her forehead with his hand. It was normal.

"I thought you had a fever and asked the chef to prepare porridge..." he sounded apologetic. "Wait, I’ll turn on the lights," he walked away.

"Wait!" Viviana held his hand. "Let’s light the candles," she said.

As Viviana was sitting at the table, Leander lit the candles in the room. In a few moments, the entire place had a romantic ambiance. Even the porridge tasted nice for Viviana as she ate it while looking at Leander’s face. He too had his fill.

"I’m taking you on a surprise visit for your birthday," he said.

He wondered if she would come straight about her real birthday although he didn’t have high hopes. As he was saying it, he wondered why she was mad about having that date as his password if it was her birthday too.

She is weird and stupid. But what can he do when he fell for her as she is?

He wanted to ask her how she knew about Helena’s birthday. But he didn’t want to remind her the fight.

"Where?" she asked with a cheeky smile.

"It’s secret. You’ll know it once we get there. That’s the meaning of surprise," he winked.

He was not even surprised she didn’t tell him the truth. Is it fear as Gabriella said?

He couldn’t even get angry at her for keeping secrets from him. After what his grandfather did to her, can she trust his family? But he was a little hurt she is not trusting him. He is not his grandfather.

But that date...

Why he didn’t change that password for years, he didn’t know. That date was so close to his heart that he never thought of changing it.

He remembered the exhilarating feeling he got when he learned of Helena’s birthday. From some of the staff in his house, he learned that it was the Feast Day of Michael and the Archangels.

These days, he wondered if he liked everything around Helena because he loved her or if the reverse was true. From her eyes, her birthday... her soft nature...

He looked at Viviana. She is not soft by any means. But he can speak from his heart when he says that he likes this one the most.

He sighed.

He didn’t want to compare his wife with anyone else.

"Go, lie down," he pushed her to the bed. "I’ll wake you up after everything is ready."

Viviana curled up on the bed. She was not feeling tired, but she closed her eyes. She heard him moving here and there in the closet. She could imagine the closet entirely in ruins. But she let him do what he wanted to do.

He was happy on his birthday, and he might want to return it.

Within some minutes, two big luggage bags were ready.

"Is this all? Did you pack everything?" she asked. "Those are very big bags and they look very full. Did you empty the closet?" she walked to the closet.

The closet was not very ruined as she imagined. Only some of his clothes were on the floor.

"You didn’t pack your jewelry?" she asked. "Did you pack my underwear?" she mumbled. Does he even know what to pack?

He shrugged with a smiled.

"Whatever!" she went to the bathroom. When she came out after freshening up, she saw that he had prepared a dress for her.

A new dress.

She didn’t know how comfortable it would be for travelling and where they are going, but she still wore it.

It was midnight when they left the house. They were followed by Katerina and Martha in another car that was stuffed to the brim with luggage bags. Viviana wondered if they are going on a vacation or if they are vacating the house.

"Lean on me and close your eyes," he pulled her into his embrace.

The partition was up, and Viviana took him on his offer and lay on his lap comfortably.

"You can lie on my lap," she smiled in a teasing way.

He shook his head. Viviana couldn’t see where there were going as it was dark outside. They weren’t taking the freeway and were taking some backroad. Even still, the car ride was smooth.

Money can buy comfort.

Viviana fell asleep before she knew it. Suddenly, she woke up with the sudden halt of the car.

She looked out the window as she heard loud noises and many spotlights around them.

How many helicopters are there?

She looked at Leander and he pulled out his gun.