Entwined With the Villainous Guardian
Chapter 44: Meeting the Don

Chapter 44: Meeting the Don

Leander’s Rolls-Royce rolled inside The Giardino amidst the salutes and greetings of the staff. The Giardino is a high-end banquet hall owned by the Kastello family. Even the exterior was glimmering with luxury that no ordinary person would even dream of stepping in. It was an exquisite place that was meant for the filthy rich.

The event organizer welcomed them inside the party hall. Viviana saw that not many had arrived. She figured that since Leander’s family is the host of the dinner party, his family would arrive first. But none of Leander’s family members were there.

Leander asked the staff to give her an apple juice and went with Steve to check the security arrangements. Viviana looked around with apple juice in her hand. The decorations were lavish. Fresh flowers, silk chiffon flowing curtains, beautiful centerpieces in each of the round tables, exquisite place settings, a spacious dancing area, glimmering glass chandeliers that glittered like diamonds, and warm lighting. The entire place emitted luxury.

There was a stage set for music. Judging by the instruments, it looked more like a jazz stage than a club setting with DJs and heavy music that she expected. That said more about the taste of the host and the age of the crowd gathering.

Maybe it won’t be the type of gathering where youngsters would do drugs and dance to heavy music. Maybe it’s a place where old people show off their might.

She decided to be invisible for the rest of the day.

Having left alone, she walked to the door that most of the staff were using. She looked around the kitchen in the guise of leaving the glass she was holding. Everyone was busy. She walked across the kitchen, and no one even looked at her.

Or maybe they were asked not to engage with her. She didn’t mind that.

Utilizing the power of invisibility, she had acquired, she picked a bottle of wine and walked out. No one stopped her.

She did not pick the wine just because she missed it. She needed liquid courage. And she could use wine as an excuse to leave the party early or to be left alone. She was not planning on getting drunk. She needed to be alert all the time.

She cannot miss any chances to escape.

She found a balcony and sneaked out. After carefully hiding the wine in the bushes, she observed around for any possible escape routes. They are on the first floor, and it can’t be that hard to escape.

But the outdoors was swarming with men wearing a lot of jewelry. They should be the thugs working for the Kastello family. They were so alert, and she saw at least four men looking in her direction just by the little motion.

"Minnie!"

She yelped hearing Leander’s cold voice behind her. Only then she realized something. She clutched her chest.

Escape? I cannot escape! He’ll kill an innocent woman! And the bottle...did he find it out? Will he punish the kitchen staff?

She looked at the wine bottle she hid.

"Come, we have to greet my grandfather," he said, and Viviana let out a sigh of relief.

She nodded and followed him. Viviana clenched her jaws as her eyes ended on the old man who was standing showing his back to her. He looked around at all the arrangements. The event organizer was standing with his eyes filled with expectation and fear. His future and life depended on whether Peter Kastello liked the arrangements or not.

"Give him a hundred grand more than promised," Peter said to his assistant standing beside him. "He did a good job..."

The event organizer smiled. Viviana clenched her hands. She heard Peter say these exact words to someone before.

And the next day, Peter burned down the entire place!

"Ah... Leander, My boy!" Peter looked at Leander with a hearty smile. "Don’t you think this setting shows off who we the Kastellos are?" he looked around once more. The softness in his eyes was reduced to a prideful gaze. "The Kastello family, under my leadership, is standing tall, no matter what or who tried to destroy it. I’ve built this all with the might of my power and my brains!"

Viviana clenched her jaws to stop herself from voicing out her thoughts. Father Flannagan told her that the pride of Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of Babylon, wrought his downfall. They say pride comes before fall. Peter does not lack pride. His blood is streaming with pride.

Peter, your time has come... You will burn!

"Yes, grandpa," Leander smiled and bowed in front of his grandfather. "You are our pride. And your presence is enough to show the might of our Kastello family," he held his hand and kissed his ring.

After that, Leander took a step back. Placing his big hand on the small of her back, he pushed her to the front.

"This is Minerva Russo," he said.

Peter’s smile vanished in a flash as he looked at her with intensity. Viviana had never seen a genuine smile disappear that fast. There could be a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, he might despise her so much that his smile was doused immediately, or... that smile he had for Leander was not genuine.

She leaned toward the latter. Through the research she had done on the Kastello family, she had a hunch that Peter does not care much for Leander. This just added to it.

She fisted her hand and covered her mouth. She coughed slightly.

Peter simply observed her from top to bottom. "Russo?" he then turned at Leander.

"Yes, the Russo family, related to Steve’s family from the South..." Leander said. His hand was still on her back, and he turned to look at her.

"Ah... he was very loyal to me. I heard he was survived by a daughter..." Peter’s face softened when he looked at her.

Viviana smiled poignantly to go with the story Leander went with. She thought he was using a common name, but he was using the name of a loyal servant of the Kastello family.

Why does it look like he wants to protect my identity...? What does he gain from it?

"I heard he found you on the Neolithe bridge...?" Leander questioned her.

Viviana with a shy smile bowed her head. In her heart, she was going through the various reasons Leander might have come up with such a story for her.

Leander answered for her. "She was~"

"Let me hear her voice, Leander," Peter furrowed his brows.

Leander rubbed her back and Viviana looked up with a shy smile. "That...I had no one to look after me, and..."

She remembered Peter mentioning that their loyal guy (her supposed father) was dead and so she created her own sob story.

"You should have come to me then, child," Peter patted her shoulder.

Viviana held her breath hearing the concern dripping from his voice. The place where Peter touched her burned. She looked up and met his eyes.

Burn, Peter... Burn...