Chapter - 7

"That's all."

Elena asks dejected with my answer.

We both were back to my apartment from our night out and were currently chatting about the hot stranger I met while sipping some fine red wine.

"Hmm."

I reply

"So you met this very hot guy who was acting like a sacredy cat in front of you, maybe too enamoured by your beauty and you didn't do anything."

"I don't know about being enamoured but he sure looked like he saw someone he wasn't expecting."

I say while taking a big gulp of wine.

"And what do you expect me to do we just met for a few minutes." I say wishing I had a few more moments with him.

"Okay leave all that but was he really  that attractive."

Elena probes

"Attractive?? He was fine fine, just looking at him was doing weird things to my body."

"Really."

She asks interested in my depiction of him

"Yeah he had pitch black hair and beautiful sapphire eyes which just pull you in with the way they look at you. He had a sharp jaw line high cheek bones and was having a gritty stubble which made him look a bit older and more hot, but he had a look of lost kitten on his face.

He had a face which made feel mushy and horny at the same time."

I say dreamily.

"You know when he looked at me few of his perfectly tousled back  black hair fell on his forehead and believe me, I felt that the room got a bit hotter."

I tell her reminiscing each detail.

"Aagh why didn't you talk to him a bit more, maybe something would have happened and maybe he would have given you his phone number."

She says seeming more frustrated than me.

I told you stefano came and then I left.

I sigh and go back in retrospect

.................

"You are here." I  heard stefano say while he came towards us.

"Kuhu you are still here. Aren't you getting late for your dinner?"

He asks me.

The eyes of that stranger suddenly snaps towards stefano and then towards me, suddenly looking remorsefull.

"Kuhu."

Stefano says again to grab my attention which is way too focused on the unfamiliar man.

"Yes, I was just about to go and then I saw him."

I say pointing towards the unknown man.

The strange hot man suddenly sports a look of guilt like I have caught him doing a crime.

"I thought he might need some help."

He looks up at me with those beautiful eyes and looks relived as if he just escaped a bullet coming towards him.

This man is just giving me whiplashes with his emotions changing every minute.

"Oh, sorry I forgot to introduce you both to each other.This is Miss Oberoi, the orthopedic doctor I was telling you about she just joined."

Stefano says gesturing toward me.

"And this is Mr Accardo, majority shareholder of our hospital he is on inspection."

I was listening kneely to stefano when I heard mr accardo clear his throat.

"Hi, Miss Oberoi. Piacere di incontrarti (pleasure meeting you )."

He say in his deep voice.

While maintaing eye contact he takes my hand and kisses the back of it.

I am too stunned to say anything .I  don't even know what he said in italian, but whatever it was it sounded really good and then he suddenly kissed the back of my hand. I'm just speechless.

Okay calm down your tits, it probably meant nothing to him. He was just being polite, so stop being a statue and reply him back.

Before I could say anything Stefano intruded.

"Actually Dr. Kuhu don't know italian much so she might not understand what you said."

Mr accardo looked at me and said

"No worries I'll greet her again.

Hi miss oberoi pleasure meeting you."

He again kissed back of my hand while a sly grin was playing on his lips.

What in the fuckity fuck is going on.

He was looking like a frightened child not long ago, he was not even able to speak without stammering and now he is confident as hell.

Before I could process anything I  heard my phone ringing.

I quickly retracted my hand back from his hold and took out my phone from my pocket. I saw ellu pop up on my screen and saw its half past 7.

Oh shit I am late.

"Sorry Stefano, sorry Mr Accardo but I  have somewhere I have to go."

I say hurridly while going back in my cabin grabbing all my things and making my way out of the cabin.

"No worries kuhu, we too are going to other departments and take care of yourself while being out. Also don't forget to enjoy."

Stefano say with a kind smile on his face.

I mean this when, I say this man is so ready to be a father it's not a lie. He just exudes fatherly energy.

"Thank you stefano." I hug him.

"It was nice meeting you Mr Accardo."

I say and bow down a little while hastly moving away. He looked a little sad but nonetheless said

"Enjoy Miss Oberoi."

.................

"I wish I haven't called you at that moment then may be your conversation have prolonged."

Elena say with a sad expression on her face.

"Stop thinking about that man and that conversation. Now it's over whatever happened, happened and think what a blast we had today."

"That is true, I really enjoyed a lot."

She says with all her saddness gone.

"But now enough of sipping wine and eating. We should sleep it's really late. We have to go to work tomorrow."

"Ya, you are right. I should go back now." She gets up.

"What do you mean go back? Its really late you are not going anywhere just sleep here and tomorrow, I will give you a ride back."

I say with a stirct tone leaving no space for argument.

She look me with lot of admiration and say

"You know you say I talk like an old person but you really are like a mother figure. I am really glad, I met you."

She says and her eyes fill up.

Shit she making me tear up too.

"Okay enough melodrama now. I don't about mother and all but I can be you elder sister."

"So, from now I call you sorella (sister)."

"Fine, but lets sleep now. I am really tired."

.................

"Ugh my feet are killing me."

Elena whined while entring my cabin.

"Already"

I retort with a mischievous smile on my face.

"What do you mean already? Do you even know how many floors I have climbed today?" she says

"You climbed up here." I ask curiously knowing she's up there with me on the list of most lazy persons ever born.

"Ya someone important is visiting today so our workers lift is being sacrified."

"Ummm is he Mr Accardo again?" I ask her hesitantly

"Oh Mr Accardo, someone is eager to meet him."

Elena says in a teasing tone

"It's nothing like that. I mean he was here yesterday also, so I was just curious if he is visiting again."

I say hurriedly

"No no  I understand it's just pure curiousty nothing more, nothing intense between you two. I mean what can there be, he is just kissed your hand twice."

She says emphasizing the words twice

"Ugh! I shouldn't have shared with you all that."

I retort feeling shy on her reminiscing me of our little exchange.

"Okay okay I will not tease you anymore."

"You better not. Now leave all this and tell me who do you think is visiting today?"

I question her trying to divert her attention to another topic.

"As I told you I don't know who is visiting today but I may have a guess."

Her eyes suddenly brighten up.

"And what is your guess?"

"I think it's Lorenzo."

"Lorenzo, Who lorenzo?"

I ask confused.

"You forgot already she says."

It then clicked in my mind that she is talking about that mafia.

"Ohhh lorenzo, the mafia you were telling me about you."

"You are really obsessed with him."

I tell her

"I am not obsessed with him rather really intrigued by these mafia. I really like to think myself as a spy. These are mafias are like Kardashians for me. I always try to keep with mafia news but it's very difficult as you know there is a lot of  rumors too. So you never know what's true and what's not ."

She clarify

"We both need to be carefull and remain hidden from them if they do visit."

She says with a determined expression on her face.

"Hidden?"  I ask confused

"Ya hidden who knows what goes into these capo mafioso ( mafia head's) brain. What if they see us and are like why are you still alive elena, go die and then a bullet comes piercing the wind into my skull."

She imitate the action of shooting a bullet.

"You know what elena, you are crazy."

I say hitting on top her head lightly with the pen in my hand.

"You need to cut short on your theories and let's get back to work."

"Ouch!" she fake cries.

"You know they are not theories. I have solid evidence with me."

"What is your solid evidence?"

"Everyone in the city knows that there are mafia men admitted in this hospital.

Which normal person is so stupid to make a visit here admist all this.

No matter how much of a big shot you are, you know not to get in this mafia mess. Their world is brutal."

"Even if he is lorenzo, we will not be able to recognize him as you said earlier noone knows how he looks in real life."

I tell her stating her earlier statement.

"True noone have seen him but I will recognise him."

"Really and how will you do that?"

She sighs and then says

"Sorella Kuhu in mafia world, symbolism is of utmost importance.

Every mafia family has a logo sort of their which has been passed on from generations. This is tattooed by the new capo mafioso on their body when they take over. It is a custom. Same happens in italian mafioso but lorenzo refused to get their family symbol tattooed instead he devised a new symbol which he got tattooed on his hand."

As she was telling me all this, she pulled out her phone and showed me a picture.

It was a pair of hands with a rose tattooed on the hand and MOTHER written along side it.

"This rose is the new symbol he chose. It was quite controversial in the mafia world  even many common people knew that he changed the symbol, quite unusual but he made sure everyone knew that the symbol has changed and he is the one who did it. It was a very big thing but noone dare to question him as he has immense power and has achieved what many generations couldn't achieve in a very short period."

I look at the hand carefully and then back at her.

"You know you are scaring me with how much information you have about all this."

I genuinely tell her.

She puts the phone back in her pocket and says

"I know all this because my dad was a spy. He had worked for the mafia for a considerable period. He loved being a spy. He worked for Lorenzo's father way back."

She pauses and then continues

"After I was born he stopped doing it because he was scared for me. He wasn't a spy anymore but he still had all the information of what was happening."

"He was never able to let it all go, no matter how much he tried and as they say your past catches up to you he was killed due to a past animosity."

I was kneely listening to her. Too stunned to even speak anything.

"I like spying too but after my father's death, my mother threw all his detective stuff in a room and locked it. She never opened it again nor allowed me to go anywhere near it. I really wanted to be a spy or a secret agent but she grew really paranoid after my father's death and would keep me away from all these spying things. Still sometimes I barge into his office and read his work. I got this photo from there only."

She explains to me referring to the photo of hands.

"My mother wanted me to do any job expect what my father did. So here I am getting a degree in MBBS."

She says looking mournful.

I keep my hand over her in order to comfort her.

"I get why your mother keeps you away. After you lose someone dear you change a lot. Knowing how he died and seeing you do the same thing which took his life is difficult."

"It must hurt her a lot. She  just wants you safe."

A murderer talking about keeping someone safe is quite ironic.

I hear a voice in my head.

"Kuhu, are you ok?"

I am jolted away from my thoughts by elena.

"Are you okay?"she questions again.

"Yeah, I am fine, fine, perfectly fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am sure just that I am still stunned. Who thought this cute girl will have a badass side to her."

I say trying to change the topic.

"Ah! nothing much special about me but you know you are the first person who still haven't left in a hurry after hearing about me reiterate all these mafia things to you."

"I guess I am a little crazy but you do say all this with a crazed look on your face. It seems like something you are really passionate about it."

"I am my mom don't want me to be but I am, I shouldn't be but I am."

"Investigating and unraveling mysteries make me feel alive and exicted but for now only thing I have to do is to complete my MBBS."

She says and sighs.

"For that you have to get back to work."

I tell her

"Okay miss boss back to work."

She says while saluting me