Viviana - chapter 2
I felt my knees start to buckle under the weight of the familiar pair of blue eyes staring down at me. Those eyes, so achingly familiar, made my heart skip a beat and my breath catch in my throat. I had to remind myself to breathe.
My hand instinctively reached out to grab him, a mixture of hope and trepidation coursing through me.
"James?" The name escaped my lips in a whisper as if saying it louder might break the fragile illusion.
He squeezed my hand in response, and for a moment, the warmth of his touch made me believe in miracles. He smiled down at me with a gentleness that was both comforting and heartbreaking. "I'm Damian."
My heart instantly plummeted, and the foolish shred of hope I had nurtured shattered in an instant. I felt a rush of embarrassment and disappointment flood my system.
"R-Really? Y-You look a lot like someone I knew named James Hall," I stuttered, my voice barely holding together.
I felt stupid for letting my emotions get the better of me, for even daring to hope that James had come back to me from the grave.
He took a deep breath, and for a moment, his eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion, which he quickly snuffed out.
"That's because he was my uncle," he said, stroking my knuckles with his thumb in a gesture that was meant to be soothing but only made my heart ache more.
"Oh," I let out a soft sigh, trying to process this new information.
On one hand, I felt beyond stupid that, even for a moment, I thought that it was James standing before me. But on the other hand, this was James' nephew, which meant I wasn't totally crazy for thinking they were the same person since they had the craziest family resemblance.
"You really look a lot like him, just older," I managed to muster a half-hearted smile as I looked up at him.
The resemblance he shared with the nineteen-year-old boy I once knew was uncanny, almost eerie.
"Strong genetics, I guess," he shrugged with a slightly forced smile as well. There was something in his demeanour that felt off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
A momentary, awkward silence fell between us, and the sound of the receptionist typing on her keyboard filled the air, creating a stark contrast to the tension that hung between us.
He cleared his throat, breaking the heavy silence, and said something I didn't quite hear as my thoughts distracted me. My mind was racing with memories of James and the life we had planned together before everything fell apart.
"Excuse me?" I shook my head to try and refocus on the present.
"I said I'll take the job," he repeated for me, his voice steady and decisive.
"But I thought you said you'd need to take a look around the villas before making your decision?" I tilted my head, confused by his sudden change of heart.
He brought my hand up to his lips, which I had forgotten he was still holding, and pressed a soft, electric kiss to my knuckles. The touch sent a shiver down my spine. "That won't be necessary."
I stammered slightly, taken by surprise by his sudden gesture. "A-Alright. I'll have my assistant send you the contract tomorrow." My mind was struggling to keep up with the rapid turn of events.
He gently lowered my hand and let it fall back to my side. "Perfect. I look forward to working with you, Viviana Rossi."
"Likewise," I gave him a tight-lipped smile, trying to mask the whirlwind of emotions churning inside me.
He opened his mouth to say something, but the overly loud ringtone of my phone cut him off. I picked up the call and mouthed the words 'sorry' to Damian as I took a few steps away from him.
"Hello?" I said into the speaker, trying to steady my voice.
"Vivi!" The voice of my younger sister practically screamed through the speaker, making me jerk the phone away from my ear.
I chuckled, "Cecilia, how are you? How's America treating you these days?"
"Oh, everything's fine here," she twittered, her voice filled with excitement. "Isabella is literally counting down the minutes until her flight tomorrow. She's absolutely thrilled to be spending the summer with you, Vivi."
"Of course, she would be. I'm her favourite aunt, after all," I said playfully, which made Cecilia laugh. It felt good to hear her voice even if she was so far away.
Cecilia and I were only two years apart in age and since we were girls we were like two peas in a pod, always together during every second of the day; that was until she met a rich Texan on holiday here in Italy. She married him after a month-long whirlwind romance and a year later she got Isabelle who was now a young woman at twenty-one.
"Don't forget that you have to pick her up from the airport, best aunt. She should be arriving tomorrow," Cecilia teased.
"Are you doubting the greatest aunt in the world?" I said with mock offence, and the two of us giggled at our shared silliness.
"I've gotta go now, Cecilia. I'm currently doing some business with an interior designer," I looked back to Damian, who had his hands in his pockets as he looked out the window at the villas.
We both said a quick goodbye before I hung up and rejoined Damian by the window.
"Sorry about that. It was my sister calling," I said sheepishly, feeling a bit flustered.
He kept his gaze fixed on the villas outside the window. "I'd like to live in one of the villas throughout the duration of the project. I want to get a feel for the place."
I nodded in agreement, "That sounds like a great idea. I can make all the arrangements for your accommodation."
"And I'd like you to stay there with me," he turned to face me, his blue eyes sparkling with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat.
What the f*ck?
"I...um...," I started before he cut me off.
"I want your input every step of the way throughout the design process, and I work during all hours of the day, so it'll be easier if we just stay together for now."
Jeez, when Alessandro said that he was 'way out there,' he clearly wasn't joking.
"I don't think that'll be necessary," I tried to be as polite as I could be, even though I was really creeped out. "I'll make sure to be in constant communication with you throughout the entire project."
He took a few steps closer to me, closing the distance between us. "I won't do the project unless you come to the villa with me."
I stammered, "B-But..."
"I won't do it if you're not there. I prefer working very closely with my clients," he insisted, his tone brooking no argument.
"I thought that you liked creative freedom?" I stepped back to create some space between us, feeling increasingly uneasy.
He instantly closed the distance once again, his presence almost overwhelming. "This project is different. I'm not going to do it unless you agree to my terms."
"H-How about I stay in a different villa at the resort?" I suggested, trying to appease him while also maintaining some personal space.
His brow furrowed in response, "No, I want access to you at all times...for work of course."
I tried to think of a dozen different reasons to refuse, but I knew that if I did, I'd run the risk of losing the only interior designer whose style aligned with my crazy dream. My dream project, something I had been planning all year, felt like it was slipping away unless I agreed to his terms.
"Alright, I agree to your terms," I finally conceded, my voice barely above a whisper.
His firm lips turned up at one corner in a smirk, "Perfect."
It wouldn't really be a problem at the end of the day anyway; a young man like him wouldn't exactly be trying to sneak into my bedroom while we were sharing the villa. Or so I tried to reassure myself.
As we finalized the arrangements, I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that something was off. Damian's insistence on staying so close felt intrusive, yet his demeanour suggested he wasn't taking no for an answer. I wondered how much of this was driven by genuine professional interest and how much by something else entirely.
"Viviana," Damian's voice cut through my thoughts, drawing my attention back to him. "I can't wait to get started, to work with you."
"Me too," I replied, trying to muster some enthusiasm. "I've been really nervous about this whole project, but it means a lot to me."
His gaze softened for a moment, and I saw a flicker of something—maybe regret, maybe sadness—but it was gone before I could fully grasp it. "Dreams are worth chasing, Viviana. Don't let anything or anyone stop you, I never do."
I smirked, "I guess that's how you've managed to come so far at your age."
As we walked out of the office, side by side, I couldn't help but steal glances at him. His resemblance to James was almost haunting, like I was staring at an older version of him; an age he never reached.
We reached the parking lot, and Damian turned to face me. "I'll see you tomorrow at the villa, then. We'll start bright and early."
"I'll be there," I promised, forcing a smile. "Goodbye, Damian."
"Goodbye, Viviana," he replied, his eyes lingering on me for a moment longer than necessary before he turned and walked away from the resort.
As I watched him leave, a storm of emotions swirled inside me. This project was supposed to be a fresh start, a new beginning. But with Damian's unsettling presence stirring up the ghosts of my past life with James it was hard to focus on the future.
I settled some business back at the resort—okay a lot of business—before finally coming back home feeling as exhausted as usual.
I kicked off my heels and slipped into a comfortable pair of yoga pants and a baggy t-shirt before taking on the daunting task of packing to move into one of the villas at the resort tomorrow.
I yanked out my biggest, dusty old suitcase from the wardrobe and started shoving in as many clothes as I could.
As I packed I realised just how long it had been since I took time off work to just kick back and relax. Since inheriting the resort I hadn't done anything other than wake up, work and barely get enough sleep; I'd barely go shopping.
I zipped up the suitcase and rolled it to a corner of the room, catching a glimpse of my dishevelled appearance in the cheval mirror by the window. I couldn't help but frown at what I saw, my brittle hair framing my tired face didn't exactly make for a pretty picture.
I had really let myself go even for a woman my age.
As much as I prided myself on being the workaholic of the family—just like Dad was—I was still a woman and no woman appreciated looking like something that crawled out from under a rock.
I need to join a gym
or something
There was no need to bother packing things like a toothbrush or towels since all of those things were already ready and waiting at the villa, so all I had to do was snuggle into bed and rewatch Mean Girls for perhaps the eightieth time.
I had already caught myself nodding off by the time the jingle bells dance number came, so I decided to turn the TV off and actually get some sleep for a change.
Before officially hitting the sack I checked my phone for any messages like any responsible business owner would do. As I scrolled through the list of notifications I found a reminder sent from my calendar app.
James
'
twenty-sixth memorial service next week
I let out a melancholy sigh from the painful reminder of the death of the only man I'll probably ever love.
