Chapter 12

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  Leonardo

Rameen, her name was so beautiful, like a melody. I watched her walk out of the small pizzeria with her husband. They both were holding hands, and Rameen had her head placed on his shoulder.

A sudden urge rose inside me to kill her husband. I knew I was being unreasonable. I knew I had no business stalking her like this, but I couldn't control my heart. I was helpless in front of the wishes of my heart. All I could think about for the past three days was Rameen.

I had lost my Dolcezza once, and I would not lose her again. Destiny had brought us together for a reason. It had brought Rameen to Italy, to Rome, so we both could meet. It was not a coincidence that I had a meeting in that restaurant that day when she had been buying ice cream. It was fate, and it wanted us together.

Fate had taken my Dolcezza from me, but it gave me another chance to get her back. I would not miss this chance. Even if I had to burn down the whole world for her, I would do it.

"Leonardo Bianchi," even in my absence, my name was spoken with the utmost respect in the corporate world. I had always been a workaholic, all I had ever wanted was to conquer this world, and I had, but at what cost? I had lost the most important person in my life.

I was not going to repeat that mistake, and I was going to make Rameen mine, by hook or by crook. I never hesitated to play dirty to get what I desired. All I had desired was one woman who was snatched away from me mercilessly. If fate had been a person, I would have killed him with my bare hands.

My grip on the steering tightened when Rameen's husband gave a peck on her nose, and she giggled. They both were so perfect together, like two pieces of a puzzle. I have been following them like a shadow for the past three days, watching them from afar as they visited different tourist sites in Rome. Mostly her husband accompanied her, but once or twice she had been out alone when he had some meetings.

It was one of those times when she was alone buying an ice cream that I had seen her. How do I know? The CCTV footage from around, I had contacts everywhere in Italy, and just my name was enough to get anything done. I climbed out of the car when they rounded a corner. It was not safe to follow around everywhere in a car. It might get noticed sooner than when I was walking. I stuffed my hair in my beanie and put shades on my eyes.

I wore a plain white tee shirt and jeans ripped at the knees. It was best to wear such clothes that didn't acquire any attention. Stalking in a three-piece suit would have had my pictures on the front page of the leading dailies.

I followed them through a busy street to 'Trevi's Fountain.' It was one of the most popular attractions in Rome. Rameen pulled her husband along with her to the pool's edge and fetched a few coins from his pocket. She stood with her back to the fountain and closed her eyes.

I watched bewitched as she said her wish and then tossed the coin with her right hand over her left shoulder, and it bounced on the pool wall and fell outside on the pavement.

Fuck.

It was believed if your coin didn't fall into the fountain, then your wish wouldn't be fulfilled. Rameen had turned and was looking at the coin in disappointment. Her husband walked to her and snaked his arms around her and pulled her into him, and started whispering something in her ear. I watched it with my blood simmering and my patience closed to snapping.

I didn't understand why they were always touching each other. I had always seen them holding hands or Rameen's husband holding her in his arms now and again. One thing was clear that they both were too much in love with each other. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach yet again. I was about to separate two people who were madly in love with each other.

I didn't have any choice. I had to do this even though I didn't want to because I couldn't let her slip away as my Dolcezza had slipped from my fingers right in front of my eyes. All I wanted to do was give her what she deserved, the world.

My cell started ringing, and I pulled it out of my jeans pocket. As expected, Dominico said, "Boss, you have a meeting with the delegation from the UK," Dominico spoke as soon as I received the call.

"Handle them," I barked in the cell.

"Boss, they won't like it," he said hesitantly.

"Then cancel the deal," I snapped into the speaker and ended the call.

Nothing was more important to me than my Dolcezza. She would leave Rome tomorrow, so I didn't even have twenty-four hours with her. That included a long night with her husband in the hotel suite. I didn't even want to think about that. I always tried to imagine her falling asleep the moment they were in the room out of exhaustion.

Rameen and her husband Waleed visited a few shops and bought some items, probably souvenirs from their trip. Like the last three days, I followed them to their hotel and watched till they disappeared into their hotel suite.

"This is madness," Dominico announced the moment I stepped into my office the next day.

"It's none of your business," I replied to him in a calm tone.

"You have been stalking a married woman for the last three days. Do you have any idea what will happen if anyone finds this out?" He looked in a grumpy mood.

It was Dominico's job to worry about me, and he performed it to the best of his abilities, and hence I didn't interrupt him in his rant. He was nearly seven years younger than me, but he had made it a mission in his life to fulfill the void in my life after my parents died.

"Leo, I am telling you that no good is going to come out of this," he used to call me Leo when he was at the last level of his tolerance.

"Contact our associates in India, and find out if we have someone who knows Waleed Kamal personally," I ignored him and gave instructions.

Dominico pressed his lips into a tight line. He didn't like what I had said. I knew that he was right, I knew that I was the one being unreasonable here, but I didn't want to think about it much.

"Leo, she is someone else's wife, and they both look madly in love," Dominico blurted out.

"You have been stalking her, too?" I asked, astonished.

"I was stalking you to make sure you didn't do anything stupid, but it was hard not to notice the love and affection between them," he answered.

My jaw clenched, and my hold on the paperweight in my hand tightened. I didn't even want to think that she loved anyone else but me. The thought of her being with another man was killing me. Why hadn't I found her before? It had been seven years since my Dolcezza had left me, and Rameen had been married for five years. If only I had found her before, she wouldn't have married Waleed Kamal.

Their story had been quite interesting, she had been engaged to someone else, but the guy had backed off on the day of their wedding, and she had gotten married to Waleed instead. It was just a chance that Waleed had been present at the right place and time.

Lucky son of a bitch.

If only he had not been there, then Rameen would not have gotten married, and we could have encountered each other earlier. There was no use fretting over the past. I had to think about the future. Our future, together and forever.

"Leo, you can have any girl you want. Then why are you hell-bent on having her?" Dominico asked again.

"You know very well why I want her, Nico. Still, you are asking me? Haven't you seen her? Don't you think fate had brought her here for a reason? Maybe it wants to give me back what it had snatched away from me," I looked at Leo displeased.

Dominico, of all men, should have understood my reasons. He knew very well how much I loved my Dolcezza. Even though she was not with me and it had been seven long years, I still loved her.

"She isn't yours, Leo. She belongs to someone else," Nico's voice was gentle.

"I will make her mine, Nico. I will get her at any cost," I replied, determined. 

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