PERSEPHONE

18 | The Poisoned Apple

18 | The Poisoned Apple

Emerald's POV

The night was young and the stars twinkled brightly with the quarter moon lighting up the sky. A soft Italian music can be heard by the distance creating the romantic air of the restaurant. I was all alone but it still felt like I wasn't alone. An old couple danced slowly outside the restaurant, swinging to the beat of the music. I smiled at the thought. Will there be a man who would fall in love with me like that until I am old? Will someone hold me close until the end of time? I took a sip of the rich red wine I had, the flavor swirling in my mouth.

"How is everything, Signorina?" The waiter came with the bottle of Brunello di Montalcino. His kind smile made me comfortable enough to just relax. I missed the feeling of calmness. A moment like this where eyes weren't around me, looking and waiting for me to fuck up.

"Everything is perfect." I smiled at him and his eyes twinkled in delight, probably in glee of having a satisfied customer.

"May I pour you another glass, Signorina?" He offered, showing me the bottle fully.

"Yes, please. That would be lovely." I pushed my wine glass closer to him and he swiftly took it with his graceful hand. The glass was held with such elegance as he poured the wine. A moment later, he gave it to me, pride evident by the way he carried himself.

"Grazie mille." I smiled again and returned to my wine. Swirling it around, the redness was a luxury I can never forget. It swirled with richness to it. Taking a quick whiff of it, I suddenly missed the memories I had in Tuscany with my friends where I drunk my ass out until Percyla whooped my ass for being too drunk.

The past few days have been toxic for me. All I did was work my ass out until I passed out. If not for Axel finding me on the office floor sleeping, I think I would have gotten sick already. I can see it in his eyes; the frustration, the helplessness... anger. I don't know why he would be angry at me when he's only my bodyguard. Even Max understands that I needed to work in order to meet my deadlines. I looked around subtly around the restaurant wanting to catch a glimpse of Axel. He's been distant ever since Max started closely working with me. A pang of hurt hit me out of nowhere. Am I being a total bitch asking for attention? I know I want the spotlight but him? Why am I even hurt?

I scoffed at the confusing thoughts I began to have and drank the whole glass of wine. I'm lonely, craving for attention. Perhaps I miss the banters Axel and I had ever since he became my bodyguard. Finishing my provolone del Monaco, I signaled the waiter for the bill. He nodded and quickly came to my table with the bill in his hands.

I felt like my life became dull. I was now at home, just looking through the selections of movies and series on Netflix. With the royal crowns now under production, I felt like I needed a bit of relaxation before another chaotic event of revealing the crowns to the public happened. Max has been really helpful and I think that's why I was able to breathe. He's been with me every step of the way ever since he got here. Directing with me, leading with me, and taking care of me. A rush of heat went up to my cheeks thinking about him. He's a prince and yet I don't feel like his title intimidates me. He brings me flowers everyday too and no man has ever done that before for me. All I know when it comes to guys is the 3 F's. Flirt. Fuck. Flee. The third one is the most important for me. Fly the hell out of his life once you get what you want. Unlike my best friends, I haven't had a serious relationship. Now that Max is dating me, I am kind of scared about how things will go. Fear... There's fear that I will lose myself in the process of dating him. I want to be in control and with Max, I also want to have the certain assurance that I can control things when things go messy.

Tap. Tap. Tap. My thoughts got disrupted by someone tapping on a wooden surface. A shadow of a big man came to my view.

"So you're finally facing me like I'm not some sort of plague." I commented while I saw him take a seat at the single sofa chair to my left. The only light that lit up a side of his features was from the TV and I could notice a bit of his stubble growing while his eyes had dark circles under them.