Assassin Thirty Two

Fifty Three: Stars Within the Night Sky

While they slowly drove through the busy streets of the city, Valentino was busy on the phone while Ivy looked out the window, watching strangers continue with their day. Suddenly a mischievous grin plastered Valentino's face. "Fucking finally. Make sure you pay the Shadows fucking good. And I mean a few hundred thousand each." He explained, ending the call and Ivy flickered his eyes towards him.

"What was that all about?" Ivy asked.

"My hacking team found a large amount of land that's recently been purchased. They were able to trace the payments of the offshore bidding and it turns out that Garcia and the Italian's have decided to relocate to another country. That drug will be back in my hands in no time and I'll have the pleasure of skinning Garcia alive."

"That sounds like good news."

"It is good news, Princess. And I know the perfect place where we can celebrate it." Valentino ordered the driver the location and the car drove down the roads, heading back into the city until they parked right outside a fancy looking hotel. When Valentino stepped out of the car, he helped Ivy out and grasped her hand, leading her inside where a doorman greeted them, inviting them into the luxurious space of the lobby.

Instead of walking to the front desk to check in, Valentino walked up to an elevator that had the word "private" written neatly in gold above it. The elevator doors opened and Ivy could feel the ball of nerves settling deep into her stomach. She wasn't someone who really liked surprises.

When the elevator doors opened, Ivy gasped, taken back by the interior of the room. Everything was so open, so spacious and clean. But the view was breathtaking. The penthouse was several stories high, nearly seventy stories tall and overlooked most of New York City. Floor to ceiling windows covered the entire wall, meaning you could stand anywhere in the space and look over Central Park.

"Oh my god..." Ivy gasped, completely shocked at everything. Valentino smiled, quietly walking up behind Ivy and resting his hands on her hips.

"Let me give you a tour of my new place."

Ivy spun around on her heels so quickly she thought it would give her whiplash. "Y-you brought this place?" Ivy whispered, stunned.

Valentino nodded his head, reaching out and grabbing Ivy's hand so he could give her a tour of the entire space. "I've been meaning to buy it for a while now but didn't jump at the opportunity because it was dangerous staying in the city with the shit happening with the Italians and Garcia. But now that I'm certain they're scared of me and are no longer in the country, I knew I had to finalise the buy. Sixty six million dollars later and I own one of the best, if not the best penthouse in the city."

"Sixty six mil?! Are you insane?" Ivy exclaimed, her jaw dropping and hanging on the ground. First the thousands of dollar dresses and shoes... now the multimillion dollar penthouse. Valentino definitely had lots of money to spend, that was for sure.

After walking around the space, which happened to have three floors, they settled down in the dining room where a personal chef had laid out several plates of food, consisting of an entreé, main course and a dessert. Night had fallen reasonably quick and after dessert, Ivy settled in the living room, overlooking the night lights of Central Park with a glass of red wine resting on the glass table next to her.

Valentino sat on the opposite couch, one leg resting on the other knee as he scrolled through documents on his laptop, occasionally tapping at keys. Classical music hummed through the ceiling mounted speaker system and Ivy casted her eyes over Valentino's frowned face.

"I didn't know you were the classical music type."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about, Princess." He hummed, glancing up from the screen of his laptop.