Salvatore

7. Hey MTV! Welcome to my crib

Dante was nowhere to be found this morning, which is fine with me. There's absolutely no one else in the house, so after breakfast in the huge kitchen (my mom would think she died and went to heaven if she saw it), I explore. Well it's more like snooping, but whatever.

I find no less than twelve guns hidden around the premises which startles me just a little bit. It's not that I've never seen a gun before (I am American, afterall), it's that they're hidden in random places throughout the house.

I make sure not to touch them because I am assuming they're here illegally and I don't want to get accidentally framed for being involved in crimes I didn't commit.

Technically, I do know how to shoot. My Dad and Aunt Elena insisted on us learning how to shoot, as well as other basic survival skills. As a kid, it seemed like "this is a normal activity, afterall, we do live on a ranch" but when I turned twelve and found out about the mafia stuff I understood why the grownups were so insistent on us learning how to defend ourselves.

I will be honest, the only one who was somewhat decent and could hit the targets was Nicholas. The rest of us were hopeless. Then again, I was like seven. I used to get bored and go play with the lambs. We did go to the shooting range a few times when I was older and I still kinda suck, but it's fine 'cause I doubt I'll ever need to use one.

This house is actually insane. I didn't realize it yesterday, but there's an entry table next to the door (a gun is hidden behind the mirror there) and under the staircase is a grand piano. I wonder who plays, since Dante (or Ace, as he likes to be called) doesn't seem like the type.

There's a formal dining room with like at least twelve chairs which leads back to the kitchen. There's an office downstairs too, I'm assuming it's Dante's which is a little ridiculous to me, because why does a nineteen year old have an office?

The office is actually pretty cool although it doesn't quite match the monochrome white and gray aesthetic of the rest of the house. It leads into a library which has wood paneled walls and floor to ceiling bookshelves, although I don't inspect the titles too closely since that's a project for another day. The desk looks like an old oak thing and the chair is soft leather. There's a small leather arm chair in front of a fireplace.

The rest of the house is what you'd expect from a mansion. There's multiple bathrooms downstairs, and like two bedrooms. I take pictures of everything to send to my mom so she can help me figure out what to do with the place, because while it's a beautiful house, the decor pieces make it seem cold and impersonal. One thing about Dante, he clearly commits to the aesthetic.

Although it does pain me to see that the Victorian Gothic architecture of the house is covered up by ultra-modern, gray furniture and decorations.

I make my way back to the kitchen and notice something on the island. When I get closer, I see that it's a note and there's a small box next to it. Warily, I pick up the note.

For your necessary expenses - Ace

I open the box to find a black card. I don't know much about credit cards but I do know what the black card means. I squeal and do a little happy dance.

A better woman than me would ignore the card and make her own way to prove a point. I am not a better woman.

The card is immediately added to my Apple Wallet and the CVC is memorized.

I flip the note to the back and see the house's wi-fi password, the code for the community gate, and this week's security code for the front gates (I guess it changes every week).

His phone number is also provided which I save to my phone. I make his contact name the clown emoji before inspecting the cabinets and fridge.

My worst horrors are coming true. This is an ingredient household. No biggie I guess. I very quickly UberEats some food to me, figuring out my new address through the use of that satellite view thing on google maps.