The Don's Trust

Chapter 4

After Damian and Christopher left the house, Valentina decided on asking Vito for a house key. Prior to this morning, it hadn't even occurred Valentina to ask for an item as basic as a house key. In the past, she didn't think twice about having an item like that. To her, it was normal having the key to the house she lived in.

She walked into the living room and was faced with Vito's back. He seemed to be engrossed in the paper documents he held. Valentina walked around the couch and stood in front of him.

What do I call him? Vito? Mr. Grimaldi? Don? Sir? Valentina thought.

''Sir?''

Vito raised his head and put the papers beside him. The act showed her she had his attention.

''I want a house key,'' Valentina demanded.

His eyes hardened, ''No means no.''

A slight frown formed on her face. ''Why can't I have one?''

''From the day you started living here, you had a target on your back.''

Valentina blinked a few times. ''But why?''

''You are living with me.''

From the perspective of outsiders and Vito's enemies, there was a good chance Valentina was someone important to Vito. The Don was known for his aloof nature and hearing about him bringing a girl into his home gave off the idea of Vito and Valentina being close to each other. Vito's enemies could use her as a valuable hostage. As long as Vito had enemies, the outside world wouldn't be safe for Valentina.

Vito went back to reading the documents while Valentina decided on taking a shower to calm herself down. All Vito did, was tell her the truth she deep down already knew.

''It's not like he would care if someone kidnapped me,'' she mumbled and let the water fill the bathtub.

After taking her clothes off and checking the temperature of the water, she got in the large bathtub. A small smile formed on her lips and she sighed in content.

Her worries washed away as she got lost in her thoughts. Whenever Valentina daydreamed, she lost track of time. This time, she thought about all kinds of different scenarios she would never be in.

Meanwhile, Vito continued reading while tapping his finger on his leg. It was a habit that manifested whenever he was feeling anxious. The papers were put down as he ever so slightly turned his head in the direction of his bedroom. The pace of his tapping finger steadily increased with time. Vito stood up abruptly and walked in strides toward the bathroom.

Valentina was brought back to reality when Vito barged into the bathroom. She crossed her arms over her breasts on reflex and brought her knees closer to her body.

''Fuck's sake, Valentina! It has already been half an hour!'' Vito ran his hand through his pitch-black hair.

Valentina flinched at the anger in his voice

''I'm sorry,'' her voice small and shaky.

Her cheeks reddened under his gaze and never felt more naked in her entire life, despite having her private parts somewhat covered. He let out a light scoff and left the bathroom.

Vito unbuttoned the first few buttons of his dress shirt and lowered himself on the bed. With his elbows on his knees, he rested his face in his hands. For a second, he thought Valentina had taken her own life. The mere thought of it brought back unpleasant memories.

Not much later, Valentina exited the bathroom. Vito lifted his head and looked in her direction. Valentina stood still, expecting him to say something.

''Next time, don't take so long.'' Vito headed to the kitchen and poured a glass of whiskey for himself.

Valentina tried to come up with some sort of explanation for Vito's reaction. At first, he seemed angry, but then his voice held an emotion. One she couldn't decipher.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

''Finally done!'' Valentina cracked her knuckles.

Valentina was a first-year nursing student and had been up all night to catch up with her studies. Staying at home made her slack off which resulted in an even bigger pile of homework.

Valentina heard her stomach growl. All the non-stop working made her forget to eat. She loosened the blue hair tie and let her brown hair fall down. Valentina exited her room to get herself a late-night snack in the kitchen. She opened the fridge but nothing appealed to her. She closed it again and checked if there was something to eat in the cabinets. There was nothing in the cabinets that caught her eye. Valentina tried her luck with the fridge again in the hope something had magically appeared.

In the end, she settled for an apple from the fruit bowl. Valentina leaned against the counter of the island while taking small bites of her snack.

At the same time, Vito arrived at his house and parked the car in the driveway. He turned the engine off and grabbed the gun he had tossed on the passenger seat. Vito stepped out of the car and proceeded to the front door.

''Goodnight, Don,'' the blonde guard nodded.

Vito returned a simple nod and entered his house. The dark figure in the kitchen alerted him. Slowly, he pointed his handgun toward it and narrowed his eyes to identify the person. Vito lowered the gun when he saw it was Valentina with her back against him. It took some time before he got used to not being the only one living in the house. He stepped closer and used the cotton cloth next to her to clean his gun.

Valentina jumped at his sudden appearance. She was someone who got easily scared in the dark. Her eyes trailed to the black gun in Vito's hand. She watched as the blood transferred from the gun to the cloth. It didn't take much imagination to know what sin he had committed.

Vito placed the weapon and dirty cloth on the counter. He reached into the pocket on the inside of his suit jacket and turned in Valentina's direction. He took hold of her hand and placed a silver key in it.

''Here,'' his voice sounded gruff.

Valentina blinked and parted her lips, ''Thank you.''

The longer she looked at the house key, the brighter her smile became. It was a dazzling smile that captivated the Don.