She carefully closed the book, picture in hand and ready to go find Rosa or Aunt Amelita. She was almost through the door when she bumped into a hard wall that had her tumbling backward.
"Ow!" She shouted, catching herself, "I am sorry I didn't see you there Cara Meu," Lorenzo said, reaching out to hold her. Celeste was surprised and delighted to see him, but just as she was about to reach out and touch him, it occurred to her that she was still holding the picture.
Quickly shoving it behind her, she stepped back with an awkward smile. Lorenzo's eyes narrowed at the sneaky movement and his eyes locked on her left hand which was behind her.
"Hi Marcello, you're back," Celeste said, smiling nervously.
'I hope he doesn't find out or he may get mad' she thought helplessly, willing him to leave or for someone to rescue her.
"What are you hiding Celeste?" He asked in a low warning tone, a cold and deadly glint creeping into his eyes. Celeste shivered as it seemed like the temperature in the room had dropped.
Before she could speak, Lorenzo had carefully slipped the picture out of her hand in one fluid movement. She stood petrified as she watched him flip the picture. She hadn't seen him coming, it had been almost like a blur.
Lorenzo had not expected to find a picture in her hand. He kept on going through possibilities of what was in her hand, but a picture was the last thing he thought of.
He had initially planned to ignore it, if she didn't want him to see it then he didn't have to. He respected her privacy, but it was that anxious look on her face that left a prickly feeling of foreboding running down his spine.
Now as he flipped the picture over, he felt his blood run cold. He was doomed. He looked at her immediately, wondering how much she knew and how much she suspected his charade.
This was an old picture he had long forgotten existed. It was the summer of their 11th birthday and they had gone for a festival as a family. He thought he lost the picture, but it just had to appear at the worst time.
"Where did you find this?" He asked, his voice coming out harsher than he intended. Celeste gulped, she had been afraid of this,
"I'm sorry Marcello, I...I was going to pick a book to read then this leopard skin book caught my eye and I couldn't resist reading it. If I had known the picture was there I wouldn't have touched it" Celeste blurted out.
Lorenzo sighed, she still thought he was Marcello. He couldn't fault her for getting curious about the book. It had been his pride and joy then, he and Marcello had been the only ones with that limited edition though Marcello lost his in a boating trip.
"I understand, it's a really flashy cover so it probably piqued your interest" He shrugged, handing back the picture.
"Thank you" Celeste gasped, completely thrown off by his nonchalant attitude towards the picture. She had expected some violent show of temper at her digging into his privacy.
"You're welcome, though I should be the one thanking you for finding a precious picture," Lorenzo said bending to place a kiss on her forehead.
"Um...Marcello...if you're not mad then can I ask about your twin brother?" Celeste muttered.
Lorenzo stiffened slightly, he knew she was curious but now he had to take painstaking care not to slip up or this wedding would be over before it began.
Nodding slightly, he placed an arm on her lower back and guided her back to a seating area in the Library near the French windows, then pulled out a seat for her to sit on, before crossing over to the opposite seat and sitting down.
"First I have to apologize for not telling you about my youn...elder brother earlier," he said gruffly, and Celeste nodded with a smile.
"I initially planned to introduce him to you after the wedding but he didn't arrive as planned so I forgot about it." He said,
"So there is no bad blood between you guys?" Celeste asked, relieved at his words and excited to meet his twin.
"That can never happen! Why would you think that" Lorenzo flared, then caught himself as he realized that he was probably overreacting.
"Sorry about that" he muttered, staring out the French windows.
"How come no one talks about him? And since the both of you started the business together why doesn't anyone know about him?" She asked.
Lorenzo smirked. She really went in for the kill, but his advantage was that she still thought he was Marcello.
"My brother chose to keep a low profile were concentrate on the family business that's why no one knows much about him," he said with a nonchalant shrug.
"I see," Celeste said nodding thoughtfully, she couldn't wait to meet him.
' I wonder if he is anything like Marcello or are they polar opposites?' She mused.
The rays of sunlight sharpened a bit though the sun was close to setting, and it hit Lorenzo's skin casting a beautiful golden glow on his tanned skin.
Celeste sighed as she watched him. Her eyes traced the sharp jawline that most models would probably kill for, the strong neck, and his long lashes which she had just discovered now she studied his side profile.
"Is there something on my face?" He asked, startling her.
She blushed at the question, realizing she had been staring for too long.
"No...I mean...you're so handsome" she stammered.
Lorenzo turned to her confused, this was not a reaction he was used to seeing. Why was she suddenly shy to say it? Others always dropped that compliment as an invitation for sex.
"Is that something you don't find appealing Cara Meu?" He questioned,
"No...that's not what I meant...I..." Celeste tried again and failed.
Lorenzo stood up and walked over to her.
"Come Cara Meu it's almost time for dinner, you need to rest early against tomorrow"
Celeste nodded and stood up. She moved to go, but he held her back surprising her.
"Is everything alright?" She asked, confused.
"Please forgive me", was all he said before he pulled her along with him out of the Library. Celeste was confused by the exchange but decided to let it go.
As they walked towards the living room, Celeste couldn't help but feel like he was holding back himself around her. He handled her like she was a time bomb he was waiting to explode.
Suddenly a gorgeous man walked out of the living room disrupting her thoughts. He was huge and he was almost as tall as Lorenzo. Celeste was surprised to see him as she hadn't seen him around before.
He had a casual air around him but something about the piercing gaze of those deep blue eyes that briefly swept over her before shift to Lorenzo's and nonchalant pose warned Celeste that he wasn't a man to be messed with.
"Good evening..." His booming voice rang out, but Lorenzo held up his hand to silence him.
"Luca wait for me in my office' Lorenzo growled and Luca nodded before turning to Celeste.
"Excuse me, my lady," he said before leaving.
Lorenzo knew there must be something going on for Luca to try meeting him outside his office and the day before his wedding.
"Cara Meu I need to attend to business so if you would excuse me I'll be right back," Lorenzo said briskly, Celeste was a bit disoriented by the cold dismissal.
Was it possible her question actually annoyed him more than he let on? She wondered. Maybe she should ask Rosa and Aunt Amelita for more details.
"Okay Marcello, I will be with Isabella whenever you need me," she said before walking into the living room, leaving Lorenzo standing and watching her with a torn look on his face.
Celeste quickly tracked Rosa down to the garden, but she was with her husband Louise and they were both sitting on the swing watching the sunset with their arms wrapped around each other.
Celeste was skeptical about disrupting their intimate moment. They deserved it considering how they had been putting effort into planning her wedding when they should be on honeymoon.
Rosa had begged her husband to postpone the date of their honeymoon cruise to one of the villas she had been gifted so she could attend Celeste's wedding.
Celeste still felt guilty knowing she had deprived Louise a chance to spend more time with his wife considering how long it took before he won Rosa's heart.
She turned to leave after deciding to let them have their moment. But as she turned, right behind her was Aunt Amelita watching her with a sad smile.
Celeste blushed, she suddenly felt ashamed of being caught watching the cute couple.
"Aunt...Aunt Amelita" she whispered shyly, moving away from the door.
"They are lovely aren't they?" Aunt Amelita whispered with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Celeste smiled and nodded.
"Yes they are" she sighed.
"To be in love is really a beautiful thing, however, it is both a blessing and a curse" Aunt Amelita sighed.
" What do you mean Aunt?" Celeste asked, moving closer to her.
Aunt Amelita looked at her for some seconds, then beckoned on her to come closer.
"Come with me dear, there is something you should know. Something I hope I have the courage to tell you".
Celeste's brows furrowed, everyone had been acting up as the wedding drew closer. She wondered if there was something going on that she didn't know about.
"Let's go to my room, your mom is asleep in one of the guest rooms on the west wing in case you want to find her"
After saying that she moved with Celeste following suit, wondering what exactly Aunt Amelita wanted to tell her.