Aaron's room had been moved from the first floor to the ground floor to make it easier for him to get around as he started to recover. During his recovery, he spent most of his time sleeping. His father had forbidden him from using the phone and computer, only allowing him to watch TV for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon, which didn't bother him as he always ended up falling asleep.
Giovanni had taken his flight from Italy to Russia at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The journey lasted 10 hours and he landed in Moscow at 2 o'clock in the morning. He then drove for five hours to arrive at the Smirnov Manor, accompanied by Olivia.
They arrived at the Smirnov Manor at seven o'clock in the morning and the guards had been instructed to let the Italian through, as he had already tried several times to sneak onto the property.
Giovanni, surprised, noticed that the gates of the manor had opened for them. There were a total of four gates, and all three of them opened for the two siblings.
Upon arriving at an imposing mansion with faded silver tones, their car stopped and they got out. Kira was waiting for them in front of the house to greet them. The guards had already informed her of the Italian's arrival.
As soon as Giovanni saw Kira approaching, he immediately asked where Aaron was. However, Kira explained that he needed to first speak with their father before he could see him. Giovanni held his breath and followed Kira inside the manor, to Ivan Smirnov's office.
Giovanni was about to meet his "father-in-law" and nerves were getting the best of him. He knocked on the door and a deep, authoritative voice told him to come in.
Ivan Smirnov invited Giovanni to sit on the chair in front of his desk, without any formalities or greetings. They got straight to the point: the relationship between Giovanni and his son.
"First of all, know that you are not welcome here and I do not appreciate you."
"The feeling is mutual. I am only here to talk about your son."
"I suspected as much. I know what is going on between you and him. For you, it is love, but what about my son? Is it desire or curiosity? I have not had the chance to ask him yet, but I plan to..." He paused before continuing.
"I am opposed to your relationship. The men in our family have a duty to carry on our lineage, and your involvement in my son's life goes against that legacy."
"..."
"You can see my son one more time, understood? Tell him what you have to say, because it will be your last face-to-face. And keep in mind that this will be your last visit to Russia and my son will no longer come to Italy."
Giovanni pulled out his gun and pointed it at Ivan's head.
"Are you ready to kill the man who gave him life? Do it, and see how much he will resent you. Maybe even he will end up killing you, who knows."
"Old man..."
"Father..." Aaron's voice rang out from behind the closed door.
Giovanni was overwhelmed with happiness upon hearing his "Bambino's" voice nearby. He quickly got up and opened the door. There, he saw his man, still in pajamas and with a drip. Despite his paler than usual complexion, he remained as charming as ever.
Giovanni wanted to touch him but was afraid of causing him harm. He gently brushed and caressed his face as delicately as he would with a newborn. He moved even closer, pressing his forehead against Aaron's. They stayed like that for a long moment, and then he tenderly kissed his eyelids, the tip of his nose, before gazing at him lovingly. Aaron gave him a smile, and Giovanni gently kissed his lips. He kissed him softly and affectionately, running his hand as gently as possible, but Aaron eventually felt a pain that made him let out a whimper.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you..."
He was interrupted by the nurse's concerned voice, worried about not finding Aaron in his room.
"You're still fragile, sir."
Giovanni brought Aaron back to his room and they locked themselves inside. Together, sitting on the edge of Aaron's bed, their hands intertwined and Aaron's head resting on Giovanni's shoulder.
"I missed you, Bambino."
"You too," Aaron replied. He had heard everything his father and Giovanni had said. "I can't say I love you more than you love me, but I do love you. And I will love you even more in the future." It just came out like that.
This was the least romantic confession Giovanni had ever heard, also his first but it was the most beautiful to him. Life wasn't a fairy tale. There was no guarantee that feelings would emerge after a night spent with someone. Giovanni had promised him love, and that was all that mattered. The man was willing to do anything to make him fall even more in love.
"Why did you call me Cucciolo on the phone?" Giovanni asked.
"Aren't you?" Aaron replied with a slight laugh, his head still resting on Giovanni's shoulder.
"I am. And I am hopelessly in love with my master."
"I love you too, my Cucciolo!"
In reality, Giovanni had no memory of this encounter as he hadn't seen Aaron, but Aaron had seen him during his stay in England years ago. He was in a café with a woman and had caught Aaron's eye with his unique appearance. Keeping the secret to himself, Aaron cherished the memory of Giovanni as his first crush.
He had been completely gay from the start. That was why he had never been in a relationship. 😉