10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Isabella Bianchi

T his week flew by, and as I told Gabo during our mid-week dinner, I'm absolutely in love with the piece I came up with while at the Museum of Modern Art. I decided to paint a live scene instead of doing a take on one of the exhibits.

A woman came in both days and stood for several hours in front of the same painting. The first day, I was intrigued enough to sketch her, tilting her head to the left and observing the painting without moving her hair. For a moment, I felt as if I was her—mesmerized by the art, trying to figure out what the painting was trying to tell me—and the result was beautiful. I wasn't counting on finding her at the same spot on the second day, but it helped me to create a more detailed version of my painting.

It turns out I have a great group of classmates; everyone is so kind and so fun. It's going to be really hard to return to Santiago in a couple of months, but I would be lying if I didn't admit that the best part of the week has been spending time with Gabo. He leaves every morning before I'm awake. I can tell the moment he walks back through that door that he's exhausted. But when his eyes lock with mine, it's like he gets a second wind. After freshening up, he comes back out, ready to have dinner and talk about our day.

I've never done this with anyone—except my siblings, and there's nothing sensual about that—but the way he gives me his undivided attention every single time I'm with him makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. The first night, he kept his phone with him, and he had to put it on silent more often than not.

Who needed him with such insistence?

I'm assuming it was his assistant or his business partner, but whoever it was, Gabo said they could wait until the next day. He hasn't pulled out his phone at night ever since.

Today, we're heading to his house in the countryside, and I'm so excited. I asked him if we could drive my Bug instead of one of his fancy cars. After a lot of back and forth, he agreed. It also helped that he had secretly taken my Bug for refurbishing. I wasn't really mad—I thought it was cute that he wanted me to have a comfortable car, but I was also surprised by it. I mean, I'm still not sure why he cares so much about me. At the end of the day, I'm just his friends' little sister.

By the time Gabo comes back from work, I'm all packed and ready to go. His eyes grow impossibly big when he sees the suitcase I'm taking with me, and I simply shrug.

"Hey, you never know what kind of clothes you're going to need," I say, and he lifts his hands in surrender.

"Oh, I wasn't judging. I would never dream of it," he says as he approaches me for a hug.

So far, that's all we've been doing: hugging and occasionally holding hands. If it were up to me, I'd have climbed him like a tree days ago. I guess he's testing the waters first and seeing how we feel together.

"Good, because I didn't feel like justifying myself," I reply as I take a big breath, inhaling his delicious scent—a mix of whisky, tobacco, and sandalwood. So masculine.

"Did you have a good day?" I ask him as we remain hugging and swaying to an imaginary tune.

"I did. We heard back from the global merchandise company, and they loved the design. They want us to design warehouses all around Europe, modifying the design to fit the terrains in each country. It's the biggest client we've ever had," he says, pride evident in his tone.

"Congratulations, Gabo. That is amazing. I hope you have some good wine at the country house because tonight we have to celebrate," I tell him as I squeeze him tighter to me, hopefully he can tell how proud I am of him. He melts in our embrace and I can't help but love this little moment.

Ugh, I can't wait for this man to make a move. I think I'm going to have to pack my vibrator for the weekend. Otherwise, I might do something that I will regret later, like sneaking into his room in the middle of the night and pretending I saw a ghost just to have my way with this handsome, smart, and thoughtful man.

"You might say I have a good wine collection, but I guess you'll just have to wait and see for yourself," he states as he kisses me on top of my head. He lets me go to grab my luggage. I practically melted on the spot—the kiss wasn't sensual, but it sure made me feel like the most cherished person in the world.

"Ready?" he asks as he hits the elevator button.

"Ready."

"Mario, Rocco, and Aldo will follow us in the SUV. You and I will go in your… car." He shivers as he looks at my beautiful pink Bug, and I throw my head back in laughter. This trip is going to be a blast.

"Wait, where's your luggage?" I ask, confused.

"I have everything I need there already." He winks at me as he extends his hand. I give him mine, and he chuckles but places a kiss on my palm, and I feel my knees going weak. He's such a gentleman.

"No, principessa. I was silently asking for your car keys."

I open my eyes as it dawns on me that he wants to drive. Heat rises all the way to my cheeks; he must think I'm a child.

"Oh, I see. No need. I'll be the one driving tonight." I look at him directly in his eyes, letting him know there's no room for negotiation here. I don't expect him to give in—he's used to getting his way. But to my surprise, he goes to the driver's side, opens the door, and motions for me to get in.

"Thank you, kind sir," I tell him as I get into the car.

"You're welcome, signorina," he says, kissing the back of my hand again, and I need to fan myself as he makes his way to the passenger door.

It turns out Gabo is a great copilot. He plugged in my phone instead of his so I could play one of my playlists. Every time I was hesitant about a turn, he simply told me where to go. No mocking, nothing but kindness and respect.

The moment I slow down to turn into his property, my mouth falls open. This is not just a countryside house—this is an estate, a villa, a mansion. Oh, my goodness. It's absolutely breathtaking. The road that takes us to the house is guarded by tall field maples, and when the road ends, we are met by a massive stone house that creates a perfect harmony with its surroundings.

"So what do you think?" Gabo asks, and I just look at him. "Come on, let me give you a tour," he says as he gets out of the car and walks around to open my door.

The house is absolutely dreamy. There are several living spaces, including a kitchen that rivals the one in his penthouse. When we step outside, there's a huge pool in the backyard. I can't wait to go on a hike in the morning, the hills surrounding the property look absolutely amazing.

"Signore Gabo, hi." A lady in the kitchen greets him as we come back inside, opening her arms and waiting for a hug. She seems to be about Ines and Graciela's age—our nannies back home—and just as sweet and nice as they are.

"Margareta, ciao," Gabo replies as he hugs her.

"I haven't seen you around here in a while. I was starting to get worried that you had sold the place and hadn't told me," she says as she squeezes his cheeks.

"You know I would never do that to you."

"Good answer," she says, patting his cheeks, and then her eyes are on me.

"And who is this gorgeous signorina we have here?" She opens her arms for me to hug her, and I do so without hesitation.

"That's Bella, my guest and dear friend," Gabo replies as he scratches his head.

"Oh, I see. Welcome, Bella. You're as beautiful as your name," she compliments me, and I smile at her.

"Thank you so much, Miss Margareta." She pats my cheeks and motions for us to take a seat at the dining table.

" Mangia, mangia ," she says, placing two plates full to the brim in front of us.

"Grazie," Gabo and I say in unison, and we both chuckle.

After eating, Gabo shows me to my room. I cannot believe he hadn't brought me here before. All the decorations in this house are antique. The bed has four posts with a sheer cover hanging from them, giving it an ethereal feel, kind of like the one in his penthouse. However, the details on the ceiling are painted in gold. It's stunning.

"Gabo, this is such a gorgeous room. I can't believe this wasn't the first place you brought me to when I arrived in Italy."

"I didn't realize you would be so taken by this villa, but if I'm honest, it's probably my favorite property of all the ones I own."

"Yeah, it'd be my favorite, too. I don't even need to see any other of your properties." Gabo chuckles and heads toward the door.

"If there's anything you need, my room is next door." I nod, and he closes the door. I thought we were going to hang out like we've done at the penthouse, but maybe he has work to do? Ugh, who knows. This man is an enigma.

After showering, I decide to send a quick text to Luca, just to let him know everything is going well.

Isabella: Hey, dear brother. I'm still having a ball here in Italy. The class at uni has been amazing so far. This week, we had an instructor from the Museum of Modern Art here in Bologna. Next week, another instructor is coming from the Museum of Art and History in Switzerland. How cool is that? I'm working on finding young or up-and-coming artists. I'm at school with many of them, actually. You don't need to worry about me achieving my goal before I have to head back to Santiago. Love you lots, Isa.

I'm not expecting him to reply immediately since it's the middle of the night in Chile. I flop down on the bed, stretch my arms, and wonder what I can do with all this time on my hands since the night is still young. The thought of Gabo disappearing into his room so early makes me think of something I could definitely do. I get up from bed in one swift movement, and I go looking for the magic wand in my luggage.