Note: Dear readers, please reply to this promptly. I would like to know if you would prefer 2chs/day or a mass release on one day. I have chapters written for either but would prefer to know preferences.
And please don't forget to check out the prequel to this one- Dear Dove.
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"What in the hell are you doing here?" Jovani demanded defensively of the man as he entered the room.
The other seemed unfazed by the response and simply held up his hand as though to say he came in peace.
"Is there a problem with a family friend coming to visit when I get word that there has been some trouble?" He didn't even bother looking at the Vedova Nera man as his attention turned to the bed that Zane was lying in.
"Richard, I didn't expect that the news would have reached you so quickly." Lena commented.
"You know that I have eyes and ears everywhere. It doesn't take long for this kind of news to travel much of anywhere." He pointed out as he stepped further in the room, ignoring the death glare that Jovani was sending his way.
"I take it that the one in the corner over there is the older cousin of your fiancé?" He asked glancing over at the other for a brief second before turning his attention back to the princess.
"You know very well who I am. No reason to ask such questions." Jovani retorted.
"Just because I know who you are doesn't mean that I'm aware of your place within this setting. If you weren't family, then your comment to me would hold no weight considering you're here." Richard pointed out.
"I didn't come here to argue with you though. I wanted to know what happened and if there is anything that I can do to be of assistance at the current point in time."
"Jovani, let it be for now. I don't what there is between the two of you, but right now is neither the time nor place for it." The cold tone that the older cousin was used to returned to Lena's voice as she told him this.
If it was anyone else, he wouldn't have cared to respect her wishes. But considering the current circumstances, he shut his mouth though the glare didn't leave his face as he continued to watch the other.
Richard's indifferent expression didn't shift, however. Even if after Lena had told the other off.
His expression was just as blank and hard to read as it had been from the moment that he had entered the room. Why didn't Jovani piece together the fact that the Richard Samuel would have been working with was going to be the same man who was currently standing in front of him.
Speaking of his younger cousin, the other decided to make his appearance then and seemed just as taken aback by seeing Richard in the room as his cousin had been.
"Oh. I didn't know that anyone else would be stopping by." He commented as Richard simply nodded his head at the other while standing near Zane's bed.
He was fixed on watching the other man in order to assess what had happened. He was no doctor but it didn't take a genius to see how bad exactly Zane had been injured.
Once he had shifted his gaze away from Richard, he realized that Lena was awake and staring at him rather intently.
"I know that you're probably going to have a lot to say to me after what happened. I just thought for the time being it would have been the best option."
Lena was quiet as he spoke and continued to fix him with a hard-to-read expression.
"And I think that it seems like you're spending too much time with your cousin and learning things from him that I wouldn't expect." She remarked after another moment of silence.
"You're right that there is going to be a lot to talk about regarding this matter, but not right now. I still want to know about everything else that's going on."
Being able to see that Samuel was okay and speaking to him somehow helped her to settle a little.
Even if the other half of her family wasn't in the best shape, there was at least one less person that she needed to worry about at the current moment in time.
"Everyone else is pretty much in the same situation as what you see here. I think that out of everyone, Leo is probably the one in the best shape though they don't quite know when he's going to wake up." Samuel explained.
"What about the men who were responsible for this?" Richard was the one who asked his question.
"Taken care of. Zane took care of most of them hence his injury. I took care of the last on the way here." Jovani was the one who answered this question.
"I know because I was the one who was there. There are a few others though that still need to be talked with. I figure though that would be something best left to the princess." Jovani added on when he saw the look that Richard gave him.
"I see. Best not to waste time on that then. Once things are settled here, they probably should be dealt with sooner rather than later." He remarked as he turned his attention to Lena to see what she would say.
"I will take care of them in due time. Right now, I'm not concerned about that since there isn't anywhere for them to go while waiting." Lena replied as she stood up from the bed.
She was still a little unsteady on her feet from the sleeping pill but she didn't want to be stuck sitting around when she hadn't had the chance to see how everyone else was doing.
"I want to see how everyone else is doing. I want both of you to stay here and Jovani you're to come with me." She ordered as Romeo moved away from the door so that she could walk out past him.
The Vedova Nera boss had a confused look on his face but didn't question the princess as he followed after her.
She waited to speak to him until after the hospital room door had been closed and they were walking down the hall towards the rooms that Leo and Clive were occupying.
"What exactly going on between you and Richard? Is there something that I should know?" She asked as he turned around to face the other.
