Chapter 325: Police

ROMEO POV

“I can’t believe that poor boy’s club got burnt.” Nonna’s voice carried equal parts disbelief and sympathy as she held the tablet closer, shaking her head slowly.

“So young…” she murmured. “Imagine building something only to watch it disappear overnight.”

Silence settled over the garden. The afternoon breeze stirred the roses surrounding us, carrying the scent of freshly watered earth through the warm air.

My conversation with Katya had ended the moment Nonna arrived. Oddly enough… I wasn’t irritated. Another few minutes alone and the conversation would’ve become unbearable for both of us.

She’d answered every question with one or two words, like someone cautiously crossing a frozen lake, terrified of putting too much weight on any one spot.

Fine.

Good.

She takes care of me.

Short answers. Guarded answers. Exactly what I’d expected. Whatever composure she’d built over the past six months, it still cracked ever so slightly whenever she found herself alone with me.

Not enough for anyone else to notice. Enough for me. Nonna had arrived at the right time. My grandmother’s wheelchair came to a stop beside the bench, and for the briefest moment, her eyes moved between Katya and me.

One glance.

Long enough to suggest curiosity. Not long enough to become suspicion.

Interesting. The corner of my mouth almost threatened to move.

Almost. She clearly wondered why we’d been sitting together. She simply had more important things occupying her mind.

Namely… Michael.

“I feel terrible for him,” Nonna sighed, tapping the paused video with one finger. “The poor boy worked so hard.”

Katya shifted beside her. “Oh…” Her voice carried just the right amount of surprise.

“Poor Michael.” Katya looked back toward the tablet, her brows knitting together convincingly. “Just some days ago, he told us he was trying to get the club running”

“And now…” She exhaled softly. “He even got arrested.” I watched her from the corner of my eye.

Interesting. She adapted quickly. If someone hadn’t known she’d been inside that building less than twenty-four hours earlier…

They would’ve believed every word. Not once did she overreact. Not once did she volunteer unnecessary information.

She simply followed Nonna’s concern naturally, letting my grandmother fill the silence herself.

A sensible approach. Nonna sighed again. “I only hope he didn’t get hurt badly.”

Katya nodded slowly. “I hope so too.” Neither of them looked at me. Which suited me perfectly.

I had absolutely nothing to contribute to this conversation.

Michael. Again.His name seemed to have found a permanent place inside this house over the last day.

It was becoming tiresome. I listened as Nonna continued speculating over possible electrical faults, careless employees, and unfortunate timing.

She had always chosen to believe the best in people. One of the few qualities we would never share.

The conversation drifted in slow circles.

Fire.

Insurance.

Police.

Reporters.

Sympathy.

The same points repeated with different wording. I found myself losing interest almost immediately.

Katya continued nodding at appropriate moments, asking the occasional question that revealed nothing she shouldn’t already know.

She was careful.

Very careful. She’d understood the situation without needing it explained. The less attention either of them attracted to yesterday…

The better. Another breeze swept through the garden. Rose petals scattered across the stone path.

I leaned back slightly against the bench, my gaze drifting beyond the flowerbeds toward the distant estate gates.

Patience. That had always been the difference between success and failure. People rushed because they confused movement with progress.

I never had. Michael’s situation would resolve itself. Whether through the courts, his own mistakes, or consequences of choices he’d already made…

Time had a habit of finishing work that others tried to force.

There was no value in acting impulsively. Especially over someone whose name would eventually stop being spoken altogether.

For now… I simply listened.

Waited. And let everyone else believe events were unfolding by chance. The peaceful rhythm of the garden lasted only another few moments as I noticed movement.

Someone was approaching from the direction of the villa.

Fast. Not running though. James knew better than to run unless someone was actively dying. But his stride was purposeful enough to make me straighten my attention.

My eyes narrowed slightly. James approaching me during the middle of the day usually meant one of three things.

Work.

Bad news.

Or an update significant enough that it couldn’t wait. None of those possibilities particularly interested me while sitting in my grandmother’s garden.

Yet here he was.

The gravel crunched steadily beneath his polished shoes as he crossed the path between the rose bushes.

My grandmother looked up first. Katya followed a heartbeat later. Neither of them said anything.

James reached us and stopped a respectful distance away.

“Don.” He inclined his head toward me first.

Then his attention shifted to my grandmother.

“Signora.”

Nonna smiled politely.

“James.” I acknowledged him with a single nod.

“What is it?” His expression remained perfectly neutral.

“May I?” He didn’t need to clarify. I gave another brief nod. James stepped closer, leaning down just enough that only I could hear him.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed both my grandmother and Katya watching us. Curiosity was written plainly across Katya’s face.

Nonna’s expression mirrored it, though hers carried considerably more patience.

James lowered his voice. “The police are here.” My expression didn’t change.

“They’re asking to speak with Miss Katya…”

A brief pause. “…and Miss Chiara.”

Silence. I absorbed the information without reacting.

No surprise. No irritation. Merely another development.

My gaze drifted away from James.

Straight to Katya. She was still watching us.

Waiting. Trying to read an answer she couldn’t possibly hear. She had no idea the conversation concerned her.

Interesting.

James remained where he was, waiting for instructions. “The officers are at the front entrance,” he continued quietly.

“They requested to speak with them regarding last night’s incident.”

Of course they had. It would’ve been stranger if they hadn’t. Witnesses were valuable. Especially witnesses who had disappeared before formal statements could be taken.

what’s Romeo going to do lol….is Nonna finally going to find out?