Chapter 13 Alessio visits James

Chapter 13: Chapter 13 Alessio visits James

And then he saw her.

A figure on another balcony, three doors down. A girl was standing very still, her face tilted toward the sky, her hair moving gently in the breeze like dark silk caught in a gentle current.

He could not see her features clearly from this distance, just the outline of her silhouette against the moonlight, soft and almost ethereal, like a painting that had come to life. She was wearing something light colored, a nightgown maybe, that billowed around her legs like morning mist.

Her hands were clasped in front of her, holding something small that glinted in the light. A phone, maybe, or a small mirror. He could not tell.

She was gazing at the moon.

Alessio watched her for a moment. Then another. Then another. He forgot about the phone in his hand. The screen dimmed and went dark.

There was something about the way she stood, so still, so quiet, like she was made of the same stuff as the night sky. She did not fidget. She did not check her phone like everyone else who seemed permanently glued to their screens.

She did not look around to see if anyone was watching. She just stood there, enjoying nature, which was rare nowadays, almost extinct.

His eyes strained again from staring too long. He looked down at his phone, then back at the girl. Then, with an annoyed grunt, he threw his phone onto the couch inside. It landed with a soft thud, helpless and forgotten.

He did not care about the reports anymore. He did not care about Rafael’s lists or James Evermont or June Harper.

He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the moon. It had been years since he had simply looked at the moon. Years since he had allowed himself to do something so pointless, so unproductive, so utterly useless. His brothers would be shocked. His enemies would be confused. Alessio Ricci, staring at the moon like a lovesick poet? Unthinkable.

The moon was bright, beautiful in its loneliness. It hung there in the darkness, all alone, surrounded by stars that were too far away to touch. He understood that. He understood being alone in a crowd of people who were supposed to love you. He understood standing in a room full of people and feeling like the last person on earth.

He felt a lot better.

He thought about the girl again and turned his head to look at her balcony.

She was gone.

The balcony was empty. The glass door was closed. The curtains were drawn. Only the moonlight remained, silver and indifferent.

Alessio stared at the empty space for a long moment. He wondered who she was. A visitor? A patient? Someone’s wife? Someone’s daughter? He wondered why she had been standing there so late at night, staring at the moon like it held answers to questions she could not ask. He wondered if she was as lonely as he was.

Then he shook his head and looked back at the moon. It did not matter. She was no one. A stranger. He would probably never see her again.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Next Day – Morning

The sunlight streamed through the windows of Ward 412, warm and golden, painting the room in shades of amber and honey. Grandpa James was sitting up in his armchair, his blanket tucked around his lap. His eyes were bright with curiosity as he looked toward the door.

Someone knocked, and Margaret went and opened the door.

A young man was standing there. He was tall and broad shouldered, dressed simply in black pants and a dark grey sweater that stretched across his broad shoulders, his injured arm still slightly stiff beneath the fabric. His dark green eyes swept the room once, taking in everything in a single glance.

James’s face lit up like a child on Christmas morning. He called out, his weak voice filled with unexpected energy, "Great, great! Have you come to visit me, young man?"

Alessio nodded and James looked super excited seeing him nod.

"I do not get many visitors these days. Mostly just Daisy and Margaret and the nurses, but they are always in a hurry."

Alessio stepped inside. His presence seemed to fill the room like a storm cloud that had wandered indoors. He was tall, over six feet, with a muscular build that even the loose sweater could not hide.

His skin had a healthy tan, unusual for someone who had been in a hospital for days. His hands were large and powerful, with visible veins running across the backsm

His eyes were sharp and cold.

His face was devastatingly handsome. Sharp jaw. High cheekbones. Plump lips pressed into a thin line. He looked like he had been carved by God himself and then left to cool.

Margaret studied the young man carefully. She had seen many wealthy visitors in this hospital over the years, including CEOs, politicians, celebrities, and foreign dignitaries. But this man was different. The way he moved, silent and deliberate, like a predator assessing its surroundings. The way his eyes scanned the room, noting every exit, every window, and every potential threat. The way his security waited outside, more alert than any guards she had ever seen.

And he was handsome, even more handsome than Cedric Evermont, and that was saying something. Only a few men could rival Cedric’s looks, but this man surpassed him. His physique looked incredibly strong, even injured. His shoulders were broad. His arms were thick. He looked like he could snap a man in half without breaking a sweat.

Margaret said nothing. She just smiled her warm, grandmotherly smile as she watched the old man invite the stranger in and start talking excitedly. The young man told him that he was also a patient here, which was why he had come to meet them. He was bored by himself, he said. James accepted this explanation without question.

"Daisy! Daisy, I have made a friend!" James shouted, grinning at Alessio like a child showing off a new toy. "Please come and meet him!"

Alessio wanted to pretend to smile. He tried. His lips twitched. His facial muscles refused to cooperate. Smiling was not something he practiced. It felt foreign, stiff and wrong like wearing shoes that did not fit. He gave up. Instead, he just sat there, looking like a very handsome, very expensive statue.