Cry Wolf

The polizia were led into the room by two investigators. One was an older Italian man with hard lines around and above his skeptic brown eyes. The other was considerably younger, a blonde woman who's focused expression wavered the moment she saw Rossi. The bellhop had almost failed to recognize her as she had changed up her hair significantly since they last spoke, but when realization set in he couldn't help but scowl.

The older detective seemed unimpressed by their act. With a gruff voice and a heavy Italian accent he spoke. "This a police investigation."

He moved over to them, unafraid to bend down to pick up the rain coat Rossi had just discarded. Introducing himself as Detective Romano he told Elodie to make herself decent before having the both of them sit down on one of the couches. His partner, who he introduced as Detective De Luca, went to work at searching the apartment.

After De Luca declared the all clear she joined them at the couches and the questions had begun. Romano and De Luca shot them quickly and direct, unafraid to ask Rossi and Elodie about specifics. They were looking for to trip the two of them up, to see if there were any inconsistencies in their stories. It was a game Rossi had learned how play along well.

Through a collaborative effort both the bellhop and the tourist explained their situation. Rossi had met her at the Danieli and taken her out for a late night outing of the evening. They ended up back at his apartment in the wee hours of the morning and have been together since. Despite his rough demeanor Romano seemed to have bought it, but the entire time De Luca seemed angrily transfixed on Rossi.

Rossi thought their story held up well and was feeling alright as the questions seemed to run out. But then De Luca suddenly asked to question Elodie separately and the bellhop froze. He shot a hard glare at the request but the lady investigator was undeterred. With a confusion perhaps only shared by Elodie herself, Romano gave his partner the green light and both of the women left the men to speak out in the balcony.

Outside Detective De Luca's entire manner seemed to shift. Her eyes softened and her expression went from intense to concerned.

"Tell me, Elodie. Do you trust that man back there? I know you two only recently met but I'm sure you can tell he is no simple bellhop." De Luca asked. She spoke with an accent too though it was relatively light compared to her partner's.

 
Elodie was a picture of composure at the interrogation ran it's course... her hands folded neatly in her lap, her expression one of careful consideration, mingled with embarrassment. She answered the questions with thought, but without hesitation, matching Rossi's tone and adding small elements of detail that made their story ultimately more believable. It was a performance worth of an Oscar - particularly considering inside, she was shaking to pieces.

The older detective seemed to buy the information delivered to him and for a split second, Elodie allowed herself to think perhaps they had done it... and she almost breathed a sigh of relief, until the female detective asked to speak to her on her own. Her heart sank, plummeted, into her stomach. This was it, certainly... this was where their plan fell to pieces. The separation was never a good thing. She had been caught, once, shoplifting as a teen. She and her friend had been pulled in for questioning separately and almost instantly, the entire episode had been blamed on Elodie, who likewise had blamed her friend.

Neither was believed and at the end of it all, they both had to pay for it. She had never shoplifted again, but this, she imagined was a greater crime and not one so easily handled...

As Rossi left, she shot him a look and swallowed, before turning back to the detective and for a moment, she expected the worse. Then the woman opened her mouth and for a moment, Elodie was stunned into silence.

"...I..." Blinking, looking down at her hands, knotted anxiously still on her legs, she shrugged, "I mean... we just met, like you said. I... I don't know much about him. He's cute... and he was a real gentleman." Blushing softly, she tugged at the hem of her nightgown, "...I don't normally do this sort of thing. Going home with someone I don't know. Especially not on vacation in a foreign country, but I guess... I guess I just got swept up you know?"
​
 
The female detective shook her head and offered what appeared to be a genuine smile. "I bet he was awfully sweet to you. He probably showed that he was capable of listening and caring...right before trying to push you away. Maybe he told you things you never thought you'd hear or maybe he shared to you one of his most intimate secrets. Hah...judging by the state of the kitchen he even cooked you something to eat the morning after."

De Luca looked forward at the picturesque city before the both of them and let out a long extended sigh. The detective then turned back to Elodie, her eyes narrowing and her tone becoming increasingly grave. "Look I get it. A handsome local sweeping you off of your feet during your first trip to the city of love...who wouldn't want to experience that?"

"Truth be told I only asked to bring you out here so I could warn you. You must believe me when I tell you that that man is dangerous." De Luca turned back to look at Rossi over her shoulder and she scowled. "He's a wolf in sheep's clothing and trusting him would be a grave mistake." The female detective stood straight and took out a business card which she then promptly tucked into Elodie's hand.

"We'll be letting the two of you go for now. But if that bellhop does anything that makes you feel unsafe just call me alright?" With that the session ended and De Luca escorted Elodie back into the apartment. They moved back to the couches where Rossi appeared just as outwardly composed as he was when the two women first stepped out. The bellhop even wrapped his arm around Elodie protectively when she sat next to him.

"So will that be all?" He asked calmly if not somewhat annoyedly. De Luca looked back at her partner and they exchanged nods.

"Yes. Thank you for your time...we will keep in touch." The two of them stood up and along with the rest of the squadron that had accompanied them, they left. Rossi signaled his companion to remain silent until they were sure the police were gone. In fact, it was only when he heard their engines spurting to life below did he break away from her.

"I am so sorry." The bellhop was quick to apologize as he stood up. "Did everything go alright out there? What did that detective say to you?"
 
A chill traced down Elodie's spine as she took in what the woman had said. Had she been too quick to help Rossi? What if he was involved, somehow? What if Vinny's note had not been a suggestion... but a warning? She had assumed, but after thinking it over, there was more opportunity for Rossi to have harmed Ginny than most. He worked for the hotel... had access to the keys. He'd even gotten close to the nanny and the boy... And then there was the gun, and the vague supposition that he'd done something in his past that might make it more believable to the police that he had done it...

Taking the business card, she tucked it into the pocket of her robe and rubbing the back of her neck, nodded. This De Luca woman... it was abundantly clear she knew Rossi on a personal level. Why shouldn't Elodie believe what she had to say, then? It was agonizing, when everyone was strangers and she still had next to no answers. But the facts were, Rossi had been nice to her, and he had seemed genuinely concerned about her getting involved...

But if it was all an act.

Too many questions swirled through her mind - so much so that she hardly noticed when the detectives excused themselves. Rossi's arm slipped around her and she nearly jumped in her seat, but that mask of composure remained in place until everyone had seen themselves out and it was just her and bellhop left alone...

He spoke, and she swallowed nervously as she looked down at her hands again, picking at her fingernail, "Believe it or not... she wanted to know if you and I were gonna see each other again. I think she was a little jealous. Listen..." Looking up, she flashed a small, subtle smile, "You think it's safe? Back at the hotel...? I'd really like to get dressed..."

​
 
"Jealous? That does sound like her." He admitted in a following moment of carelessness. He chose to not acknowledge it and instead the bellhop turned away and groaned loudly. His relationship with family had always been tumultuous at best and even though it was with his aunt who he conflicted with the most Rossi never expected she'd actually point the detectives his way.

When Elodie asked if it was safe to leave he turned back to her. He was frowning slightly but it seemed like he hadn't noticed it as he made no attempt to hide it. The bellhop glanced back at the door and then back to her, his blue eyes lost in thought. A moment later he nodded.

"Yeah of course that's fine. Afterwards we can meet at the Terrazza...chances are they'll be having people monitor us and it might be a good idea to keep up the act." Rossi figured that in the time she did all that he could put in some calls to old friends...he couldn't let any of this distract him from helping out Vinny. Not his aunt, not Detective De Luca and admittedly not Elodie.

He wouldn't be able to escort her back to the hotel this time around and he sure as hell wasn't going to make her walk back in a nightgown and coat so Rossi excused himself for a moment and came back with a pair of sneakers and grey sweatpants. The bellhop offered them along with an apology.

"Look I'm sorry about the kiss by the way..." The bellhop began. "It just seemed like the right thing to do at the moment."
 
It bothered her, how easily the lies had come. First to the detectives, though admittedly that was probably necessary to avoid going to jail, but then she had lied again to Rossi without so much as a thought. It ached, and as he accepted it with a small brush off, she could scarcely keep herself from admitting the fact, from apologizing. This wasn't like her - but then, she had never been in a situation quite like this before, and she had heard that traumatic occurrences could change a person...

Looking up when Rossi finally spoke again, she nodded and rose to her feet. Maybe all she needed was a hot shower and a few hours to think things over. Maybe she'd finally find her common sense again and continue on with her vacation. Somehow, though, she doubted it would be that easy to get out... especially now that she had dug herself so deeply in. Rossi was right. They would need to keep up appearances, at least for a little while, or she was sure to fall under suspicion. She had unintentionally incriminated herself, trying to save Rossi from an awkward situation and now she was lying to his face in almost the same breath...

Forget a hot shower... She needed a cold drink.

Rubbing her brow, she watched as Rossi left the room. For the second time, she considered leaving on her own. She knew the way back to the hotel and she could have her things packed and be in a taxi by the time he realized where she had gone. She could be on an airplane by that evening. But to what end? Vinny would still be missing and Rossi would probably go to jail for it... and she wasn't convinced, whatever De Luca had said, he had anything to do with Ginny's death.

And so she waited... and when he returned, she took the clothes with a small, sly smile. He was much taller than her, and she was sure to swim in the clothes, but they were welcome all the same. Pulling on the sweatpants, then sitting down to slip on the shoes, she glanced up at his apology and blushing pink, shook her head.

"...It's fine. I... I didn't mind." Blinking, she laughed, then shook her head again, "I mean... it was smart. I think it sold things." Lacing the shoes, she rose, "I guess I'll see you in a few hours, then..." Handing him back his coat, she smiled and turned for the door, slipping out of the apartment.

​
 
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"Until then..." Leaning with his arm against the door frame Rossi took his time watching Elodie leave. To be completely honest, the bellhop was not sure why she chose to stuck around. In the course of one single morning she had already willingly put herself through so much. Rossi had been fortunate (and unfortunate) to have known so many different type of people in his life.

And so far, Elodie was shaping up to be one of the rarer kinds.

The first thing Rossi did after closing the front door behind him was reassemble his glock. One person had already died in whatever plot he found himself entangled in...he would not allow him or his companion to be the second. After that the bellhop called his Aunt and was unsurprisingly sent straight to the voice mail. He chose to leave her his vocal resignation.

A bellhop no longer, the local then made a call to one of his old friends in Venice, Elizah Mancini. She was the illusive type of woman and ultimately a rather dangerous individual to associate yourself with. She's historically been tied to the Milanesi family, a bunch of big shots in the underground gambling business. The Milanesi's and thus in extension, Elizah, always knew who important came in and out of Venice.

Unlike his aunt, Elizah answered almost immediately. He chuckled lightly at the surprise in her greeting. "Hey...yeah long time no see. I'm here to call in that favor you've been owing me..."
Five hours later Rossi stood outside the front of the Terrazza. He discarded the bellhop tux in exchange for a casual fitted steel blue suit and pants combo. His blue eyes remained hidden behind a pair of rounded sunglasses and they scanned the lobby for Elodie. Earlier he approached the front desk and ignored the reactions of his now former coworkers while he had them relay a single message up to her room.

Dress up. We'll be out all night.

 
Throughout the remainder of the day, Elodie's thoughts had been a swirling cyclone of confusion and frustration, made all the more tumultuous by the back and forth arguments she had in her head about what was right and wrong, what her next actions needed to be, and whether or not she was even meant to be involved. She had brought the situation to Rossi's attention and by extension, the police's. All she needed to do was call De Luca and let her know that Vinny needed to be found and it would be out of her hands, out of her life...

But over and over again the sinking feeling returned, until she felt nearly nauseated by the idea of abandoning that poor, sweet boy to whatever fate he had been pulled into. Sometime in the afternoon, after she had showered away the morning stress, she had curled up in her robe to eat lunch and through the internet on her cell phone, began searching for any clues into Vinny's identity. Little came up, however, and by the time she had finished her crab cake, she was exhausted.

She'd slept, until the knock came at her door and answering it, she received the message from the desk clerk, an unwitting frown crossing her features at the words printed on the card. Whoever he was... whatever she knew and didn't know about him, the man was going to be trouble...

Why she couldn't disentangle herself from it all was immensely frustrating. But despite those frustrations, she nevertheless found herself rifling through her suitcase for something decent to wear. In the end, she picked a strapless sundress with bright red flowers and a red cardigan sweater to match. Pearls accompanied the dress, around her neck and in her ears, her hair pulled up and back, away from her face. As an afterthought, she painted on a layer of red lipstick, an accent she wasn't generally accustomed to, but which made a decent complement to the outfit. Strapping on a pair of red heeled sandals, she grabbed her purse and made her way downstairs and in the direction of the Terrazza, to meet Rossi.

​
 
Rossi saw her before she had managed to see him and by all means red was her color. Rossi approached her with a strong stride, the soles of his leather shoes clicking against the tiles with each step. The local flashed a handsome smile and opened his arms wide while he approached her. "I'm glad to see you got my note."

"You look stunning, Elodie." Rossi pulled her close as they met in the middle and planted a soft kiss against her cheek. The act was on once more...or was it? Locking his arm with hers, he turned on his heel and led his companion back into the Terrazza. Together they walked through the floor of the luxurious restaurant only to stop at the table he had reserved for them. He always loved dining with a view.

Like a proper gentleman he pulled out the seat for her before sitting himself. The waiter came and as if he had done it a hundred times before Rossi asked him to start them off each with a glass of the Chianti Classico. When the server left, the local leaned in and his eyes searched for hers over the rim of his glasses.

"Forgive me if this seems a little over for a late lunch." He chuckled lightly. "But I think I have something to go on. I have a friend who's throwing a little evening bash tonight. I asked her to do some digging but she refuses to tell us anything unless we meet her in person. "

"She told me she figured out why Vinny came to Venice." His tone shifted and so did the expression on his face. Rossi knew it in his gut that from this point on things would only escalate. "She's an old friend and I know she's good for it...but she runs with a dangerous crowd, Elodie. If that bothers you in anyway I won't force you to come with me."
 
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It took her a moment longer than she was willing to admit to remember what exactly their charade was, or that they still had appearances to keep up. When he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, she blushed softly and met his gaze in surprise, before forcing a small, wary smile to her lips, taking the outstretched arm with a nod, "You clean up pretty nice, yourself. Although I'm not sure that's fair to say, since you were wearing a tux when we first me."

A more genuine smile found her features and as he pulled out the chair for her she sank down into it, shaking her head, "No worries. I didn't sleep well last night, so I took a nice nap. Well, as nice as can be expected. It's hard not to feel anxious about all of this. I just keep thinking about poor Ginny..." Her fingertips grazed her own throat and she lowered her gaze for a second or two, before looking back up, as Rossi continued.

"That is good news... I mean, not that she won't tell you over the phone, but that she has any information at all. I looked up some information on my phone, but I couldn't find so much as a facebook page." Their server returned, and as he did, he set their wine down before them. She took hers and pulled a small sip, tapping a fingernail against the outside of the glass, "I won't lie and say it doesn't give me pause... It's not exactly my usual crowd. But I don't want you to do this on your own... and it's not like I have anything better to do."

Setting the glass down, she met his gaze, her own bordering on challenging, "Seems like you've got a lot of influential friends around here, Rossi. This woman... De Luca? Or was I wrong in assuming you two have history?"​
 
It was nice to know that certain things had not gone unobserved, the gaze that met his told him as much. Elodie was feeling confident enough to question him and he was pleasantly surprised to see that. The local cleared his throat and leaned a little bit more forward in his seat, clearly interested to see Elodie push. He clasped his hands together and appeared to give her comment some thought.

A moment later he shook his head and smiled while he took a sip of the wine. "Your assumption isn't wrong. I know the investigator. De Luca isn't my biggest fan, I'm sure she gave that impression out on the balcony earlier. " Rossi laughed and ran a hand through his hair sheepishly.

"The Danieli gets its share of important guests and I'm often the very first face they see, the first personality they experience. I suppose I just leave a good impression," Another sip of wine later he continued, his tone lowering as he chose to push the boundaries himself. "...and as you can tell I'm not beyond spending some time with the guests who manage to leave impressions on me."

The local settled back into his seat and motioned for the server to return. While it may have been nice to just sit down and have an early dinner with an attractive woman, Rossi reminded himself that this meeting wasn't one that occurred for pleasure but necessity. He could dress up and charm just like the old times all he wanted but at the end of the day there was a kid out there relying on him to be found.

He ordered a light pasta for himself and waited for Elodie to finish her order before explaining. "My friend Elizah is involved in a lot of things within Venice. She's been that way since I first met her a little over a decade ago...in fact we actually used to work together."
 
Frowning softly, Elodie traced her fingertip around the rim of her glass. Back home, her mother would have slapped her hand for it. Idly hands made for bad manners, she would say... Any sort of nervous fidgeting - a bite of the lip, picking at her nail... it was all seen as a lack of etiquette and there was nothing more important to Greta Summers than etiquette. Almost feeling the sting of the smack subconsciously, she pulled her hand back, folding it neatly in her lap.

"It's just that... When I talked to her, she was rather... aggressive about you? I mean, I'm not necessarily a perfect judge of character, but I... I got the impression from her that she knew you on a more personal level? I thought maybe you two..." With a shrug, she looked up again, "It doesn't matter. We're here for Vinny, right? And it's not like we'll see her again. At least, I hope not."

The police had seemed pretty comfortable with their story, and there had been no follow up thus far. But that didn't mean it was necessarily over, by a long shot. If they wanted to continue to investigate Rossi, and her by proxy, then It made sense, sticking together, even if it was only because she had been stupid and stubborn enough to wrap herself up in the mess to begin with.

By the time the server had returned, so too had the knot in her stomach. She ordered, but what little appetite she had withered away as she considered just what it was she was mixed up in. There was a possibility, however it made her sick to think of, that Vinny was dead, too. And if anything came back to her, her life would be ruined...

As Rossi spoke again, she glanced up from her reverie and a brow quirked, "Oh? What does Elizah do, then?"​
 
"She'd probably introduce herself to you as a businesswoman, which isn't the most inaccurate term she could use I guess." Rossi explained calmly, placing his chin in his hand as he spoke. "She is after all, very involved in the business affairs here in the city. It's just that..."

He paused to think of the best way to describe it. His eyes remained transfixed on hers in this moment, intent on examining whatever reaction she was going to give. "Like I said earlier, Elizah's close friends with dangerous people—which by extension makes her dangerous. You don't just get that type of reputation because you are good at making money. It's more than that…you have to earn it."

Rossi stopped himself. He was saying too much and it was in his best interest to do the exact opposite. He was glad that Elodie decided to drop the topic of the investigator at least, that was one less thing about his past that he had to explain. But he knew that it'd be the best for the both of them for the topic to change and quickly.

The local cleared his throat. He had nodded when she brought up Vinny so he decided to take up that line of conversation. Perhaps a little to eagerly to change the topic, Rossi spoke. "I still don't know why he'd ask for me you know? I mean…the kid had enough time to write anything on that note. He could've written who murdered Ginevra or why but no—he wrote my name." The local shook his head, a genuine confusion in his voice.
 
Business.

Elodie had been sheltered a good portion of her life, and even when she'd trucked out on her own, there had been a whole lot that she had never experienced, or tried to experience. But she wasn't stupid about the way the world worked. She could be naive, certainly, and she tried to think the best of most people. Yet when Rossi said that word, almost instinctively, Elodie flinched.

There were very few people who called themselves 'business' associates as a means of covering up what they actually did. Generally, those people were never involved in good things. Was that was De Luca had been warning her about, then? Was Rossi mixed up in some sort of gang or mob?

He paused, lingered for a moment, before moving on and Elodie looked up from her glass with a soft frown. He owed her nothing. No explanations, no details, yet somehow she found herself expected better of the man. It wasn't fair, and it didn't last long, but in that beat or two, she was almost angry with him... The fact was, however, she had gotten herself into this mess and she had been given ample opportunity to change that, yet she'd stuck around. Still, even now, she wanted to stay... even knowing how deep it might potentially go.

"Then I guess you'll have to keep me safe..." She mused, quietly, though there was a sense of seriousness about her tone as she turned her eyes away again, "And he asked for you because he didn't have anyone else to go to, I think. I... I don't mean to say that you were a last ditch effort or anything. Just that... I don't think there was anyone he knew that he could trust. I think he had to rely on strangers. And that scares me, Rossi. What did that poor kid get into?"

​
 
"Whatever it was it can't be good...that much is certain." Rossi added grimly, shaking his head while the server returned to undo what damage the local had already done to his wine glass. His mind whirled through different possibilities of both hope and horror and soon enough he felt his own appetite fading. Vinny was just a child but if any of Rossi's personal assumptions were true that meant very little.

"I'm sure we'll have a better idea after the meeting with Elizah though." He then continued taking up a more hopeful tone and expression. The local took a moment to reposition himself in the plush chair, propping his elbows casually on the table before holding his chin. Like plenty of times he focused on Elodie.

She was an interesting woman. He had seen his fair share of the shy submissive type and history knows he's spent time with bombshells. His companion seemed the middle ground to those women. She was reserved but not afraid to push back, she seemed innocent but wasn't afraid to lie her way through the apartment.

He found himself getting more and more curious and with that...apprehensive. He was beginning to wonder, maybe he should force Elodie to take a step back from the situation. He didn't want to see her in the thick of it, the thick of his old world. The local hadn't noticed the frown that his lips had formed until it was a tad too late but he was quick to adjust.

Clearing his throat, he apologized. "I'm sorry...I don't know what I was thinking when I suggested dinner."

Like he tended to do, Rossi then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Our situation doesn't really do much for the appetite after all--we can leave early if you'd like."
 
"He's just... he's so young. It's strange to think that anything so terrible could touch someone so small and innocent. I know I'm sheltered. I can't pretend I'm not, but... but I don't think any sort of life could prepare you to think something this awful is possible. Or that you might get wrapped up in it." With a sigh, she pushed her glass aside. Her stomach burned from the alcohol and emptiness, her mind slightly foggy.

"You don't need to apologize." Looking up again, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Really, I haven't eaten since this morning anyway, and I really didn't think it would be a great idea traipsing around the city on an empty stomach." But he was right, she supposed. Thinking about Vinny, about what was happening and what had happened already didn't lend for much of an appetite at all.

Shifting, she nodded, "But we can go. I don't think I could eat. At least not until we've got some information that doesn't make everything feel so grim." Rising she brushed down the front of her dress and tugged absently at the sleeves of her sweater, "I... I still don't know what to make of you, Rossi. I just have to say it. You scare me, a little. Like I said before, I'm pretty sheltered, and I guess I've never met anyone that came with so many warnings. But I want you to know I'm grateful that you're doing this... Helping. I don't know where to even begin, and I'd be lost if you hadn't been around. Thank you."

​
 
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A small frown formed from his lips as she spoke but as she stood up from her seat he did the same. He nodded at her while readjusting his coat and sighed. "Your welcome. You don't give yourself much credit though..."

Rossi wondered for a moment if he could just gloss over the fact she admitted her fear of him. But as he began his attempt he realized it wouldn't remedy anything, her fears or his own. "I...er...what you are saying is fair. I'm just a walking hazard sign really."

He laughed a morbid kind of laugh, before exhaling ponderously. He assessed the situation, reflected for a moment, then adjusted. "If it's any consolation I don't really know what to make of myself, doesn't really help make your conclusion on me though."

The local cleared his throat and glanced over his shoulder. It was awkward for him to admit something like that and even more awkward to look at her straight afterwards. He placed down money to pay for the wine and lead the way out of the restaurant.

Now that it was time to actually meet Elizah he found himself becoming apprehensive. Mentally he reminded himself that his main priority for doing all this, for speaking to people whom he promised to never speak to again, had to be for Vinny. For both the young boy and his own sake.

They made their way through the lobby and towards the door when perhaps the worst thing happened. His aunt, the owner of the very hotel they were standing in, arrived. She was dressed fabulously, with a pair of large designer sunglasses hiding her wrinkled eyes.

Those designer lenses came off though the moment Isabela Rossi landed her eyes on her nephew. In a storm of heel clicks and lavender perfume she approached them, asking a flurry of questions with great irritation. The only one Rossi really understood though was, "Who is this new girl you have?"
​
 
She felt marginally guilt for having admitted her concerns, but his reaction was gentle - even a little modest - as of he had realized his cryptic behavior and involvement with the unsavory was enough to set someone on edge. By nature, Elodie wasn't one to ruffle feathers. Conflict generally made her uncomfortable, particularly considering how she had grown up, and the way her parents had been so quick to dismiss her feelings. But Rossi had handled it well enough, and as her embarrassment faded at little, a smile found her red-painted lips again.

"I might not look it, and I've got plenty of people in my life who would say otherwise, but I'm pretty low maintenance. You tell me I'm safe with you, Rossi... and I'll believe it. Simple as that. I have no reason not to. Besides, it's a lot less worry on my plate." She had been accused before, and probably rightly so, of being too trusting, but when all was said and done, it was easier to go through life naive than jaded... and she would argue it was a lot healthier, too.

Following him out of the restaurant, she prepared herself, then, for their trip to this mysterious party. She was deep in thought when Rossi suddenly paused and frowning, she looked past him to see a woman storming through the front doors of the hotel. A brow quirked as the woman removed her sunglasses, and a flurry of words flew from her lips with enough venom to drive Elodie back a step or two.

"...Ross?" She murmured, inching a little closer to the former doorman, "Another friend of yours?"​
 
"Even worse, actually. Family." Rossi whispered with a little lean as his aunt's frazzeled spectacle began to gather attention from all across the lobby. Guests were confused, younger staff were concerned, and the senior staff were jaded. Isabela Rossi was an eccentric woman with no time to consider how others saw her. A fierce businesswoman and an even fiercer socialite, she shook her head with disappointment when Rossi outright ignored her to explain to Elodie.

"I cannot believe you. Just a few hours after you quit you're already back wearing those dumb suits of yours and having helpless women on you arm!" Isabela began before going into another tangent of informal Italian. Rossi ignored the fact that she chose to omit the part where she called the police on him and simply shook his head solidly.

"It's not like that, zia. Tu conosci la promessa che ho fatto a padre." He spoke seriously, the frown on his lips and the look in his eyes showing a sort of familiarity at the current situation. Isabela didn't seem all to concerned as her one track mind had already moved on to the next topic.

Suddenly the local found himself pushed away from Elodie, his spot next to her suddenly assumed by his very aunt. Isabela Rossi took up Elodie's hand in hers and with a concerned tone she began to ask question after question. "Have you already slept with Rossi? Oh please don't tell me you've already slept with him."

"What is your name?" and "Where are you from?" then followed. Meanwhile the former bellhop just stood and watched with grim expression. When his aunt began talking there were very few things that could stop her. History has shown that he wasn't one of them too. Still, as direct and insensitive his aunt could be, her reaction to Elodie had been relatively tame compared to his former partners.​
 
A brow lofted in alarm, Elodie stepped back as the eccentric older woman rounded on her. She had seen occasions, many, when her mother had done much the same to other poor souls, but for the better part she had escaped the judgmental scope. Her sympathies raised for those people lashed by the famous Summers tongue, heart pulsing as she considered how they must have felt.

She didn't dare look to Rossi, to afraid the woman might construe this as some sort of sign of distress. Instead, straightening up, she narrowed her eyes at his aunt, hands lifting to her hips.

"I don't really see how that's any of your business or concern. I'm a grown woman, more than capable of making my own decisions and Rossi is an adult, who doesn't need your permission to do anything. More than that, he's a good man. He's put aside his time and energy to help me... And we barely even know each other. You can think what you want about him... Judge him because of his past. But all due respect, I don't care who he was. I care who he is now... So if you would be so kind, we have somewhere to be."
 
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