It was a normal day for the most part, an early fall day and the weather was starting to change. Jacquelyn had gotten out of school not too long ago, it was her Freshman year and it was rocky to say the least. She thought that all the bullying would stop now that she was in high school but that wasn't the case. It didn't stop anything. She was still enduring the torment of her bullies. She was still beaten down and pushed around for protecting her sister. However, she stayed strong. She had to.
This day had consisted of what she deemed the usual. She had gone to meet her brother, Xavier, at their usual place. She had gotten there early since he was walking their baby brother home and making sure her twin sister and him were set until their parents got home. She had been listening to her music, leaning against the wall of the building she was waiting in front of. Jacquelyn was unaware of Luciano Vargas. A man who was watching her from the shadows. He was watching her like he usually did, but she never noticed him. She kept to herself and only ever interacted with her brother and his gang. He was fascinated by her and the fact that she didn't seem to care very much.
He was the leader of a powerful mob. He was the one who controlled everything. And he was an enemy of her brother. Xavier hated him and Luciano hated Xavier. While Luciano watched her, he began to form a dark idea. He couldn't help it, watching the innocent being so oblivious to that around her, she would be so easy for him to manipulate and twist. She would be the perfect way to get back at Xavier for every little thing and conflict they had ever had. It was a low move but he was twisted and enjoyed watching women break. He knew that while she seemed innocent, she was tougher than she looked. She simply followed her older brother faithfully. He would need to change that, make her question her brother and trust him instead.
Luciano put on a smile and walked over to her, knowing that she would be waiting for a while longer before Xavier got there. He took advantage of the opportunity knowing she wouldn't suspect a thing. He tapped on her shoulder and waited until she took out her headphones before he spoke.
"Ciao, Bella." He smiled sweetly, "I couldn't help but notice you standing alone and I decided to come make sure you were safe. I am sorry but there have been some... questionable groups of men eyeing you and I would hate to see such a beautiful lady harmed."
She seemed taken back by what he said, "Are you one of those questionable men?" She asked, raising a brow.
"Of course not, I would never hurt a lady." He reassured her, of course that was a lie. He loved killing and women were no exception to who he killed for fun. No whore was ever left alive after he had his way with her.
"Oh? Then are you here just trying to ward them off?" She further questioned. He knew she was smarter than she looked.
He chuckled a bit, "You could say that. I've seen you around many times and I wanted to know if you'd like to get some coffee with me."
"I'm not sure… My brother doesn't want me to go wandering off…" She said hesitantly, twirling a stray curl.
"Oh don't worry. Perhaps you could just... message him and tell him you're going to do your homework and have some coffee at the nearby cafe. That won't hurt anyone." Luciano said smoothly, watching carefully as she contemplated doing as he suggested. "I insist bella. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I left a beautiful lady on her own and she ended up harmed by those far less accommodating than myself." He urged her.
"Well… Okay." She relented, just texting her brother that she was going to a Starbucks to do her homework and that she had a project due. It wasn't a lie but it wasn't a Starbucks that Luciano was taking her to. It was a small Italian cafe that he owned, one he knew Xavier would never bother going to.
He led her to a private table and let her set up her papers. "Tell me about yourself, bella. I know you are related to Xavier Kirkland, sì?" He asked, smiling at her and ordering coffee for them.
"Tea for me, I don't drink coffee." She said simply, "And Xavier is my brother, half actually. We're close though, sometimes. It's nice to spend time with him when he's in a good mood." She told him.
"And you?" He pressed, wanting to know more from her rather than what he's heard.
"Me? There isn't anything very interesting about me, I'm not as likeable as my sister and not as foreboding as my brother. I'm just… there. I sing and dance and that's about it." She gave a shrug, adding sugar to her tea and stirring before taking a sip. "I'm the middle child of the family so I wouldn't expect to be much."
"I've heard you're intelligent." Luciano pressed.
"Because I skipped two grades and take advanced classes? I suppose so, depends on your definition."
"Well, I think you are fascinating. You seem more interesting than you think, bella. And you are beautiful as well." He said smoothly, making her blush a bit. How cute and innocent, he thought darkly.
It was easy for his words to have such an effect on her. She was an attractive girl with low self-esteem because of how badly she was bullied throughout her life. How would he know about that though? He only saw her insecurity and that made her the perfect target to him. She was tough too, no doubt, since she was Xavier's sister and he had heard rumours about her. Luciano knew that he could manipulate her, make her feel needed by him and that only he could be there for her.
"I would hardly consider myself beautiful. Merci, though." She replied with a shy smile.
"Of course, darling~." He smiled, "I would love to get to know you more." He purred. This was just part of his plan, this is what he did with unsuspecting and unassuming women. The innocent and naive, they were perfect to him.
"Of course, that is if you would let me have the honour of getting to know more about you" he added with a smile as he leaned back against the booth they were seated in. Stirring his coffee as he watched her with praying eyes, that of an eagle to a mouse.
Jacquelyn was different from the other women he had ensnared in his web of lies. She was smarter than she looked, she was cautious but still too trusting. She learned some from Xavier and that was the only foothold that she had. She was the younger sister of his enemy and he could use that to his advantage. She was the perfect piece and weapon to bring down Xavier. Using her youth and naive behaviour would be to his advantage. Executing the plan could hardly be called impossible or hard. There were never any flaws in his stories or traps. He knew what the woman liked. What they wanted-no, needed to be told to make them strip their clothes and please the Italian man. It really wasn't all that difficult. However, this plan is by far, the best one he has ever come up with to seduce and trap a woman.
Luciano watched the blonde beauty mess with some school papers while drinking her tea. He smiled coyly and pushed his hands under his chin as he watched her. "Bella, mind if I call you Jackie?" He asked. In order for this plan to work he needed to be patient and get her to seriously trust him and turn against her family. "Or perhaps you prefer to be called la mia principessa" he said with a small smirk as he grabbed his cup bring it to his lips, shielding his ruby coloured eyes from her as he drank the hot coffee while awaiting her answer to his question.
Jacquelyn started to answer, "I don't mind being called Jackie, everyone calls me that. No one has ever called me une princesse." She told him, blushing as she fumbled with her pencil. It caught her off-guard, made her feel warm inside. No one had said anything quite like that, let alone anything near that. Yet, he was complimenting her… it put her on edge and made her suspicious as much as she loved hearing those sweet words and longed to hear more.
"You look uncomfortable, I seemed to have overstepped my boundaries." He said as he placed the cup down. "I think Jackie will do just fine for now."
"Non, I'm sorry. I'm just not used to people being nice to me. People rather tear me down than build me up." She said softly, lifting her tea cup and taking a sip. "Forgive me for seeming on edge or uneasy. It just…" She trailed off, unsure how to explain her actions or why she was so hesitant. "I don't know how much I can tell you."
"You do not owe me an explanation." He said leaning forward. "I am sorry for making you uncomfortable and putting you in an awkward position bella." He said with a small smile. "I am glad that you even agreed to just talk to me. I was sure you'd kick my ass for just saying hi." He said with a fake chuckle. Interesting. She doesn't know how to accept compliments. This will be fun.
"Jackie, are you hungry?" He asked grabbing the menu. "I have not eaten lunch and there is no way you can finish that project and boring papers on an empty stomach." He said. "I'm paying so please order whatever you like." He said relaxing against his seat.
"Oh? Are you sure? I hate to be a burden on you." She said, looking up at him as she took out her glasses. She looked over the menu, hoping that the cafe would at least have something that didn't have meat in it. She wasn't one to turn away kindness as she never stopped herself from being kind. "Merci, I will pay you back for my meal. I don't mind." She told him as she found something she liked.
She ordered herself a simple margherita pizza before returning to looking back over her papers. She put her hair up into a ponytail, a stray curl refusing to stay in place. Jacquelyn had a habit of going quiet when she was focused, school was the only thing she enjoyed. She liked learning and asking questions. Her brows furrowed as she muttered to herself in French out of habit. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and sat back.
"I'm sorry for going quiet, this just annoys me. Geometry is a pain in the ass and makes little to no sense and I can't fail the class. I can't let my Papa and Mama down." She sighed, giving him an apologetic look before putting her things away. "Would you mind telling me about yourself, Luciano? I only really know what my brother has told me."
Luciano was about to speak and tell her that she didn't need to apologize so many times but Xavier caught his interest. "Me?" He said with a smirk. "Alright then Bella." He said as he leaned forward pushing his hands under his chin as his elbows rested upon the table. "Do tell what Xavier has told you about me. I will let you know what is true and what is false." He said as his ruby coloured eyes bore into her indigo eyes. His smile staying plastered on his tan coloured face. "What has my biggest fan conjured up about me?" He asked.
"Xavier said about you? You're a bad man who should never be trusted. You've done bad things, though that should be taken with a grain of salt honestly in this kind of life." She said bluntly, her eyes showing her amusement. She liked to come to her own conclusions but she had no quarrels being straightforward and blunt in how she spoke. That was how she was, she didn't filter when she had something important on her mind.
"Is that so?" He said as he watched her speak with such a stern and matter-of-fact tone of voice. "I do not think I am a bad person. I didn't realise defending yourself against a group of six or more made me a bad guy." He said. "Xavier, how should I put this," he started. "I try not to involve myself with your brother but because of his run-ins with Flavio, he has made me his personal target." He said. He gave a tired sigh. "You wanted to know about me right?" He started, "Alright then. You should know that my crimes from a child haunts me and whenever someone, like your brother, brings up my past and compares me to my cold hearted ruthless pig of a father. It makes me comfortable and sets of a reaction in me. The need to prove them wrong that I am nothing like him." He said as he messed with his cold coffee now. "I told you earlier," he said glancing up at her, "People will shame you and find any way they can to slander my name and make you think ill of me, but I do assure you, I do not take part in crimes and act like the monster Xavier makes me out to be." He said.
"Love, I never said I thought you were a bad guy. I simply stated what Xavier has told me. He's told me to stay away. I prefer to come to my own conclusions. My brother says things to try to protect me but it often doesn't work that way. When one says don't do something or talk to someone, it pushes me to ask why. When that is not answered, I seek the answer for myself. Why should I not race? Because no one takes a fifteen-year-old girl seriously and don't want to pay up, leading her to take things into her own hands and killing a man. Do I regret the actions? Well, yes, of course. But it felt like a necessary action, at least that's what I was told." She said simply, tone rather flat and uncaring. Rather she tried to seem as though she didn't care, she spoke smoothly as though trying to convince herself of it. "I don't believe people are bad on their own. Do people do bad things for good reasons? I like to believe so. Sometimes the wrong thing seen in the eyes of society is the right thing to do."
She killed a man? Hmph, I made the right choice in choosing her. Luciano gave a sad smile to Jackie as he grabbed her hand. "Come now bella, you do not need to tell me everything until you are ready." He said with a small smile. When the food came he smiled and started to eat his food. "Eat up darling, it's alright." He said softly. He closed his eyes as he pushed some of the food into his mouth. He swallowed the pasta and gave a pleased hum. "Would you still like to know more about myself? I have hobbies that you might find entertaining." He said smiling at her.
"Context is always important. It's behind me now, I'll get over it eventually." Jackie replied simply, beginning to eat her pizza. "Naturally I would like to know more about you. I'm an open book most of the time." She told him plainly.
She didn't feel the need to hide who she was, even if others hated her for it. She rather be honest about herself and not something she didn't feel she actually was. Her ability to stand tall and accept whatever people threw at her made her stand out. She got into fights and often would prove that she was just as tough. A split lip and black eye? She had gotten used to it. However, she only wished she could be like that. Her secret, her kryptonite was herself. Her health had always been shaky, her and her sister. She struggled more as she grew up while Madeline out grew the issues they both had. Jacquelyn struggled with being anaemic and asthmatic, though she tried to keep those a secret. She didn't need people knowing how much it hurt to run long distances or that when she started to get anxious she couldn't breathe. She didn't plan to tell Luciano either, only her family was truly allowed to know.
"So… what do you like to do?" Jackie asked, eating her pizza happily.
Luciano watched her features. Watched the way she grabbed the pizza and put it in her mouth. The way her blonde curls fell to the sides of her face and bounced a bit as she glanced up and spoke to him. "I am ...what you can say an artist." The Italian man said with a smile. He tilted his head to the side just a bit and fixed the fork and knife that rested on the napkin that was provided. "I like to find beauty in the world" he started, "I think, however beauty is more than what meets the eyes. Beauty comes from what happens behind closed doors. What others cannot see if they are not there themselves." He said as he casted his ruby eyes back to her pale face. "I am a painter." He said leaning back against his seat. "I am also a wood carver. I like to carve out bodies and create masterpieces with my knife in blocks of wood. It is a really good practice I learned a while back." he said with a small smirk. Her fair skin will look so beautiful against my knife. Oh all the beautiful faces she will be making as I dig the tip of my beautiful blade into that white, fresh and young skin of hers. Luciano closed his eyes and took a fork full of his pasta.
She set her pizza down and looked at him, "An artist, eh?" She questioned, "Only for fun I would assume? Pardon my assumptions. Art is difficult to manage, I myself prefer the performing arts. That is, I play piano and violin and sing as well." She told him. "Elaborate on these supposed closed doors? Would you be meaning in private?" She asked.
Luciano couldn't help but let his smirk slip. He couldn't help it. She was just too amusing. "Well yes. Of course I mean in private." He said with a smile. "I capture the beauty in lifestyles. I have some works of my past partners asleep, in the bath, eating and even posing naked for me. To capture the true essence of what the body is made of. To take a moment from our lives and paint it for the world to see. Some of my pieces capture even the darkest parts of my home and others. To contrast the light in just a bland and small house and make you feel trapped and suffocated is what true art is if you feel that way off of a simple Italians painting of his home." He said eating some more pasta. He wiped at his mouth and starred right at her. "I have even captured moments of arguments, fights, parties and just my family from the back of my mind. How they would stand for the public and how they truly are behind closed doors where they are not being judged." He said moving some of his dark red hair out of his face. "Have you my dear, now have an understanding of what I mean by true beauty that is hidden from the world?" He asked with an amused hum.
She gave a small nod, though not feeling very comfortable. His words chilled her and made her freeze. While some seemed harmless, she didn't like the idea of someone watching while she slept or even being nude. She did her best to hide her discomfort before she noticed the time. "Merde, I should go. It's getting late and my family likes us to be home before 8pm on school nights." She said, gathering her things and shoving them into her backpack.
Part of her wanted to get away and a part of her was intrigued by him. For now, she wanted to just get home and say that she lost track of time. That would surely make sense and her family couldn't be mad for that. She had been working on her project, just while talking to this strange man. "I do have a question, rather a statement. You don't seem close to my age in the slightest." She said plainly, her blunt attitude showing yet again. They had never spoken of that and she had only just realized. "I almost wish you were; we could talk more tomorrow." She said almost apologetically.
"Where are my manners? Please let me walk you out of the cafe at least." He said getting up. "I guess there is no hiding it that I'm older than you. I will be turning nineteen very soon." He said with a chuckle. "Perhaps I should have informed you of that earlier." he said opening the door for her. "Please get home safely and have a nice night." He said. "Ciao bella~" he said with a small wave.
Jacquelyn waved goodbye and walked back home. It was about a half an hour walk back to her house in the little suburban area her family lived in. It was close to her school but where she spent her time with her brother was closer to his tiny apartment. When she went inside, she found her mother in a panic and Xavier trying to explain the situation. Her mother looked relieved when she came into the house and put her things down.
"Sorry, Mum. My phone died and I couldn't let you know I was on my way home." She apologized, her head felt fuzzy as she was trying to sort things out. It didn't bother her that he was older than her, three years almost four. That would be equivalent to a senior to her. That's how she viewed it. She gave her mother a hug, told her father she was tired and went to take a bath. It was a good way for her to relax and try to sort everything out.
Meanwhile, Luciano watched the girl walk away and leave his sight. He licked his lips and let a laugh ripple from behind his throat. He couldn't help it. She was... was just really amusing. She bought his lies and even though she felt uncomfortable she still said she would see him like all the other stupid whores before her. "Ah women... you really are all the same." he said to no one as he left the shop and walked to his car. He glanced up at the sky. It's going to rain soon. He thought to himself. He grabbed his phone and sent three pictures of Jackie he had Lutz take a while back to Flavio. I have you now my little mouse. Soon… soon you will be seeing things my way. My my... what will you ever do Xavier. Oh how I do wonder.
