AN: Thank you for your understanding and concern regarding the unplanned delay last chapter.

Gabriella skid to a stop, the loose pebbles on the sidewalk rolling down the pavement beneath her feet. "Wait, I think it was that way."

Ivonne argued, "It can't be. We came from there."

The two women, obviously unfamiliar with the city, restlessly paced the sidewalk in front of the vacant bicycle shop. Gabriella sat on the curb and wedged her finger between the back of her ankle and her shoe to relieve the pressure on her blisters.

Ivonne pointed down the next street and said, "We haven't tried that way."

"I know it wasn't that way. Sharpay didn't turn right after we came up the hill."

Ivonne grunted in frustration and clenched her hands into fists. "We might as well try it anyway! We're so turned around I don't know how we'll ever find our way back."

Gabriella shrugged. "Fine. We have nothing else to try."

Gabriella accepted Ivonne's outreach hand to help her to a stand. Gabriella focused on the concrete path leading them on a winding route when Ivonne said, "You still haven't told me what I could be walking into. What exactly is this meeting supposed to accomplish? Are they going to show proof?"

"I told you everything I know. Ryan didn't specify what we'll discuss. He was very short when he said we shouldn't talk on Facebook."

"Jesus. I hope he's not paranoid, too. Thinking someone's reading his messages and tracking his phone."

"He's worried," Gabriella said, "like any twin brother should be. Isn't that why you're coming with, because you're worried like any friend would be?"

"I wasn't about to let you go alone and none of those other fake friends would ever go out of their way to protect Sharpay."

Gabriella said, "That's a little harsh, don't you think? I mean, I don't like them either, but they're still real friends. Right?"

"I'm not so sure anymore. You heard what that psychic said. Tiara's presence is fleeing. I guarantee you the rest of those airheads will be right behind her. One little hiccup and those girls are going to be on the next train to Rome."

Gabriella scoffed, "C'mon, you can't really believe what Gianni said. If you do then you're way too superstitious."

"Nah, but I admit I am just a little -stitious."

Gabriella snorted a laugh. "Stop," she nudged Ivonne's arm.

Ivonne grabbed Gabriella's arm and pulled her away from the unkept rosebushes she nearly stepped into. "Watch out…wait a minute." The two shared a look of realization before running down the street.

"There it is!" Gabriella exclaimed as she pointed to the little restaurant.

"Right where we left it." Ivonne laughed to herself.

Gabriella led Ivonne around the building to the alley and said, "Well. This is it. This is where I saw them."

Ivonne joined her, cautiously checking around the dumpster and looking back over her should. She asked, "So…what now?"

"Now we wait." Gabriella shrugged.

"Can you message him?"

"That's a good idea. I'll let him know we're-" Gabriella had her phone halfway out of her pocket when a loud metallic groan screeched from above. She looked up to see an escape ladder falling right down at her. Diving forward onto her elbows on the hard alley ground, she escaped its path as it jerked to a stop a foot off the ground.

Ryan stuck his head out over the scaffolding of the fire escape and yelled down, "Climb up!"

Ivonne knelt by Gabriella and asked her, "Are you okay?"

Ryan interrupted, "Hurry!"

Gabriella got up and brushed off her elbows and knees before climbing the fire escape. Once Ivonne joined, Ryan hoisted the ladder up behind them. Gabriella said, "You almost sent that ladder through my head, you know."

"It slipped," Ryan said through a strained voice as he struggled to secure it. Once it finally snapped back into place, he said, "Well, I suppose we need a proper introduction. C'mon. They're inside." Gabriella thought, They? Ryan pulled a smoke-stained curtain aside and stepped in through the window. Ivonne and Gabriella shared an apprehensive look, but entered nonetheless. She knew they were too close to back out now.

Ryan said, "I'll let them know you're here."

"Ryan, wait." Gabriella grabbed his arm to stop him and said in a whisper, "Tell me now…is it true?"

Ryan glanced behind him before looking at her with a regretful gaze. He said, "It isn't good. I'll be right back."

Gabriella stood with Ivonne in the living room while Ryan retrieved the woman, and only when she heard the silence did Gabriella realize there had been voices in the other room. Ryan returned in front with two women following – the mystery 'stalker' in a long red trench coat and her little sister Gabriella recognized from the restaurant.

The younger sister's vibrant green eyes sparkled in the dim light as she looked back and forth between Ivonne and Gabriella. She cleared her throat and confidently spoke, "Thank you for coming." She was unrecognizable compared to the frightened server Gabriella encountered just this afternoon. Now she seemed mature, like the version Sharpay recounted meeting at the seamstress' boutique. "My name is Rosalia," she said in a strong Italian accent, "Maddalena's sister."

Maddalena, Gabriella thought, finally connecting a name to the mysterious figure and stories. For the first time, she considered the magnitude of the situation. This was a real human with a name and a family whose reputation had been tarnished by Ronaldo's claims.

Ivonne said, "Let's cut to the chase. What do you know about Ronaldo and what do you have to prove it?"

Rosalia said, "She doesn't speak any English. I will translate."

Maddalena spoke to Rosalia in Italian, who then turned to Gabriella and said, "First, she says she's sorry she couldn't meet you last time. There was someone following you, and she couldn't risk being seen."

Gabriella asked, "Who was following me?"

"A man."

Ivonne scoffed and murmured, "Geesh, that narrows it down. Tell her there are many men in that house. What did he look like?"

Maddalena spoke to Rosalia again. Rosalia said, "She says he had a crooked nose."

Gabriella looked to Ivonne and guessed, "Leonardo?"

Ivonne suggested, "Or Ronaldo."

Gabriella felt a freezing chill tickle from the small of her back up to her neck. She swallowed the lump in her throat and asked, "Can you tell her that I've read her letters to Sharpay, and ask her why she believes what she wrote?"

Rosalia translated, "Before we begin, she invites you to sit down and make yourself comfortable. There is so much to know and you will likely be here for a while."

Gabriella took a seat on the sunken sofa and Ivonne reluctantly joined her. Maddalena took her time as she undid the belt around her trench coat. She exposed a skeletal frame as she moved to hang it on the coat rack. Gabriella examined her closely once she sat on the opposite sofa, the sunken eyes, the knobby knuckles, the gaunt face. Gabriella reminded herself to quit staring, but still felt her eyes redirecting back to her because she appeared so shockingly and terminally malnourished.

Maddalena whispered in Rosalia's ear and Rosalia said, "Would you like tea?"

Ivonne answered, "We're ready to listen. I'd like to hear everything she knows."

Rosalia and Maddalena had a small discussion in Italian before Rosalia said, "We've known Ronaldo since we were little kids. We group up in Pompeii, an hour North of Positano. Ronaldo learned to pickpocket and steal as a child to help get food for his family. His father was a gambler and a drunk. Once Ronaldo was old enough, he joined gangs."

Gabriella stopped her. "Wait, Sharpay thinks Ronaldo inherited the vineyard and all the businesses from his family. Is none of that true?"

Rosalia said, "Ronaldo built this empire himself. My sister says he was selling drugs as a dealer before the police began targeting him. He went to jail a couple of times before wising up and moving to Positano to become a supplier. He climbed his way up to the top of the chain, murdering competition and anyone else who got in the way."

Ivonne asked, "Hold up, drug supplier? Murderer? If all this is true, why aren't you going to the police? Those are some serious crimes."

Rosalia said, "The police will never investigate him. Some of them even buy directly from him, so they'd expose their own force if they did so. Or he would just bribe his way out."

Gabriella said, "Ask her if everyone in the house is involved."

While Rosalia and Maddalena spoke to each other, Ivonne said to Gabriella, "Gabriella, she hasn't proven anything."

Rosalia answered, "She says he and all his male relatives are involved, and many other employees as well."

Gabriella pressed, "Ask her about Troy, how does Ronaldo know Troy?"

"She said she doesn't know who Troy is."

Gabriella sat back in the couch after realizing she'd been sitting atop the edge.

Ivonne asked, "So, again, where's the proof?"

Rosalia said, "She says she only has her words."

"Then tell her that doesn't mean anything to us."

As Rosalia translated, Maddalena interrupted her with a raised her voice. Rosalia said, "She says she can't possibly have proof for everything. But would you rather believe she's crazy?"

Gabriella said, "I don't think you're crazy, but I do think that you don't have enough evidence to make these claims. You have nothing to support it."

"She says the vineyard is a warehouse."

Ivonne challenged, "Prove it."

Rosalia translated enough of what Maddalena was willing to hear before she abruptly stood and went to her room.

Ivonne said, "Well I guess that means we're done here." Ivonne climbed out onto the fire escape and dropped the ladder.

Ryan stopped Gabriella before she left the room and asked, "What do you think?"

Gabriella carefully said, "You should go home, Ryan."

"What? You don't believe us?"

"Frankly, no."

"Gabriella, if what she's saying is true then my sister could be in serious danger. You could be in serious danger."

"But it's not true. That's the difference. Nobody is in any real danger. Maddalena is sick. Just look at her."

Ryan argued, "So you're going not going to believe the witness because she's also ill?"

"It has nothing to do with whatever physical problem Maddalena has. It's about the lack of proof."

"Who needs proof? She says it's true. These claims need to be taken seriously."

"And we did. We investigated it and there's nothing to show what she's saying has any truth to it. We did everything we were supposed to do, but there's just no threat."

Ryan scoffed and said disappointedly, "I really hoped if any of Sharpay's friends would listen, it'd be you." He walked away, and Gabriella took the cue to leave.

Once Gabriella landed on the alley ground again, she asked Ivonne, "So what do you think is going on?"

Ivonne quickly led Gabriella out of the alley. "I think there's a reasonable explanation for all of this that's none of our business."

Gabriella rushed to catch up and walk side by side with her. She asked, "What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that whatever Ronaldo is up to is between he and the law. Maybe he's cutting some corners in his business practices, and if he gets caught he'll have to pay for it. C'mon, Gabriella. Be honest. Do you look at that guy and see an international drug lord? And don't you think that if he was as dangerous as Maddalena claims, something should have happened already? Sharpay still has all her fingers. Everything's fine."

"I don't know. Something feels off about him."

"Then you're just looking for something to validate it. It's called confirmation bias. You don't like the guy. So what? You're not the one dating him, and that doesn't automatically make him dangerous."

The sky was a deep navy-blue and all the lights were out in the house by the time they returned. They silently snuck back to their own rooms. When Gabriella laid down, she took every doubt she had about Ronaldo and put it all to rest.

Gabriella cracked the eggs, scooped the flour, and poured in some milk. She was whisking the stubborn clumps of flour in the pancake batter when she noticed Leonardo staring at her from the doorway into the foyer. "You're cooking," he observed with a hint of surprise and admiration.

She nodded enthusiastically. "I thought you might want to take a meal off. I hope that's alright with you."

He smiled. "Of course, Gabriella. Thank you." He wandered off to the living room and Gabriella heard the news from the TV come on.

Footsteps came down the stairs and Ronaldo and Sharpay entered holding hands, smiling and gushing to each other as they passed through the kitchen and into the dining room. Ronaldo took a seat and put a hand on the small of Sharpay's back as she lowered onto his leg. They hunched over the local newspaper and Ronaldo slowly read, "Go-ver-na-to-re, la mia principessa. Governatore. Repeat."

Sharpay put an American spin on his pronunciation and echoed, "Go-ver-nuh-too-re."

"No, no. Go-ver-na-to-re."

She said, "Go-ver-na-to-re."

"Perfetto."

"What does it mean?"

"Governor. See?" He pointed to the newspaper and dragged his finger along the headline. "Here it says il governatore è in prigione. The governor is in jail. Wait, the governor is in jail? How disfortunate."

Sharpay giggled before correcting him, "How unfortunate. Disfortunate isn't a word."

Ronaldo said, "How about we make it one? Just between the two of us."

Sharpay laughed and Gabriella felt herself instinctively frown. She recognized this side of Ronaldo from her first day. This was the gentleman, the brilliant businessman, the polite scholar. He was quiet, but maybe that kind of presence was better to balance a personality like Sharpay's. This was the side Sharpay loved, the side that convinced her to stay with him when the bad sides came out to play. And listening to him patiently tutor her, she could convince herself that despite her initial reserves, they were indeed a great match.

Gabriella heated a pan over the burner and poured in the first ladle of batter. It spread out evenly across the pan and soon began to bubble. She methodically shook the pan back and forth until the cooked side of the batter began unsticking. Then, she pointed the opposite end of the pan towards the floor before quickly flicking it up towards the ceiling and catching it with the pan on the raw side.

A roaring voice cheered beside her, "Bravo!" The man began clapping excitedly before approaching her and giving her a kiss on each cheek. She stood there frozen before the heat from the handle bit through her towel and she dropped the pan back on the stove.

With Sharpay giggling on his lap, Ronaldo said, "Please excuse my little brother Enzo. He is, how do you say, easily amused?"

The man with identical black hair, dark brown eyes, and crooked nose as Ronaldo said, "Easily amused? I'd like to see you try that trick. That was impressive! Well done!"

"I can teach you how if you like. It's not that hard."

"Oh, I don't know. Mama never let me in the kitchen." He frowned. "I always burned things."

"C'mon, you should try. It's really not that hard, and I'll be here the whole time." She offered the bowl out to him and he reluctantly took the ladle. "There you go, just pour it in the pan. Nice and easy."

Enzo pointed to the pan with a perfect circle of batter and proudly said, "Look! Not too bad!"

Ronaldo said from the dining table, "He might be a cook after all!"

Gabriella tilted the pan from side to side and said, "I think we're ready to flip."

"We? I think you mean you are ready to flip."

"C'mon! It's the best part. It's okay. You won't drop it." She gave him a reassuring smile as she pointed the towel-covered handle towards him.

He reluctantly said, "If you say so."

She overheard Sharpay say, "Oh, I have to watch this!" She and Ronaldo gathered in the kitchen and held onto each other as they eagerly awaited the flip.

Enzo tried to give the pan back to Gabriella saying, "No, you do it so well."

Sharpay cheered, "Woo! Enzo! You can do it!" Leonardo came in and joined in with his own applause and hollering. Suddenly, a stampede of footsteps came trampling down the stairs. Ivonne, Lea, and some of the guys rushed into the kitchen to investigate the commotion. They all joined the encouragement and everyone chanted, "Enzo! Enzo! Enzo!"

Enzo roared, "Viva Italia!" and threw the pan high above his head, breaking the base off the handle and sending the smoldering hot portion shooting towards the ceiling. It ricocheted off and crashed onto the floor with so much force it cracked the tile and bent the base. After the deafening commotion, a tense silence filled the air.

Ronaldo roared, "God damn it!" Gabriella jumped and looked to the couple, noticing how Sharpay folded her hands together and held them against her chest in an effort to shrink herself.

Ronaldo's typical handsome face became contorted with ugly fury. His skin turned red and his eyes were bulging in his head. He screamed at Enzo, "You fucking idiot!"

Gabriella said, "Stop it! He's not an idiot. He just got excited is all. It wasn't on purpose."

Ronaldo screamed at Enzo in Italian as if Gabriella hadn't said anything at all. He shoved Enzo into the counter and leaned over him, screaming things only he and his posse understood.

Sharpay screamed over Ronaldo's yelling, "Ronaldo! Stop! You're scaring my friends!"

Ronaldo spat fierce, foreign words into Enzo's face that he held up by his collar. Sharpay pulled against his massive arms with no effect. Ronaldo finally released his brother but gripped his own hair and pulled at its roots instead. He marched out into the garden, kicking the trash can over on his way out.

Gabriella grabbed Sharpay who was hyperventilating and asked, "Can I talk to you for a second? Upstairs?"

Sharpay gasped in erratic breaths and fanned herself. She called out, "Girls!"

The others followed them upstairs and together they escorted Sharpay to her master bedroom. Gabriella locked the door behind and sat with the group on the bed. Tiara was saying, "It's going to be okay," while Emma, Lea, and Jackie carefully groomed her hair and repeated their own reassuring renditions.

Gabriella said, "Will everyone stop for a second? I have to talk to Sharpay."

Tiara snapped, "You're not the only one concerned about her!"

"No, but I am the only one who'll care more about her wellbeing than her feelings."

Tiara argued, "You don't know what's best for her! All you've done is filled her head with doubt. She needs me."

Ivonne said, "Who died and made you the authority on her wellbeing?"

Tiara said, "Well if I could explain myself-"

Sharpay snapped, "Shut up! I can't handle everyone's bickering! One at a time for Christ's sake."

"Sharpay," Gabriella quickly interjected, "What he did was absolutely unacceptable, and I'm not sure you can do anything to change it."

Ivonne said, "Gabriella's right. It's not your responsibility to teach him how to behave."

Tiara rolled her eyes. "Will you two stop being so sensitive? He has a little bit of a temper. Why are you surprised? He's Italian. They're passionate."

Gabriella felt as though sometime throughout the night she crossed dimensions where this blatant red flag was somehow acceptable. In the calmest voice she could muster, Gabriella explained, "Tiara…There's passion and then there's anger management, and I don't think that's an Italian thing. It's just an asshole thing."

Tiara said, "Who are you to call him an asshole? You've barely talked to the guy."

Ivonne countered, "Well usually people prefer to avoid assholes. It's kind of the nature of things."

Tiara said, "Everyone's flaws can be overlooked."

Ivonne sardonically answered, "Yes, let's all gush over the way he held his own brother against the counter by his neck! What an outstanding man!"

Sharpay cried, "You all think this is so easy, don't you? All of you think you'd know what to do like that," she snapped her fingers. "Oh just get over it and marry him, oh just stand up for yourself and leave him. I'll tell you something…It's never that easy. It's never as simple as it looks. If it was, I wouldn't need all of you here to help me. So before you judge me for being indecisive, why don't you make sure you have the full story?"

Jackie said, "Then tell us, Sharpay. What's the full story?"

Ivonne gasped cupped her hands over her mouth, evidently realizing something the others hadn't. "Oh my God. Gianni said you were glowing. Sharpay, does this mean…?"

Sharpay said in a soft, defeated voice, "He was right. I'm pregnant."

A cloud of silence expanded in the air, growing more and more pressure through each second.

Lea asked, "You're sure?"

Sharpay answered, "Positive."

Emm asked, "How far along?"

"Six weeks."

There was a tense moment of silence before Jackie quietly and cautiously asked, "What are the laws here if you wanted to…you know…"

"I can't do that." Sharpay crumbled onto the floor at the suggestion. The girls knelt around her in silence, a sadness stuck like humidity in the air around them. This was not what she wanted to happen. This is not what any of them wanted to happen. Sharpay said, "I will raise the baby, but I don't know if Ronaldo can, or should. Not with his temper the way it is."

Ivonne asked, "So what are your options?"

"Call it off and go back to the states. He'd never have to know I had a baby." Sharpay sadly plucked at the carpet fibers in the rug. "I used to fantasize about raising kids with him…before I knew how he really was. I keep thinking maybe we can make it work. Maybe I can change him. That's why I haven't left yet. I don't want to give up on my dream."

Ivonne said, "The only thing worse than staying in an abusive relationship for a year is staying for a year and a day."

"I know," Sharpay sighed. "We'll all be home soon. Just give me some more time. I'm not ready to let go of this place yet."

Gabriella sat at the dining room table, rereading the same line in her book again and again. Nothing felt the same, not the books, not the house, not the entire vacation. She felt as if she shared this burden with Sharpay. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder to see Troy. "Sorry," he said, "I've been saying your name."

"Oh yeah. Sorry." She weakly smiled at him.

"Everything okay?"

Gabriella lied, "Just bored I guess."

"Wow. You're staying in one of the nicest houses in a destination city, and you're still bored? I'm almost impressed."

She shrugged. "Homesick, I guess."

"Well, I was going to head out soon. Do you want to come with? Might help liven things up a little."

"Where are you going?"

Troy answered, "Sentiero degli Dei."

"What does that mean?"

"It's a surprise." He smirked and reached out his hand. "C'mon. I promise it's not boring."

'Not boring' was one way to describe the hour hike up to the top of the cliffside overlooking the sea. The cliffside hugged around the sea below for miles.

They shared a boulder covered in moss and gazed at the breathtaking scene between the trees.

Troy cleared his throat, "Something's bothering me, Gabriella." Just when she thought she was getting a break, the weight of uncertainty fell back on Gabriella's shoulders. He said, "You said you were going to see a seamstress last night, but no boutique is open past dinner."

"Ivonne and I wanted to go exploring."

He read through her bluff like it was a clear sheet of glass. "Who did you see?"

Gabriella admitted, "An old friend."

"Boyfriend?"

"There's not another ex-boyfriend on this planet, let alone Positano. It was a woman. Someone I met on the trip."

"Maddalena."

"Yes, how did you-?"

"I should have figured. You probably know this now, but you shouldn't have met with her. All it does is encourage her."

"But how do you know about her?"

"Everyone knows about her. She's Positano's crazy woman."

"You shouldn't call her that."

"I'm sorry. She's…paranoid. Delusional. Whatever you want to call it. Sick."

"So it isn't true?"

He laughed, "Of course it's not true. I've known Ronaldo for nearly half a year now. He can be a prick at times, but he's no drug smuggler."

"How long have you been here?"

"I've been helping out for the past few months. It was really nice of them to let me stay in the house. They didn't have to do that."

"I'm still blown away that out of everyone I know and everywhere we could end up, we both ended up here at the same time. What did you think when you saw me again?"

"I thought you were just as beautiful as I remembered."

"You must have been shocked to see me, right?"

Troy admitted, "I knew you were coming."

"What? How?"

"Sharpay showed us photos of you and her other friends before anyone arrived."

"What did you think when you saw me then?"

He smiled. "C'mon, Ella. You know what I thought." He threaded his fingers through her hair and gently pulled her head back. She closed her eyes and lightly perked out her lips in anticipated for his to meet her. The side of his face leaned against her jawline and he placed deep kisses down her neck.

The words, "Oh my God," escaped her mouth.

He pulled her hand towards him as he slid down the side of the boulder. "Come here."

"What are you doing?" She carefully stepped down to the patch of dirt behind the boulder. Troy glanced back at the trail and pulled her deeper into the forest, stepping over fallen tree trunks and pushing the branches aside. Gabriella asked, "Troy, where are you taking me?"

He pulled her up against his chest and kissed her deeply. His hands snuck up from the bottom of her camisole and pulled it up above her chest to expose her abdomen and cleavage.

"Troy, we shouldn't. It's risky."

"That's the best part, remember?" Gabriella looked around and convinced herself they were far enough away from the unmarked trail that no one would see them…hopefully. Troy's eyes stared intently at her, gauging her reaction as he slid his hand down the front of her shorts and felt for her clit.

She gripped his forearm and leaned back against the tree trunk behind her as his rubbing made her dripping wet. He pulled her shorts and underwear down to just above her knees and pulled himself out the top of his basketball shorts. Gabriella turned around and held onto the tree for balance as she bent forward. She stared down at the green leaves, dirt, and twigs on the ground until she felt him enter her eyes snapped shut. Her nails dug into the bark as he thrusted. One hand stayed on her hip and the other trailed up her back and gripped onto her shoulder as he sped up his pace. The entire forest seemed to disappear around them as she experienced such intensity. She moaned and gasped erratically as she approached and rode a new height of pleasure.

He gave a few more thrusts before stopping inside her and then pulling out. She pulled her short up and looked around, ensuring that no one could be watching.

Troy covered up again and Gabriella asked, "You're never going to grow out of that kink, are you?"

"Not as long as I can still convince you to do it." He smiled and pulled her in, kissing her again before leading her back through the forest and to the house home.

AN: Thank you so much for reading! Can you believe we only have two chapters left? I know they're going to fly by. I'm hoping to have the next one out on June 8th (only one week away!) I will confirm that date closer to it on Twitter (SophiaAnneMoore) so make sure you follow and check it often just in case something changes. And as always, review pretty please!