Chapter Four
Gia felt the cool wind on her face as she made her way up to the dark castle. From the docks, she always felt a bit afraid of the island. Her imagination always ran wild and Wyndemere was no exception! Gia walked up the steps and rang the door bell. She was nervous about what may be on the other side of the door!
A short, dark haired man answered the door and said, "You must be Miss Gia Campbell. We've been expecting you." Gia cautiously walked in. It wasn't like Laura to request a meeting in a castle. They were usually held in her conference room. Gia looked around observing the dark atmosphere. The lighting was dim and the antique furniture sent chills down her spine. The man had led her to a room and introduced her to an older woman with blonde hair. Her eyes were cold but she dressed impeccably. "Ah. Miss. Campbell, pleasure to meet you." she said with a smile. "Hi, it's nice to meet you too. But I don't even know you're name!", Gia replied. "Well that isn't important. Please take a seat while I tell you why I have summoned you here today." And with that, Gia sat down in front of a desk at which the woman took her seat as well. "Gia, I have come to understand that you have met a young man by the name of Nikolas Cassadine. He is very important to me. You do realize that he is a Prince and will be inheriting a fortune in a year. Among the Cassadines, there are high standards that are set for the women in Nikolas' life. You must keep in mind that he is a Prince and he will get everything he wants. I will make sure of it. If you do anything to hurt him, you will regret it.", the woman spoke with a hint of warning in her eyes. Gia became very scared by the woman and tried to explain, "I'm sorry but I think that there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not involved with Nikolas at all. We've only met a few times. We're simply acquaintances.". The woman spoke sternly, "I assure you that I have not made a mistake. I've seen the two of you together. Remember my words." The woman then got up and showed Gia to the door. Gia was so confused she didn't even stop to think. She simply ran out of Wyndemere as fast as she could. That woman had frightened her like no one else she'd ever met. She was one person Gia never wanted to see again.
On the docks, Zander paced. He needed to speak to Gia about something important but he just didn't know how to say it. How was he supposed to tell the girl he'd known for years that he loved her. Zander thought for sure that she had only thought of him as big brother and nothing more. As the days went by, Zander realized that he loved Gia. He just wasn't sure if she even realized that he had even thought of her romantically, let alone, the fact that he loved her so much and would do anything for her. As he paced at the docks he saw a figure get off a boat. It came towards him and as the image came closer he saw that it was clearly Gia. When she finally reached him, he wrapped his arms around her. The feeling of never letting go stuck in his mind. Gia slowly looked up, "Zander!!". "Hey! What happened? Are you alright?", he said noticing the distressed look on her face. "No. But I'll be fine. Can you just take me home please?", Gia said with tears in her eyes. Zander nodded and walked her home. He made sure to not let go of her.
As they entered the apartment, Zander led Gia to the couch and the two slowly sat down. Gia simply rested her head on his chest. "So, tell me what happened.", Zander said quietly. She looked up and told him the story of the letter at her door and all the things the woman had said to her. Gia spoke quietly, " I wonder where she would get the idea that there was something going on between me and Nikolas. I've only talked to him a few times.". Zander grew angry, "Gia, I thought I told you to stay away form him. The Cassadines are people you definitely don't want to be friends as well as enemies with. His family is dangerous. Nikolas may seem kind but he's just as worse as the rest of them! Why couldn't you have just listened to me?". Gia began to grow exasperated, "Zander, listen to me! I didn't know the invitation had anything to do with Nikolas or his family. I thought it was something for Deception. By the way, why do you hate Nikolas so much? Why can't you just stop warning me and start giving me some real reasons why I'm supposed to believe that Nikolas and the Cassa-whoevers are so dangerous!". Zander tried to calm down, "Gia, before you got here there was a lot of things going on. I've seen Nikolas and some of his family in action. Nikolas claims to be one of the good guys in his family. But I know that one day he's going to turn out to be just as evil as the rest of them!". "That's not a reason, Zander! Just tell me why..." Gia began to say as she was cut off. "You want to know why? I'll tell you....I love you Gia! I never want you to be hurt, especially not by Nikolas or his family!", Zander blurted out.
Gia was completely blind sided! He loved her. She loved him but not in the way he wanted. Gia's voice softened, "Zander?". Zander stood there and said, "That's right Gia, I love you!". Gia was stunned by the revelation and with her first instinct she grabbed her jacket and ran out the door. She knew that Zander wouldn't follow because he knew her like the back of his hand. Gia thought she knew him that well also. So then why didn't she see this coming? Running swiftly out of her apartment building, she headed towards the docks where she could think. Her head was spinning with confusion, frustration and anger. She just needed a place to hide. The evening had just been too much for her. Gia needed to get away.