The older woman came out with a tray of some delicious looking omelet, slices of toasts and fresh fruit and coffee. Morana thanked her as she placed the tray on her lap and exited, shutting the door behind her, giving Morana privacy. Hearing her stomach grumble because she hadn’t eaten properly at dinner, Morana dug into the breakfast with relish. Within minutes, everything was cleaned off the plates and her stomach was happy.
Placing the tray on the floor beside her, Morana sipped her coffee and first things first, did her shopping online. Usually, it didn’t take her a long time to shop. She knew her style and knew what she liked to wear. But that morning, she took her sweet time picking outfits that went from the scale of “comfortable enough to veg out in” to “uncomfortable but classy as hell”. Zia came in took the tray away with another smile, which Morana returned. Then, Morana ordered herself lingerie. Good, sexy lingerie with a particular someone and his tendency to rip her clothes in mind. Shoes and make-up went next. Then, accessories. By the time everything was done, it was afternoon. She had spent a lot of hours and dollars but damn, it felt good. Putting the delivery on for the next day, she put in the address for the mansion and stood up.
Stretching, Morana walked towards the window in the living room and looked out at the property from the different vantage. From there, she could see that beast of a mansion uphill in all its glory, and the lawns, and the gates. What she could also see from there was the lake farther downhill and the house on its edge. Though it was still very far, it was closer than the window. She could see it was a brown cottage, see it had one level above the ground but nothing more than that.
Keeping her eyes on the house, Morana brought her phone out from her pocket and dialed the number of the woman she was now starting to consider her friend. It rang twice before connecting.
“Morana,” Amara’s low husky voice greeted her. Had Morana not known Amara’s ugly history and seen the terrible scar that slit across her throat and damaged her vocal cords, Morana would’ve said she had a voice made for sex. But anything that brutal could not be associated with something beautiful. Or could it?
Shaking off her thoughts, Morana replied will all the fuzzy feelings she felt. “I’ve had two wonderful greetings here, thanks to you.”
Amara chuckled. “That place is a trap. We girls gotta have each other’s backs. So, I just thought you might need all the people on your side you can get.”
“I appreciate that,” Morana smiled. “Thank you. For everything.”
“Anytime, Morana,” Amara’s soft voice came through. After a second of silence, Amara asked. “So, how’s Tenebrae?”
Morana huffed a laugh. “The weather has been good so far. The people surprising.”
“How so?”
“Well,” Morana planted her ass on the edge of the window, playing with the edge, “as mentioned, your half-sister surprised me. Your mom as well.”
“I wouldn’t trust Nerea entirely if I were you,” Amara warned about her half-sister, surprising Morana. “I mean she’s always been good to me, loves me a lot. But you’re a stranger and she’s also harsh. I have put in a good word for you but I honestly doubt you’ll see her much. She mostly travels out of the city.”
Everything inside Morana thawed at Amara’s honesty. “I will. She seemed okay so far but I’ll be careful. Your mother, by the way, told me to call her Zia. Is that her name or does it mean something?”
Morana could hear Amara’s smile in her voice. “It means aunt.”
Aunt. A strange woman she'd never met before had asked her to call her aunt simply because she'd been good to her daughter. She’d never had an aunt. Especially one who stroked her hair lovingly and fed her. The knot in her throat tightened.
“She’s a wonderful woman,” Amara’s voice broke into her emotional musing. “But don’t tell her your secrets because she’ll tell them all to Dante. She loves that man something fierce.”
“Is that because you love him?” Morana asked, before suddenly realizing maybe she shouldn’t have said that.
Much to her relief, Amara laughed, her voice strained due to the stress on her cords. “No. Maybe. Who knows? Ma’s always loved Dante, even back when my infatuation with him had been secret. I think she just felt motherly towards him after his mother passed.”
Morana wanted to ask more about it but didn’t, knowing Amara wouldn’t share anything related to Dante with her. After a slight pause, the other woman finally asked, “How is he?”
Morana couldn’t help her lips from twitching. “Good. He’s had my back on multiple occasions now with his father.”
Amara exhaled. “That’s good. I’m happy to hear that.”
Morana hesitated. “Do you know if you can ever return home?”
“No. At least not until either Maroni leaves the throne or Dante marries elsewhere.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?” Morana asked.
Amara’s voice turned soft. “It used to. Not anymore. He can be with whomever he wishes.”
Changing the topic, knowing she was digging into old wounds, Morana shifted on the window ledge. “By the way, do you know anything about Tristan and Chiara Mancini?”
Silence. For a long second. Then Amara sighed. “He was her first extramarital affair after she came to Tenebrae. She chose him because sleeping with him would hurt her husband’s and Lorenzo’s egos the most. Tristan slept with her for that exact same reason I believe.”
Morana swallowed. “She implied she was his constant for a long time.”
Amara scoffed immediately. “Oh, puhleez! That woman’s a reptile." Dante had called her something similar. Interesting. "She wanted you to believe that because she’s the kind of woman who is immedi