She arched her eyebrows as she read his note. Obviously she had never met Xavier, but he was a Friend of Gabriel's. There was a piece missing in all of this that she wasn't fond of. What did Xavier know of her? And wasn't he dead? She scrawled a reply that was one simple word., and handed it to him.
"Sorry"
With that out of the way she turned back to the matter of Dante.
"Quick, that is too bad,"
Her voice cracked with grief, and the tears still clung to her lashes, but there was an air of disappointment that surrounded her. She focused her brown eyes intensely on Zeke's red ones. Behind her eyes it was obvious she really didn't know what to feel about the whole thing.
"Thank you very much for dealing with my cousin, I apologize for any trouble it caused you."
When she spoke the word trouble she pointed the note they had been exchanging. She walked over to the door and opened it.
"If there is anything i can do for you, please let me know. Thank you again Zeke."
He stood up and left the room, she shut the door behind him and sat on the bed in utter silence. She could hear the others mulling about in Living room. She picked up the phone and called the front desk.
"Yes Front Desk of Grand Sin, how may I help you?"
"This is Ambassador Alighieri, a packet will be arriving for me in the morning, when it is delivered could you please give a message to the Courier to take back to his employers?"
"Certainly, what is the message Ambassador?"
"I will be Leaving after my tour of the Colony most likely tomorrow morning if not earlier, I will take the body of my cousin back to earth with me. I apologize for any inconvenience that he has been and am willing to help in anyway possible to cleanup the mess. Thank you kindly."
"I will be more than happy to deliver this myself, My Condolences Ambassador."
Her voice caught in her throat. IF you had known Dante you would be relieved he was dead, she thought to herself, desperately trying to summon the rage she had felt earlier this evening, that justifiable rage, but it wouldn't raise its head through the fog of grief.
"Thank you,"
She whispered as she hung up the phone. Despite the beating he had given her, all she could think of was how he had once been a sweet child, and she had enjoyed his company, how he had been a source of strength for her before he gave himself over to alcohol and his mania. She looked back on his life and a wave of pity rose up and consumed her. Sophia's politics had destroyed him and she knew it, that whole house is rotten to the core, she thought to herself as the sobs came silently and in waves. I did love him, once, poor Dante, poor poor Dante. The sobs were harrowing as she stood there leaning up against the wall by her door, with the palms of her hands flat against the wall As she wept a sense of relief came through like a fragile sunbeam through a dark sky. He can't hurt Gabriel now, or me. She clung to that thought for a moment before it evaporated. She slid down the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees. It was fiercely painful to do so but she didn't care, she rested her head against her knees and let it all go through her. As the relief, the despair, the fond memories of joy, the joy, passed through her she was hit by a wall of rage. There was nothing for it to hide behind anymore. All of his political maneuvering, his move to Manhattan, His acquired condescending nature towards her, and of course his attack began to override her better nature and the fond memories she had for him. As she revisited these things he grew agitated and stood up and began to pace the room. All she could do was think of Zeke saying he died quickly and she felt robbed. She wanted to know his misery his fear, his last words. She began to clench and unclench her fist. Out of nowhere she punched the wall. The contact of her knuckles against the wall registered nothing, but the hard thudding sound. She pulled her hand away. She stared intently as the knuckles reddened, and hoped no one rushed in. With that one explosive act all of the rage had evaporated. She wiped the tears from her face, and with that a good portion of the make up. She washed her face n cold water, and took off the clothes she had warn to the reception and slipped on one of her nightgowns, and sat down on the edge of her bed. Again the tears came but the emotional pressure valve had been released. She was sobbing softly now. My sweet and poor cousin, tomorrow I will begin to make the arrangements. Il Mio Dolce, Dante.
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