Mr. Pierce

Chapter 3

Penelope

"Miss Penelope"

"Miss Penelope, We're almost to our destination!" Mr. Henry's faint voice finally registered in my brain as I jolted awake. My body ached as I moved from the awkward position I'd been previously laying in.

"Thanks for the heads up, Mr. Henry" I answered, slightly cringing at the hoarseness in my voice.

Once I was able to regain proper movement of my cramped muscles, I leaned next to me where my bag was conveniently placed on the opposite side of the car seat. I was grateful that Mr. Henry was thoughtful enough to set it close to me. It was more easily accessible than the rest of the luggage in the trunk.

I quickly found my phone that was stuffed in the outside pocket of the overfilled carry on. I took a peek at the time on the screen which read 11:07 AM. It had been a couple hours since we had left my home, I suppose I'd taken a longer nap than expected. It was still pretty early in the day, however we had left first thing this morning so that my father could arrive at the airport on time for his long flight.

I finally took the time to look outside of the car window, noticing the unfamiliar surroundings around us. Giant million dollar houses stood sporadically across manicured landscapes. Expensive cars of all kinds were parked on some of the properties' driveways as well, it was a clear sign that we were in a wealthy low-crime community. Coming from a well off family, that kind of luxury was something I was already used to. If anything it made me feel a lot safer than the other wise sketchier neighborhoods littered across New York.

As Mr. Henry steered us around a wide turn, I noticed a fairly large house in the distance. This one in particular was bigger than the rest of the houses we had previously passed by. It was perfectly placed at the end of the block, away from the rest of its neighbors. Intricately trimmed trees and shrubbery surrounded the mansion-sized property. "Is this where Giovanni Pierce lived now? Fancy." I thought to myself as the SUV slowly pulled up by the curve on the entrance of the house.

As soon as the car made a complete stop in front of the residence I felt a wave of nerves slowly make its way through my body. I was unsure of what I was so worried about. Perhaps it was the anticipation of having to meet someone I was unfamiliar with, I was never good at first impressions after all, but Mr. Pierce wasn't a complete stranger. He was just someone I haven't seen in a long time. Thoughts of how my encounter with Giovanni would go flooded my mind, it made me full of anxiety and perhaps a bit of excitement as well.

I took a hold of the bag that sat next to me and made my way out of the vehicle standing by the curve waiting patiently for Mr. Henry, who was busy taking out the rest of the baggage from the boot of the car. Once he finished unloading the luggage, he wasted no time before guiding me through to the main entrance.

Mr. Henry and I walked through the threshold of the giant double doors that lead to the foyer. We were silently arguing about my heavy bag that he insisted on carrying inside for me. I was about to plead my case when we were suddenly interrupted.

"Penelope" an unfamiliar voice called out.

The sound of my name instantly caught my attention as I swung around. A man stood a few feet away from where me & Mr. Henry were. He stood casually with his hands in his pockets. I noticed he looked unfazed with my presence, as if he had been anticipating my arrival.

The first thing that caught my eye was his intense gaze. Realization hit me as I recognized those unmistakable baby blue eyes. The once bright eyes that captivated me as a child now held a slight coldness that made them look almost intimidating. Perhaps it was maturity that had a lot to do with the absence of the softness that was once there. His dark hair was a sharp contrast to his light eyes, now being a bit more grown out than what I remembered it to be, but it complimented his chiseled face perfectly. The presence of tattoos were visible. The dark ink covered his neck and chest and traveled down towards the exposed skin of his muscular forearms. I'd be lying if I said these last few years haven't done him well. He looked as handsome as ever.