Harbinger Of Glory

The next morning had the strange feeling of a final day, and Leo noticed it as soon as he woke.

It was definitely because of the game they had just played a day before, but the complex was quieter than usual.

Leo, eyes groggy and all that, looked around at his room.

His bag was already half-packed near the wardrobe from the past night’s insomnia, while his federation tracksuit hung over the back of a chair.

He stretched without thinking and almost immediately, his hamstring tightened, causing Leo to stop immediately.

"Ah," he muttered and sat upright.

Before doing anything else, he reached behind his leg, rubbing the muscle for a few seconds until it loosened again.

"Almost gave me a heart attack," he muttered before reaching for his phone.

There was one message from Vittoria.

Goodnight, love.

But nothing after it.

He smiled at the message, locked the screen and got out of bed.

After washing and brushing his teeth, he pulled on a pair of shorts and a white T-shirt before leaving the room.

Downstairs, breakfast was already underway.

Players sat around tables with coffee, toast and fruit, all focused on their food as well as whatever club football was waiting for them when they returned.

Leo walked in and instantly, several heads turned.

"What the hell," he muttered when he noticed the weird stares on their faces.

While he tried to put his thoughts together, Kean crossed the room.

"Spoke well, Spokesperson Calderon!"

Leo stopped and then raised a brow, asking what the former meant.

"Why are you calling me spokesperson?"

Despite asking, Kean didn’t answer, leaving Leo standing for a few seconds before he followed on and found Carlo sitting at one of the tables with a coffee in front of him.

The latter looked like someone who had been through more than just a game the previous night and was now showing the symptoms.

When Leo sat down, he only glanced up slightly before looking down, grabbing a sip of the coffee in front of him.

"What’s going on?" Leo asked Carlo, who just looked at Leo, wondering if he really hadn’t seen the aftermath of the game, but it seemed like he truly hadn’t seen it.

A moment later, Carlo picked his phone up and pressed it a few times before turning the screen towards Leo.

The article title was large and clear, which Leo read and said one word that was not suitable for breakfast.

"That wasn’t what I said," he muttered while pulling back away, but the job was already finished.

.....

Aldo set the newspaper down on the breakfast garden table in Forte dei Marmi and looked at the sky for a moment.

"His influence is growing," he said. "I must say."

Vittoria, across the table, stabbed a fork into one of the tangerines in the bowl and put it in her mouth and looked at the wall.

At once, Aldo looked away.

Sienna, who had spent most of the conversation pretending not to listen, eventually looked up from her food.

"How is Leo getting here?"

At that, Vittoria glanced across the table while grabbing the glass of juice beside her.

"I’m taking the helicopter back to Milan. He’ll meet me there, then we’ll come back together."

"Okay, I guess," she answered before looking at Aldo, who only looked up when she felt her getting annoyed by the second."

"Sounds fine to me," he said as Sienna’s smile grew slightly.

"I need to make a few arrangements," she muttered and rose to her feet.

In the next second, she collected her things and left the garden before either of them could ask what exactly she was arranging.

Vittoria watched her go, then sighed before reaching for her phone.

"God help me."

Back at Coverciano, Leo was halfway back to his room when Noah called.

"The stylist’s sorted," Noah said.

"I’ve got someone in Milan. She’ll meet you when you arrive and take you through a few options."

Leo nodded and kept walking before finally speaking.

"You’ve taken all of this very calmly."

"I had a feeling something like this was coming."

"How?"

"I’ve been around Milan long enough. Aldo D’Averna isn’t exactly difficult to recognise. Not to talk of his daughter, who’s more in the limelight than most."

Leo smiled to himself and kept walking before he reached his room and pushed the door open.

"Any advice?"

"You like milk."

Leo stopped.

"What?"

"Cappuccino. Hot chocolate. Anything with milk."

Leo frowned.

"Why would that matter?"

"Don’t mention it at dinner."

"I’m not going to randomly talk about milk at dinner."

"I’m serious."

That got a laugh out of Leo before Noah’s voice softened.

"Seriously, though. Don’t try to impress them. You’re not going there to perform."

Leo was quiet.

"Just be yourself," Noah continued.

"You’re a good kid. People usually work that out once they’ve spent some time with you."

Leo nodded even though Noah couldn’t see him.

"Alright. Good. Now go before you miss your train."

With arrangements made, Leo’s train left shortly after eleven.

By the time Leo arrived in Milan, the nervousness he’d managed to ignore on the journey had returned.

A black van was waiting outside the station, and the stylist Noah had arranged was already inside.

She introduced herself, shook his hand and immediately got to work without making the whole thing feel more complicated than it needed to be.

There were several options which they went through quickly, but in the end, Leo settled on black.

A fitted jacket, with dark trousers and a clean shirt underneath.

He looked at himself once in the mirror and then nodded.

"That’ll do."

"It does," the stylist said as the session came to a close.

Following that, the van took him across the city toward the helipad, with Leo watching Milan pass through the window, barely speaking.

After a while, he shook his head.

"I don’t think this kind of life would suit me," he suddenly thought as the driver glanced at him through the mirror.

Leo smiled faintly.

"Forget I said that."

The driver returned his eyes to the road until they eventually got there.

The helicopter was already waiting when Leo arrived, and standing a short distance away was Vittoria.

She wore a white floral dress with a short coat over it, her hair falling loosely around her shoulders.

The rotors were turning slowly, stirring the air around her when Leo stepped out of the van.

He saw her and his pace changed without him meaning it to.

Vittoria noticed him a moment later and also started walking over.

Neither of them said anything until they were standing in front of each other.

"Hey," they said together before Vittoria smiled.

Leo did too.

She looked him over, leaning in slightly to get more of whatever cologne he was wearing.

"You look and smell nice."

"So do you."

"Only nice?"

Leo quickly covered and shook his head.

"Not just nice. Very nice."

Vittoria scoffed and snorted before pulling close to him, so much so that her chest was to his midsection.

"Better," she muttered as Leo laughed quietly.

As the two stood there, Leo held out his hand, and Vittoria slipped hers into it without hesitation, their fingers fitting together naturally.

"Ready?" she asked.

"As I’ll ever be," Leo answered like his organs were going to be harvested and that made Vittoria laugh.

She squeezed his hand a while later when she was done laughing.

"You’ll be fine."

"That wasn’t reassuring, but I’ll take it," Leo replied as they turned toward the helicopter together.

The rotors picked up speed as they approached, forcing them to lean slightly against the wind.

Vittoria held onto her coat with one hand while Leo kept hold of hers with the other as they climbed inside.

The door closed behind them a second later when Leo settled into his seat and looked across at Vittoria.

"You’re beautiful," he muttered.

"Huh," Vittoria questioned while grabbing the headphones for them, but after getting them, Leo shook his head, not wanting to repeat it.

"Coward," Vittoria called out at Leo’s actions before tightening her grip on Leo’s hands as the helicopter took off a moment later!