Driving to the mansion evoked feelings of being tangled in a web of conspiracy. It is the 'Francesca' in him, that is more of a bunch of questions than answers.
The question remains: who was she, really? And what did she want with him?
Alex saw a figure waiting for him in the shadows on arriving at the mansion; it was Marco, the ruthless mafia boss.
"Alex, my friend," Marco said with irony in his voice. "So you're getting friendly with Francesca. That is definitely no good."
His instincts screamed to be careful. "What do you mean?" keeping the tone even, he asked.
Marco's eyes rolled. "You know, Francesca isn't exactly who or what she pretends to be. This is all a game man; you are just merely one of the pieces. Trust not the Gypsy lass because she will use you and throw you away like trash.
His mind was racing, but Alex tried to shrug off the perils. Marco's true intentions were in question. Could he trust that what Marco said was true, or was he playing his own game?
Alex felt a chill run down his spine as he searched Marco's eyes: the cool, ruthless glint that made his blood run cold.
And in that moment, Alex understood that he had to be careful. He was in a cat-and-mouse game in which the stakes had never been as high as he had anticipated.
As he turned to go back into the house, he sensed Marco's voice behind him:"Remember, Alex. In this game, loyalty is a luxury you can't afford."
The heart raced; greedily, the steps crept into the mansion. There was no pretending this time; a wrong step could mean extinction.
But he would play it through to discover the real truth and win.
Upon entering his study, Alex found a piece of paper on his desk. It was a note expertly written in Francesca's script.
"Meet me at the old clock tower at midnight. Come alone," it read.
Alex's heart fell a beat. What on now would Francesca want from him?
As he considered the note, it became clear to him that a picture at a crossroad waited to depict Francesca: whether to trust her or to play it safe.
Things were getting hot, and time was short for Alex.