Two days later, Artem found himself in front of a building over two hundred years old.
"Come in," said the nun.
Artem made an effort to remain calm. He followed the woman through the convent's hallways; the religious images seemed to judge him. Finally, the nun left him in front of an office where the mother superior was waiting for him.
"You are here to see Sister Liana, correct?" the mother superior asked, observing him closely.
"Yes, Mother," Artem replied, feeling out of place. He was in the house of God, but he had a loaded Glock 17 on his back.
"You are the second person to come see her," said the mother superior, standing up. "She is about to take her vows in a few days. I hope your visit doesn't make her nervous again. She just lost her father."
Artem paid no attention to the last part. The only thing echoing in his mind was that someone had come to see her before him.
"Sorry, Mother, did you say someone came?" he asked, trying to hide his unease.
"Yes, the lawyer for Mr. Moretti came. He told Liana that her father had died. The poor thing is devastated; she decided to move up her vows after that."
Artem's eyebrows furrowed. Something about all this didn't sit right with him. Vittorio hadn't mentioned a lawyer or that he would inform her. They had agreed that he would be the one to tell her.
"Can you take me to her? It's necessary that we talk as soon as possible."
"Very well," said the mother superior, giving him a distrustful look.
They passed through a tunnel composed of a series of low, pointed arches before reaching a clearing. There were green spaces, and the nuns walked around, deep in conversation. In the center of the clearing, there was a square stone outline. It enclosed rows of well-tended flowers. In the center of the plaza, there was a replica of Michelangelo's Pietà statue, but in bronze.
Artem admired the view, almost amazed by the tranquility of the place.
"Wait here, I'll send for Sister Liana," said the mother superior, making him look away from the statue.
Suddenly, a scene left him perplexed: a young nun was running after a goat that had escaped from the pen. Her habit billowed as she ran, trying to catch the animal. The goat, for its part, seemed to enjoy the game, dodging her with agility.
"Come here, you darn goat!" the young nun shouted, laughing. "You can't hide forever!"
Artem couldn't help but smile at the scene. The young nun had caught his attention; she was the first novice he had heard curse. He looked at her closely, and her face was delicate and graceful, but what struck him most was her smile and the tone of her laughter.
It was amusing, sweet, and pure.
He soon found himself swallowing hard, his body reacting to her. He looked away, embarrassed, and scolded himself internally.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Artem? Are you that messed up? Or is it that so long without sex is affecting you? Are you getting turned on by a nun? A nun?!"
He turned around, avoiding looking at her, because the more he did, the more excited he became. He closed his eyes and breathed several times. He wanted to calm this strange and forbidden feeling.
"Liana, come, come, someone wants to talk to you!" he heard the mother superior's voice.
Artem breathed again, trying to calm down. But the feeling was still there, though he repressed it forcefully.
"Mr. Vasiliev, here is Sister Liana," said the mother superior.
He turned slowly but froze when he saw her. It was her, the little nun who had just excited him.
"This has to be a freaking joke," was all he said, his voice full of disbelief and a hint of desperation.
Liana looked up, her breath still ragged from the goat chase. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. Her eyes, surprised and confused, looked at Artem. She didn't know him, but she felt a strange attraction to him; her heart beat faster, and a warmth spread through her body.
Artem cleared his throat and extended his hand to her.
"I'm Artem Vasiliev, a friend of your father's," he said, trying to maintain his composure.
Liana shook his hand, feeling a slight shiver at the contact. Her eyes lit up at the mention of her father, but then they saddened.
"It's curious that in such a short time all of my father's friends have come to see me," she said with a sad smile. "First, the lawyer and now you."
"The lawyer is not your father's friend," Artem said firmly.
Liana frowned, confused.
"What are you trying to say?" she asked.
Artem stepped closer to her, and Liana grew more nervous, but maintained her calm appearance.
"I need to talk to you about something important," he said in a soft voice. Then he looked at the mother superior. "Alone."
Liana looked in shock at the mother superior, who was observing the situation seriously.
"It's not proper for a novice to be alone with a man."
Artem gritted his teeth and gave the nun a cold smile.
"Mother, it would be a shame if the local press heard certain rumors about the convent," he said, threateningly.
The mother superior was scandalized and gave them one last look before speaking.
"You only have twenty minutes," she said before turning and leaving them alone.
Artem watched Liana as the mother superior walked away. The novice seemed fragile under the habit, but there was something in her eyes that told him she wasn't as weak as he thought.
"Liana, I need you to listen carefully," he began, lowering his voice so no one else could hear. "Your father asked me to protect you."
She looked at him and tried to process his words.
"Protect me? From what?"
Artem took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't tell her everything at once.
"There are people who will want to take advantage of you now that your father has died. So I need you to trust me. I promise I'll explain everything. But there's something you need to know." He paused, looking into her eyes. "And that's that you're going to marry me."