Chapter 80: Chapter 80

◇ KEL ◇

Oh dear...his eyes...

Try as I might,  staring into his gorgeous, attentive eyes just sucked the finesse and willpower out of me.

It was not a fleeting physical attraction.  Well, first time I met him, I was quite drawn to his perfection of a face, but after we had gotten to know each other better, he'd been nothing but a real friend to me.  Just recently I realized I was attracted to his genuine personality, honesty and remarkable kindness more than anything else.

His eyes gave it away.  Concern, worry...and a bit of...sadness.  He made no effort to hide how he felt.

It had been an hour or so.  Yep—I made him wait that long.  I wanted to see how serious he was.  To be frank,  I was mostly dragging my heels because I just didn't know what to say to him.

Alessio and the guards outside the private room did their job and kept Enzo from barging in. But when my patience eventually ran out, I just went straight for the locked door.  Alessio tried to stop me with a questioning look but I gave him some quick, reassuring nods instead.

"I'll just talk to him for a sec," I muttered a moment ago just so Alessio would let me open the door.

Slouching against the white wall, Enzo had perked up the second I stepped out.  He hadn't taken his eyes off me since.  "Thanks," he said with a subtle smile.

I almost missed it;  I would have if I hadn't been paying attention to his face and his face only.  It always calmed me down.

Although he and his psychotic abuser of a brother did have some similarities,  Enzo's smile was always real.  Candid. Meaningful.  "Can we...talk inside?" His thick brows creased as apprehension lowered his voice.

"Signor—"

"It's fine, Alei." I glanced at the dutiful bodyguard keeping me a safe distance away from my unexpected visitor.  Alessio kept half of his back and taller body in front of me, ready to use his gun if need be.  "Go grab somethin' to eat if you want."

"I'm not allowed to leave my post, Signorina."

"Parleremo soltanto." Enzo glared at Alessio who stood stiff right in front of him.

"I'll just talk to him, then he'll leave."  I curtly smiled at the other guards.  "Thanks, guys. Why don't you grab some dinner outside for a bit?"  I stared at the guards, waiting for them to leave their post outside of the private room.

The guards merely watched us.  I also noticed Enzo didn't bring any.  Unusual.  I wasn't used to seeing him in public places without a bodyguard right behind him.

For a solid hour, he had been waiting for me to come out of the room, and I couldn't help but admire the perseverance.

"Sorry. You can't be alone in the room." Alessio kept up a rather stern tone while he kept his arm wedged between me and Enzo.

Right. There was no way  Enzo and I would have a private conversation. So, Alessio would have to stay in the room with us.  "Okay. Let's go back inside." I grabbed Enzo's wrist, led him inside the room, and ignored the loud thumps in my chest.

The utter tension just numbed my muscles.  I couldn't even breathe evenly.  As if sensing my nerves, Enzo kept quiet.  He was right behind me.  His steps were muffled by his gym shoes as we went inside the room.  Amid the coldness, the warmth of his skin comforted me to a degree. The guy smelled of men's cologne and a bit of soap.

Darn...  It was intoxicating.  Must he smell this good? Ugh.

I let go of Enzo's hand after my highly attentive bodyguard shut the door.  Well, Alessio was actually Miles' bodyguard but the guy certainly took his job seriously today as my intimidating doorman.  I couldn't ask for a better security staff, really...and it made me nervous to think he was prepared to tackle and throw Enzo out of the room at any second just to make sure I stayed unharmed.

"Thanks for letting me in."

"I'm not supposed to."  I sat back down on the hospital bed. Enzo stood in front of me now, just watching my every move.  "If Miles finds you—"

"I don't care."

Oh no.  Not today. Not when my emotions were all over the place.  "How'd you even find me?"

"I have...my sources," Enzo replied with a slight frown. For a moment, his eyes regarded my skinny figure.

It wasn't something new but I had probably lost a few pounds over the week.  My appetite hadn't really adjusted well to my jam-packed schedule lately. What with med school, the traveling, and everything else...

"Are you okay?"

"Why're you here?" I muttered. I let him take a step closer.  Lonely and longing to talk to someone familiar, I even let him hold my cold hand, which he raised to his lips after a long sigh.  The unexpected gesture made my heart pound in my rib cage.

Then his thick brows creased as Enzo cautiously touched my cheek with his palm, promptly earning a stern reminder from Alessio.

"Signore, non tocarre il paziente."

Enzo paused. He then sighed at the warning. "Stiamo solo parlando."

"It's fine, Alessio. He's leaving in five."

"Five minutes?" Enzo echoed in a complaining mumble, squeezing my hand lightly after my statement.  He sounded disappointed for some reason. Why? Did we have a lot to talk about?

"Why're you here?" I muttered while scratching my brow and avoiding his gaze.  "Honestly. You're not supposed to be in here."

"I-I just wanted to see...how you're doing." Enzo cleared his throat. "The director's son, Head of Admin, I know him."

Oh. Of course. He used his ever-handy connections. How convenient. I almost rolled my eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

Was I okay?  Well, physically, yes.   I felt much better already.  Emotionally? Of course not.  Especially now that his warm hand caressed my  arm.  His touch felt too familiar even to my slightly drugged senses.

"What hurts most?" His weary gaze roamed my entire body, which was covered by a thin hospital gown.  His eyes took in the reddish and some purplish bruises on my limbs and face—all thanks to his brother's ridiculous temper.  "I'm so sorry."

Good grief.  Not his eyes again...  Under the ceiling lights, they reflected a thin sheen of moisture, as if he was getting teary-eyed at the mere sight of me.  I pulled my hand away. Should I say it wasn't his fault? Just to reassure him and rid him of guilt?

It was true, though.  Enzo had nothing to do with his brother's psychotic tendencies.  "Shit.  I shouldn't have brought you there." He backed off and swore to himself. "Sorry."

For real? He was blaming himself for what happened?  "No. It wasn't your fault."

"It is. I'm taking care of the bills, and everything else you'll need. Already talked to admin. If you want to talk to a lawyer—"

"No. You don't have to—"

"The least I can do, Mykaela."

"Enzo. You don't have to."

"Can we keep talking for a while?" Enzo stood close to me to study my reaction, his tone tentative again. "Can I hug you?"

"Signore, per favore, allontanati." Alessio approached the hospital bed to get near me, alarmed by how close Enzo was. The hospital slippers I wore now touched his expensive-looking shoes.

"It's okay, Alei." I stared at the bodyguard and feigned a smile.  I appreciated the utmost concern, but I knew Enzo wasn't going to leave anytime soon. If I begged him to, then maybe.  Miles might be here any minute now, and if Miles saw him in this private room with me, that wouldn't result in a favorable outcome, for sure.

Enzo sighed loudly when I kept quiet. "Would you ever forgive me?"

Forgive him?  "Enzo,  I'm not blaming you."  I looked him in the eye and almost scowled.

"You should." He stepped away from me with his hands resting on his hips. Then he swore loudly in his native tongue.

"Thank you for offering to help, but I can't take any more of your m—"

"No. I already told them to send me the bill after you're discharged. Already paid the partial."

Ugh. Fine. There was no way he was letting me win this argument. Not today. Clearly the guilt was eating him up. His contrition and generosity seemed genuine, but then again it was my naivety that got me here in the first place.

His brother couldn't care less about my current condition, but it meant a lot to me that Enzo tried to find me just to apologize.  Also, he wanted to take care of the damage financially.  And provide legal assistance? Was he expecting me to file charges?

"Really now, how did you find me?"

"Been looking for you all over the country."

"Signorina." Alessio cleared his throat to interrupt, but he stayed by the door, fidgeting while he touched his earpiece as if listening to someone on the line.

Enzo ignored the guy and stepped closer to me again. He didn't stop until he was close enough to embrace me.

His height and his comforting warmth felt kind of overwhelming.  I tried to pull away, but the guy already had his arm wrapped around my back.

Enzo brushed light, careful kisses on my head, making me wince a little. Even more when his soft lips kissed my cheek.  "I'm so sorry this happened."

"Signore, ti prego—"

Something clicked. Then a thud.  The door flew open, to everyone's surprise.

What I saw next froze my entire body on the hospital bed.

Shit.

It was none other than Miles. He glared at all of us.  "The fuck is this?"

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