chapter 59

◇ KEL ◇

Oh dear.

Those eyes...

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

It was not a fleeting physical attraction. Well, first time she met him, she was drawn to his perfection of a face, but since he'd been a real friend to her,  Mykaela realized she was attracted to his genuine personality, honesty and remarkable kindness more than anything else.

His eyes gave it away.

It had been an hour or so. Yes. She made him wait that long. Alessio and the guards outside the private room did their job and kept Enzo from barging in, but when her patience ran out, she just went straight for the locked door.

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

She almost missed it; she would have if she hadn't been paying attention to his face and his face only. It always calmed her down, and 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.

"Signorina—"

"It's fine, Alessio." She glanced at the dutiful bodyguard keeping her a safe distance away from the unexpected visitor.

"Parleremo soltanto." Enzo glared at Alessio who stood stiff right beside her, ready to pull out his gun if need be.

"I'll just talk to him, then he'll leave. Thanks, guys." She curtly smiled at the other guards. 

Enzo didn't bring any.  For a solid hour, he had been waiting for her to come out of the room, and she couldn't help but admire the perseverance.

"Signorina, you can't be alone in the room." Alessio frowned and wedged his arm between her and Enzo.

Right. There was no way she and Enzo would have a private conversation. "I know. Let's go back inside." She grabbed Enzo's wrist, led him inside the room, and ignored the loud thumps in her chest.

The utter tension just numbed her muscles. She couldn't even breathe evenly. Enzo kept quiet.  Amid the coldness, the warmth of his skin comforted her 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.

She let go of Enzo's hand after the bodyguard shut the door.

"Thanks for letting me in."

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

"I don't care."

Oh no.  Not today. Not when her 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 her skinny figure.

She'd probably lost a few pounds over the week. Her appetite hadn't really adjusted well to her jam-packed schedule lately. What with med school, the traveling, and everything else...

"Are you okay?"

"Why're you here?" she muttered. She let him take a step closer.  Lonely and longing to talk to someone familiar, Kel let him hold her cold hand, which he raised to his lips after a long sigh.

With creased brows, Enzo cautiously touched her cheek with his palm, earning a stern reminder from Alessio.

"Signore, non tocarre il paziente."

Enzo paused. He 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 her hand lightly after her statement. 

"Why're you here? Honestly. You're not supposed to be in here."

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

Oh. Of course. He used his ever-handy connections. How convenient.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

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

"What hurts most?" His weary gaze roamed her entire body, taking in the reddish and some purplish bruises on her 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 her. She pulled her hand away. Should she 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.  "Sorry. I shouldn't have brought you there." He swore to himself. "Sorry."

For real? He was blaming himself for what happened?  "No. I-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—"

"Least I can do."

"Enzo, you don't have to."

"Can we keep talking for a while?" Enzo stood still to study her reaction, his tone tentative. "Can I hug you?"

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

"It's okay. Everything's fine." Mykaela stared at the bodyguard and feigned a smile. She appreciated the utmost concern, but she knew Enzo wasn't going to leave anytime soon. If she begged him to, then maybe. Miles might be here any minute now, and that wouldn't result in a favorable outcome, for sure.

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

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

"You should." He stepped away from her,  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—"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Signore—"

Something clicked. Thud. The door flew open, to everyone's surprise.

What she saw next froze her entire body on the hospital bed.

Shit.

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

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