Page 16 of Velvet Chains

That story stunned me. I didn't know if I could have done the same. Before the incident at the airport, I had no idea of what the underworld was outside of fiction movies. So I couldn't fathom the idea of taking in a Mafia boss’ son. Ever since, the cafe had been placed under his protection and had become his favorite place to meet. The woman was under his protection now. It was a good story, but I couldn't help but think of how it could have all gone horribly wrong for her.

I was doing badly, I could feel myself fidgeting and adjusting my posture every five seconds, but Vincenzo was fine.

He looked completely normal, cool and collected. Everything from the way he sat, to his tone of voice when he ordered, suggested that he was calm. However, his eyes confirmed to me that he was on edge.

The fact that he could be nervous only made me panic even more. I had never really seen him nervous and it drove home the fact that the stakes were higher than anything I had ever dealt with before.

As we sat there, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking back to what Vincenzo had told me before we left the house.

“Elia is one of the most cunning people I know. He’s the most powerful ally in my circle.” Vincenzo had told me. Even then, his choice of words gave me pause; I had never heard anyone being described as cunning in real life before that.

Given the kind of people Vincenzo worked with, anyone who merited that description had to have something that made him stand out from the other sharks.

I was in Vincenzo’s world now, and disagreements were rarely bloodless. The idea that the underworld was a place with its own set of rules and etiquette was one that was hard for me to digest.

My mind snapped out of those thoughts and returned to the present where I was still sitting in a cafe with Vincenzo.

Despite being in a good location and having good coffee and food, it was strangely empty. Enzo didn’t seem bothered by it, and I realized that it could be by design. The meeting and talk that was about to happen was highly confidential, so someone must have arranged for the cafe to be empty. I thought about Elia’s friend, the owner of the cafe, and it all made sense.

The sound of the door opening drew my attention, and when I looked over, I had to stop myself from staring.

Elia wasn’t what I had expected. I thought he would be a rough-looking man. I thought he would have a loud boisterous voice and wear gold rings on all his fingers. I thought he would have at least four bodyguards.

Instead, the first thing I noticed was his suit. It looked expensive but also like what any businessman would wear.

He entered the cafe alone, like this was just a normal meeting. I watched as he took small but powerful and measured steps, with a polite smile on his face.

All in all, he even looked welcoming, more like a CEO than a Mafia boss. His clothes and aura practically screamed sophistication and refinement.

He was an older man, but not too much older, with a few strands of gray showing up in his dark hair, giving him a distinguished air.

It was short and slicked back without the shine of excessive hair gel. He had the aura of old money. Even without that, I noticed small things like a leather watch on his wrist that looked like an antique. Everything from the way he walked to the smile on his face seemed to send the message that he was a wealthy man.

However, once I made eye contact with him, I instantly believed all the stories Vincenzo had told me about his reputation. He had the eyes of a hawk. I could tell by how he scanned the room and then me. I felt like I had no secrets, like he somehow knew everything about me from that first glance.

Once I looked into his eyes, I realized that the mild manner was just surface-level, and that he was someone who was accustomed to being in charge.

“Don Vincenzo. You look well, as always.” His first words were kind and soft, but as he spoke to Vincenzo, his eyes never left me. It felt like he was watching my every move and analyzing it. I couldn’t stop myself from feeling even more nervous than I was.

His gaze made me second guess everything about myself, from the way I stood, to the outfit I had on. I felt a strange urge to impress him. The longer he looked at me, the faster my heart beat, until it felt like the deafening sound of my heartbeat was all I could hear.

My nerves were so tightly wound that I didn’t even notice Vincenzo had stood up until Elia stretched out a hand. I stood up as fast as I could, right in time to see the two men exchange a handshake. Elia even gave Vincenzo a friendly pat on the shoulder.

“Thank you, you look good as well.” Vincenzo said, and I admired his nerves of steel because when he spoke, there was no quiver or anything.

If I didn’t know better, I would have thought this was a meeting between two old friends. Despite the fact that they had to always be on guard, even against each other, it seemed to me like Enzo saw him not just as an ally but also as a mentor.

Elia's continued alliance with Vincenzo was important to his plans, so I had to make sure that I didn't mess anything up on my end.

“And this must be the woman who captured our Don Vincenzo's heart. You look stunning.” His attention was suddenly on me again, and I froze for a moment before responding with a polite smile.

I obviously knew my relationship with Vincenzo wasn’t one where I could say that I had captured his heart, but I felt myself blush at his words anyway. His words made my imagination run wild, and I snuck a brief glance at Vincenzo to see what his reaction was.

He was looking at me too, with a tenderness in his gaze that made my heart stop. But I needed to face facts, right now. Although there was attraction there, it would be stupid to assume he loved me. It was a farce for the election, and for my promotion. End of story. Nothing more.

“It's a pleasure to meet you.” I managed to speak without stuttering, but I still felt like I was under a microscope and my every move could be interpreted thousands of ways by Elia.

After the greetings were exchanged, we took our seats and began talking. Elia didn't even have to order before the waitress brought him an espresso.

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