Page 69 of Hired By the Consigliere

"You're beautiful no matter what, but seeing this bruise makes me murderous. I could kill your father for laying a hand on you."

I softly placed my hand over his, the warmth of his touch seeping into my skin. We stayed like that for several minutes, just gazing into each other's eyes in comfortable silence until two raised voices made me jump.

"I don't give a fuck who he is or what your fathers have discussed. Why the hell wouldn't you tell me yourself?"

It sounded like Luca, but I'd never heard him so angry.

"Why would it matter to you? What I do and who I do it with is none of your business," a female voice snapped back.

Just then, Mira stormed past the dining room, jumping as she spotted us.

"Oh. I didn't know anyone was home."

"Sorry. We were just having some lunch before Enzo went into the office for a bit. We can clear out if you need some privacy."

"No privacy needed," Luca said in a forced casual tone but his jaw was set. "We'redonehere."

And with that, he walked back toward the foyer while Mira headed toward the kitchen.

I breathed out a breath and let my shoulders sag. Enzo looked at me with a raised brow and I shook my head.

"You should get to work."

"Trying to get rid of me?" He smirked before rising from his seat and heading toward the front door.

I got up and followed him. "Of course not. I just know the sooner you leave, the sooner you return."

Enzo turned to face me at the door and smiled, wrapping his strong arms around my waist and pulling me to him. "Good answer."

He gently kissed my lips, and I leaned forward, following him as he pulled away.

"I'll be back soon. And I'll let you know as soon as I get an answer from Ludovic."

"Okay."

A couple of hours later, I got a phone call from Enzo. “Ciao?”

“Ciao, Aurora. I finally heard back from Ludovic. He wants to meet tonight, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to be ready on such short notice.”

“I can be ready in time if I hurry.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to inconvenience you, but I really want to talk to Ludovic and take care of damage control sooner rather than later.”

“Of course, I’m sure.”

“Okay, I’ll be there to pick you up in about an hour and a half.”

“See you then.”

Two hours later, Franco drove us down the road toward Enzo's Club.

“You look lovely tonight.” Enzo smiled at me and squeezed my hand gently. “Thank you for being willing to join me on such short notice.”

“Of course. I've just been sitting around the compound all day. It's nice to get out. I just hope that this meeting goes the way you want it to.”

"Me too."

“How did Ludovic sound on the phone?”

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