I stifled a laugh.
“Mysterious, you mean? Is that why you wanted to create a new identity separate from your family?”
“I suppose so. I’m sorry.”
Enzo lifted his head, his gaze getting lost in the distance in the hall. I lifted my head from his shoulder and brought my hand to his cheek. He turned his attention back to me.
“You would’ve told me at some point,” I asserted.
“Not just because of that,” he added, caressing my hand, which still rested on his cheek, with his fingers. “I feel like I’ve been treating this as just another game. The money thing, I mean. It’s been so long since I left my family that I didn’t realise how much I missed these things… But this isn’t a game. Not when it’s so important to you.”
I lowered my gaze. I had to admit that, in a way, I had alsotreated it as such. I had been following clues around and playing by the rules instead of trying to put an end to all this nonsense, and for that, I felt stupid.
I bit my lip. “You have no idea where it came from, do you?” I asked one more time, more for me than for Enzo.
Enzo let our hands slip apart, but before I could fully process the change, he gently lifted my chin to make me look up at him.
“I’ll help you find answers,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “I promise, Vera. I really will.”
His gaze held mine, and my heart raced. Before I could react further, his lips were on mine in a tender, unexpected kiss.
It was all I had wanted during the past few hours: answers and Enzo. A solution and the boy of my dreams.
That’s why I gave in and kissed him back. My lips parted to welcome his, kissing me with a delicate yet intense balance. His hands went to my hips, lifting me slightly off the ground. Enzo’s back gave way over the sofa’s armrest, letting us both fall onto the soft fabric. My body was on top of his. His mouth was still on mine.
And then my stomach flipped, forcing me to pull away from him. A gasp escaped my lips. This was everything I wanted, so…
Why couldn’t I just let myself go? Why was I thinking about…?
Never mind. I wasn’t in the right headspace, so I decided to attribute my confusion to sheer exhaustion. I gently pulled away from Enzo’s embrace and got up.
Enzo cleared his throat and straightened himself, his gaze filled with something dark that didn’t quite mask his anguish.
The look I gave him in return likely did little to ease his doubts.
“I’m sorry,” I apologised. “I’m exhausted. I’d better go to sleep.”
I turned around, avoiding looking Enzo in the face, and walked away. Enzo’s steps didn’t echo mine.
Chapter 23
I had been in the Dubois family’s mansion for eight hours.
After my moment with Enzo, a kind man showed me to my room, across from Gina’s, with its own bathroom. He mentioned we could use the landline to call for service if needed, just like in a hotel.
I’d love to say that the mansion’s eccentricity or the grandeur of the place kept me awake, but I was out like a light. I woke up in the largest bed I’d ever seen, barely recalling the journey from the car to the mattress. At least I had rememberedto set my alarm.
We were about half an hour from Bordeaux, in a spot with little around, not much apart from fields and cows. It seemed strange to build a mansion here, but it seemed suitable for a family like the Dubois; it made sense. Away from the gossip, it was the perfect place for them to plot their schemes, tucked away from anyone with a phone camera.
It was eight in the morning on a Sunday, and I would have loved to stay in bed and enjoy the calm. But there were 24 hours left until the deadline to spend the Club Montari money, I was at the Dubois’s family manor, and what awaited me as soon as I set foot out of bed was a very nice and also very awkward brunch with the two guys I had kissed the night before.
The sound of knuckles rapping against the door jolted me from my thoughts. I got up, my feet sinking into the soft, warm carpet. Beside the bed, a plain wheeled cart served as a makeshift nightstand, holding a glass of water and an ibuprofen. I downed them in one go. The last day’s hangover had simmered down to a dull ache at the base of my skull. I could have gone without the ibuprofen, but I opted for the easy route.
The room stretched wide, shadows pooling in corners. My reflection stared back at me in the mirror that covered the entire wall, bordered with a silver frame, a mess of tangled hair and smudged eyeliner, the remnants of last night clinging to my face. I would take care of that later.
I had locked the door with a bolt, which I released with a flick of my wrist.
“Finally!” Gina burst into my room. “Damn it, V. I’ve been knocking on the door for ten minutes. I could hear your phone alarm from the hallway.”
