VINCENZO:

“Pleasee….”

I strolled out of the room, ignoring the pleas, and headed towards the garden.

The garden was bathed in moonlight, shadows dancing on stone paths. The crisp air carried the scent of earth and fallen leaves. Fading flowers bowed, their edges curling, while golden and amber leaves rustled in the trees. It was late September, and fall was close.

I sat on the bench staring into the lake. The stillness of the water reflected the peaceful environment, a stark contrast to the tension I’d left behind. I had known the meeting was not going to be as simple as it seemed, and I was right….

****“Mr. Romano, our jade and gold artifacts are unmatched in their craftsmanship. We would like to extend our reach to the US, and what better way to do that than by partnering with Ferrera Holdings? The licensing fee is modest — just 5% — and we'd take 40% of the profits.” Mr. Chen pushed a glossy portfolio to me, a thin smile on his face as he spoke.

I flipped through the portfolio, letting my eyes skim over the images and carefully constructed charts. It all looked good — too good. The kind of good that hides something beneath.

“Exclusive rights,” I said, my voice filled with amusement. “Generous terms.” I dropped the portfolio on the table, watching as his smile slowly faltered.

“You mentioned how good your products are but…” I paused, squinting and leaning forward enough for him to go stiff. “Didn’t mention the supply chain riddled with inconsistencies, the tariffs that will gut your margins, and the lawsuits from your last distributors. Care to explain?”

His fingers tapped against the table, and though his smile remained intact, the muscle in his jaw twitched.“Mr. Romano, those are just misunderstandings, they are all resolved now, our artifacts speak for themselves” He said, his voice tight.

“Mmm, they may speak but–I don't do bad business, Mr. Chen. If you think I'll shoulder your liabilities for a fraction of the return, you've underestimated me.” I said coldly, picking up my glass and taking a sip of the whiskey.

Mr. Chen's features darkened, as he leaned forward. “It seems you don’t fully understand the opportunity i’m offering” He said, locking eyes with me. “Refusing isn’t wise, Mr. Romano.”

I sat in my spot not bothering to reply him or give him a reaction, he really thought he cpould threaten me.

Seeing I was silent, Mr. Chen gritted his teeth and said, “Mr. Romano, I tried to do this the easy way, but since you're so difficult, we'll have to go the hard way—Come in boys!!”

The door creaked open, and a huge figure stepped inside. Another folowed, then two more. I only cast them an indifferent glance and picked up my whiskey glass.

“This is the contract, sign it, Or else…” Mr. Chen tossed a contract to me with a victorious smile on his face.

“What if I refuse to sign it?” I asked, a cold smile playing on my lips.

“Then we’ll be forced to use force” One of his men grunted at me.

“Oh, well I’m not signing it” I said tipping my head at the man who spoke.

A panicked look flashed through Mr. Chen’s eyes as he signaled his men to attack.

They hurled towards me but before they could lay a finger on me, James swiftly stepped in.

The first man lunged at James, but James grapped his arm and twisted it until a satisfying snap echoed in the room. Another charged, but James delivered a swift kick to his knee, sending him crumpling to the floor.

I leaned back in my chair, swirling the whiskey in my glass, as James dismantled them with skillful precision. The room echoed with groans, but his suit remained unruffled. And soon, they were all puddled on the floor bruised and bleeding.

Mr. Chen had underestimated us, how foolish of him. Now he was squirming in his seat, avoiding eye contact. I had already wasted enough time with him, so I just turned to James. “Finish him off, also I want his company dead by tomorrow……”****

“Weren’t you educated on the dangers of smoking?” A soft familiar voice broke me out of my thoughts. I snapped my head back in shock, trying to see her face through the shadows, but I could only see her figure, and I was sure it was her — Asiri.

“You?” I asked, not masking the surprise in my voice, I hadn’t expected to see her here.

“We meet again Mr. Romano,” She said, walking up to me slowly. I now had a clear view of her. Her hair was hidden in a cap and she had a mask on, she was also wearing a waitress uniform, did she work here?

She sat beside me and took off her mask and hat. Her hair was tied into a bun but she loosed it and her shiny long black hair cascaded down as she an her fingers through it. My gaze lingered longer than it should, and I quickly looked away, cursing the sudden heat in my chest.

“You work here?” I couldn’t help but ask, I’ve been here several times but have never seen her. A face like hers was sure to stick if I had seen it before.

“I’m wherever I need to be Mr. Romano.” She shrugged her shoulders, staring into the lake. Her answer was vague but I didn’t press even though I was curious. Fuck! I wasn’t even meant to be curious about it.

“Mmm, interesting.” I nodded slowly.

“You? I might misunderstand and think you’re stalking me” She said, her lips curving into a mischievous smile.

“Miss Smith, if I were to stalk you I’d be more discreet, and you’ll never know” I smiled mysteriously, staring intensely at her.

She just stared back saying nothing, I scanned her expression for any sign of fear, but there was none, she was unfazed by my words. Who was this girl?

“I had a dinner meeting” I answered her initial question.

She nodded slowly.

“Have this” I said, draping my jacket over her, it was getting chillier, and her clothes weren’t thick enough. “Common, I’ll drop you off it’s getting chillier”

She hesitated for a moment, glancing over her shoulder as if checking for something, before finally noddding. “Yeah, but I have to get out of this first,” she tugged at her uniform.

“Go on, I’ll wait”

She arose and walked off while I just stared at her disappearing figure.

Soon after, she returned dressed in a black tank top and baggy jeans. My Jacket was draped over her but I could still slightly see her small waist, and I won’t lie it sent many thoughts through my mind.

“Let’s get going,” She said raising a questioning brow at me. Shit! My gaze lingered more than it was meant to. I quickly stood up, nodded at her, and moved my gaze away from her.

“Yeah let’s go.” With that, we walked away.

“Shit Enzo you have to get your shit together.” I groaned inwardly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sir, here are today's papers” James handed me the newspaper while I had breakfast.

I read through it and was satisfied with its contents.

*Chen’s Jade and Goldworks was now bankrupt and being investigated by the Chinese police. Mr. Chen the owner was found passed out on the road, with different empty bottles of alcohol scattered around him. He also had lots of bruises, according to the news, he might have been drunk and got into a street fight.*

Oh well, that was none of my business.

I turned my attention to James who was still standing there. “Anything else?”

His eyes kept avoiding mine, why was he suddenly hesitating to speak?

“Speak” I ordered in a curt tone.

“Sir about what you asked me to find out about Miss Asiri” I perked my ears up, my interest had been piqued.

“Go on”

“I checked the restaurant’s employee list and Miss Asiri’s name was not there, I also checked the cameras, but her face didn’t appear on the cameras” He reported.

“Mmm, that’s enough.” I dismissed him and he swiftly walked out of the room, leaving me in a thoughtful state.

I didn’t want to dig into Asiri but she was too mysterious and she had replied vaguely when I asked if she worked there.

I couldn’t help but ask myself, What was she doing there? Even though it was none of my business, I found myself interested in her matters.

“Who are you, Asiri Smith? And why am I so interested in your matters?” I muttered, gripping the edge of the table. I hated how much I cared. This wasn’t like me, and it made me more uncomfortable than I cared to admit.

She was like a maze, I had always loved mazes, but there might be more to this one that meets the eyes—maybe danger.