Deadly Nightshade

Chapter 20: The Swap

I was afraid to fall asleep in case I had another nightmare, so after Enzo left my room, I spent the night reading a book, and somewhere along the way of reading the pages I fell asleep, and luckily I didn't dream anything bad.

The next day, I woke up feeling exhausted, but I still got up from my bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day.

I dried myself with a towel after getting out of the shower, and then I put on a robe.

I was in the middle of brushing my teeth when I heard my phone ringing. I walk into the bedroom and grabbed my phone, I answered it after checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" I mumbled, though it sounded like a hum due to the fact that I was still brushing my teeth.

"Are you brushing your teeth?" Max chuckles on the other line.

I walk into the bathroom and put Max on speaker. Then, I placed my phone on the table beside the sink, I spit the foam and answered him, "I am. How did the meeting went yesterday?"

"Surprisingly, it went well." He answers my question, although I notice something odd in his tone of voice.

"All of them agreed to the contract?" I ask him as I finish brushing my teeth.

"One of them refused." Max says on the other line.

"Who did?" I ask curiously as I grab a towel to wipe my face.

"Matteo Capone."

I pause for a second when I hear that name.

"Of course it will be him." I sigh.

"He also said that he would like a meeting with you personally, if you really want him as an ally." Max delivers his message.

I laugh at that, "I made a promise to never see him again, and I plan on keeping it that way." I grab the phone and head to the closet to choose my outfit of today. "So, tell him that I will not have a meeting with him and that if he doesn't want to sign the contract with us, then it's his loss, not mine." I order Max.

"I would really hate to have you as an enemy, Lea." He says on the other line and I chuckle at that, "Lucky you, then."

"I will make sure to deliver your message to him." Max says and I just hum in acknowledgment.

"Are you flying back home today?" I change the topic.

"Yeah, in an hour to be exact." He answers, "Okay, I hope you have a safe flight and let me know when you land." I say.

"I will. Be careful today, Lea." He says concerned. "You know I will." I answered him with confidence. After that, we hung up the call and I continued getting ready for the day.

Once I was done, I went downstairs to find Enzo so we could leave. To my surprise, Enzo was entering the front door with a paper bag in his hand.

He smiles when he sees me and greets me with a "Good morning, Ms. Cattani."

"Didn't we agree that you can call me 'Lea' from now on?" I pose the question to him with a lighthearted tone in my voice.

"I still need to get use to that." He chuckles.

With the weeks that I've spent with Enzo, I've noticed that he is well-mannered with everyone around him. At first glance, he looks intimidating, but once you get to know him, he is the complete opposite.

"What is that?" I ask him, instead. I was curious about the bag that he was holding.

"I brought this for you." He hands me the paper bag, I take it from his hands with a frown and I look inside.