Chapter 25

Virio had obviously just woken up too. When he heard what I said, his whole body stiffened.

Even his arms that were holding me suddenly let go.

Virio turned over and sat up, sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to me.

He wasn't wearing any clothes. Looking at his smooth back and strong muscles, thinking back to what happened between us last night.

My cheeks involuntarily heated up, but soon I made myself calm down and thought about what I needed to say.

So looking at his back, I repeated again, "I need to go to Floridia."

Virio still didn't speak. He was probably confused about why, after a night of passion, the first thing I said to him when I woke up was this.

Looking at his silent back, I didn't say anything for a long time.

But I still lay in bed, clutching the sheets around myself, not moving.

I was seriously waiting for Virio's answer.

Right now, our positions were clearly unequal.

I also knew I should ask his opinion before doing things, but going to Floridia to find Anderson was the only way I could learn about what happened before.

I couldn't really ask his opinion on this matter - I could only try my best to seek his protection.

Then Virio said seriously, "Are you sure you want to go to Floridia? Can I ask why?"

Hearing him finally speak to me, I told him everything I had investigated before.

"So Anderson is the breakthrough in this matter. I have to go to Floridia to find him."

Virio fell silent again and took out a pack of cigarettes from the bedside.

I flatteringly moved closer and picked up the lighter nearby to light it for him.

Right now neither of us was wearing anything. When I pressed against his back, I heard him grunt softly.

I swear, as long as he agreed to let me go now and would send people to protect me, I could spend another whole morning being intimate with him.

But clearly Virio didn't have that in mind.

After hearing what I said, he was silent for a long time, seeming pleased by my gesture of lighting his cigarette. "You've already made up your mind? Then why tell me?"

"Because I was really touched that you came back to protect me this time, Mr. Soren. I don't want you to face any threats because of me again."

"If something happens to me on the road, I'd want you to know where I went, so you wouldn't be in the dark about my whereabouts and be taken advantage of by someone with bad intentions." I spoke very sincerely. After hearing me say this, a moment later, some tenderness welled up in Virio's eyes.

He stroked my hair and said to me, "I thought you saying you wanted to go to Floridia was just a momentary whim. I didn't expect you to think so much about me."

"Of course..." I actively snuggled into his arms, sitting on his lap.

Virio kissed my face. "Since you say you have to go and must find that man, of course I'll protect you."

I blinked at him. "Really? So how do you plan to protect me?"

"I'll send one of my trusted men with you, and also send a female bodyguard."

"They can pose as your two assistants."

Actually, when I told Virio my decision, I didn't expect he would help me like this.

I thought at most he would help me plan the route and secretly arrange a bodyguard to follow me. I didn't expect he'd find two people to accompany me.

Soon I met the person Virio mentioned.

The trusted man's name was Luca, and the female bodyguard only had a name that didn't match her appearance - Vivian.

These two would accompany me on the road.

When we set off, Virio said to me, "I still have other things to handle. The Camorra situation isn't resolved yet."

I knew he felt guilty about not being able to go with me.

I quickly covered his mouth. "Don't say things like that. I know you'd come with me if you had time."

Actually we both knew that was basically impossible.

Because if Virio went with me, it would be too high-profile and Killian would likely find out.

And Freya had just calmed down. If she did something out of jealousy and something happened on the road, it would be hard to explain.

Now that I was going to Floridia, I also had to prevent Killian from knowing about it.

Virio staying here could actually provide better cover for me.

Virio looked at me again.

The two of us stood together, both reluctant to part.

Until Luca stuck his head out the window, "That's enough, you two."

"We need to get going now, so we can arrive in the afternoon."

For safety reasons, we decided to drive this time.

We'd avoid cameras as much as possible along the way and take the highway.

If Killian investigated my whereabouts, he could only check various tickets. If we drove, it wouldn't be so easy for him to track me.

By the time he knew I was in Floridia, he might think of Anderson, but by then I might already be preparing to return.

After planning everything, I kissed Virio again. "Okay, we need to go now. Take good care of yourself and wait for me to come back."

Virio said with a smile, "Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you?"

How did the situation suddenly reverse?

I walked away with a smile. After getting in the car, through the rearview mirror, I could still see Virio standing in place.

Charles was beside him. The two said something, then left.

I withdrew my gaze and looked at the road ahead.

On the way to Floridia, we encountered quite a few dangerous situations.

Fortunately, with Vivian and Luca, everything turned out fine.

That afternoon, we went straight to find Anderson.

Anderson was weeding in front of his house. When we stopped him, he looked at us in surprise. "Who are you..."

When I took off my mask, Anderson's face turned white. "Ms. Lacey? Is it really you?"

The way he looked at me, it was as if he was seeing another person through my face.

I knew he must still be troubled by what happened back then.

So I said straightforwardly, "Since you recognize me, you should be able to guess why I came to find you."

But when Anderson heard this, he shook his head. "You should leave. Whatever you want to ask, I can't possibly tell you!"

Before I could speak, Luca beside me pressed my arm.

He walked forward with a pleasant smile and said, "Let's go inside and talk first. The three of us traveled all this way here - you can't just send us back with one sentence, right?"

Anderson looked at me, then at Luca, and finally nodded.

He turned and walked into the house. I followed, and Luca looked back at me.

The two of us exchanged a knowing glance.

Vivian also stayed by my side, constantly watching the surroundings, trying to protect me.

When we stepped through the door, she whispered in my ear, "Don't worry."