Chapter 20: Chapter Twenty

*Enzo*

I left her sleeping in my bed. Now that I have fully come to my senses, I’ve realized how much this could cause a big fucking problem. But watching her sleep, looking so beautiful and peaceful there under my sheets, I didn’t have the heart to wake her.

I wake up before anyone else, dawn not too far off. I needed to blow off some steam and get my thoughts together on how I was going to proceed with this. Putting on some work out clothes I jog out to the dirt road that lasted for miles into the small town, not stopping. The sun’s ray barely peaks over the horizon when I come across a local coffee shop that hadn’t been present that last time I was here.

It’s been eight years; I wouldn’t expect the place to be the same. Thankfully, it was already open, and I purchase a bottle of water with an American expresso to go. I barely make it back outside, downing the entire bottle of water when my cell starts ringing. Tossing the plastic into the recycle bin that was on the side of the building, I pull it out of my pocket just to sigh with irritation.

Debating on whether I should answer or not the phone stops just to start right up again. “Damn it.” I curse.

“What?” I grumble in displeasure.

“Your manners are beginning to lack, boy. This how you respect your old man?”

“You have to give respect to receive respect.” I snap.

“Don’t you be spouting that shit at me, Enzo. You’re sounding like that pathetic old man of mine.”

“He isn’t pathetic.” My blood was beginning to boil with this conversation already.

“Not this shit again. Enough. You have a responsibility to uphold. It’s high time you get your head out of your ass and start learning to run the family business. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

I have told him over and over that I wasn’t going to be following in his footsteps. It wasn’t the life I wanted for myself. It never was. “I’ve already told you-”

“Listen here, Enzo. I’ve raised you, I put clothes on your back and food in your stomach. I provided schooling all the way through college, I let you run your own winery and do whatever the hell you wanted for the last nine years. I even allowed you the freedom to sow your wild oats. It’s time to grow up and do what your always meant to do.”

I stop walking, my jaw clenching tightly. He made it seem like he was obligated to do all those things for my sake instead of me just being his child to where he would want all those things for me regardless. It was times like this I felt more like a pawn than someone he actually loved and cared about.

“Do we have to talk about this right now? I’m a little busy.” I grind my teeth, trying hard to keep my anger in check.

“It seems like you’re always busy. This isn’t negotiable. I also know you’ve been keeping Domenico under radar. He’s part of the family legacy too. You both should be proud and honored to have the blood of the Giordano’s running through your veins. Stop trying to shelter him all the time. The boy needs to learn.”

I roll my eyes. If he only knew how much they had wrongly corrupted him already. I mean, look at the damn mess he had put us through. And that was something I was never going to tell my father about. There’s no telling what he and uncle Big Tone would do to make things even worse.

“I’m currently on a business trip. I’ll call you later.” I was ready to end this call.

“Your time is up, Enzo. I won’t be waiting around forever. I’ll give you two weeks to get back to New York and take over for me. The gang needs you.”

He doesn’t give me the chance to respond as he ends the call, leaving me feeling down-right pissed off. It was hard enough dealing with this shit I was in now. Just once, I wanted a peaceful ass day.

Twenty minutes later I walk through the gates to see Ernesto and his boys out in the fields. I wave to them as they greeted me. I see a few others working as well that hadn’t been here the day before. They just kept to themselves as I walked on by.

I wanted to take a cool shower before I needed to get back to making video calls that I have been sorely lacking because of the chaos that Domenico seemed to love to have thrown me in. I also needed to check my emails. Thinking that, I reminded myself that I needed to be sure Charlie was up to get ready for the day of boring calls and never-ending scheduling.

Entering the house I hear Maria in the kitchen getting breakfast ready, her daughter talking animatedly to her. They must all be early risers. When I was that girl’s age it would have taken a bull horn to get me out of bed at this hour. I loved my sleep, but ever since I graduated college it seemed it was nonexistent now.

Taking two steps at a time I reach the hallway and hesitate at my bedroom door, wondering if she had woken up yet or was still there sleeping like she belonged there. My heart starts pounding, the images of last night never far from my brain. I never thought I would have taken it as far as I did with her last night, especially with her.

But I don’t regret it. Just feeling a little…cautious. She was the daughter of my enemy after all, even if I didn’t want any part of it, but because I held the blood of my father and his father, I will always be the enemy.

Turning the knob slowly I open the door and disappointment slams into me to see my bed empty and with her gone. But her smell still lingered. Not the perfume, but her natural scent. The scent that drove me wild and feeling intoxicated. I wanted to smell that scent again and I vowed that I would, soon.

It was dangerous and maybe even stupid to keep this going. But I didn’t have it in me to let her go. Not now anyways. I didn’t know what it was that had me in the palms of her hands but seeing her there in that room back at that condo that Domenico held her in, I knew that I was in trouble.

Because as soon as I looked into her eyes, I knew I had already lost.