Chapter 76 Enzo
SEVENTY-SIX
ENZO
“Daddy’s dead,” Celeste sobbed into my chest. “T-They said that’s why he wasn’t answering! They think he had a heart attack a-after our wedding!”
“It’ll be OK,” I said, continuing to play the part. “I’m sure he died happy.”
She sobbed loudly. Inconsolable, she went to her ass on the couch. I didn’t want to deal with this shit.
I snapped my fingers, and a maid rushed in to deal with her.
“Enzo!” She cried out for me.
“I need to handle business,” I said. “Your dad would have wanted me to.”
She nodded, crying harder.
I rolled my eyes as I turned around and left the room.
“Deal with putting a funeral together for him,” I told Alan, one of my guys. “Give her whatever she wants for it.”
“Of course, sir,” he said, moving past me to go to her.
“Jake, Rosalie update?” I asked as I stepped outside.
“Uh, as of this morning, she has moved out of the Beyers’ apartment. She was seen going into a hotel. The Westin.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered, looking at the pictures he pulled up on his phone. “Find out what happened.”
“Sir, if I may be so bold, do you think it’s wise to continue to involve us in her life? I know you wanted to cut ties and continue to offer her security, but it looks like she’s still important to you. That can be dangerous—”
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. “I know, Jake… watch her this week. If she looks like she’s fine, I’ll back off and only check in every now and then.”
“Sounds good, boss.”
“Send me the address to that hotel she’s in and the address for whatever job you said she got.”
He nodded and pulled his phone out as I got into the back of my Escalade.
“Where we going?” Memphis asked.
I sighed and looked at the address for Rosalie’s new job.
“To Bucks Diner,” I said softly, staring down at a picture of her and me kissing. My heart ached as the Escalade started to move.
Fuck, I missed her.
Rosalie wasn’t at the diner, so I went and started getting shit sorted with my lawyer now that Vander Veer was dead. His death was plastered all over the papers. He was a big fucking deal.
But my name was there too because word traveled fast.
Vander Veer’s new son-in-law, Lorenzo De Luca, was the new guy in charge of his weapons company. Billions of dollars were now mine. Everything had been left to me. Not Celeste. Me. He’d named me his heir in those documents he’d signed and had filed with me.
It was almost too easy.
Cameras were shoved in my face as I stepped out of my lawyer’s office. Memphis and a few of my guys tried to push reporters away as I asked them to let a family grieve the loss of a great man.
Obviously, I was lying. I’d bring the prick back to life and kill him again if I could.
I managed to get into the backseat of my car.
“This is madness,” Memphis muttered, slowly idling away from all the reporters. “Your damn face is on all the papers already.”
“Great,” I mumbled, staring down at a text from Cole. They’d just moved into their new apartment. He wanted to get a pet hamster. E said he was cool with it, so they were going to the pet store to see if any of the hamsters clicked with Cole’s personality.
I sighed. Cole wasn’t normal.
He’d stopped eating cake, too. Red flag behavior, but I didn’t ask him about it.
Right now, we need to focus. The end was near.
A week later, after avoiding Celeste as much as possible and citing that I had to work a lot more now to ensure her father’s legacy continued, I sat in the backseat of my Escalade, watching the diner where Rosalie worked.
I should have been in a meeting for Rustic Rifles, but Cole was handling it as my new hire in charge. E was working on some new strain of sugar at their apartment while Elijah and Christian hung out with him.
Memphis and Dmitri were with me, but sitting in the front seat.
“She has to know you’re here, boss,” Memphis called out from behind the wheel.
“I’m sure she does,” I murmured, watching through the window as she served a customer a cup of coffee and a slice of pie.
I wanted to talk to her. To remind her I existed. That I still fucking loved her.
“Dmitri, what time did you say her shift ends?”
“About ten minutes,” he replied.
“Go to the back door. Let me know when you have her. I need to talk to her.”
He said nothing. Instead, he got out and darted across the street and down an alley to meet her in the back. She’d likely freak out, but that was fine. I expected that from her.
It felt like forever before Dmitri sent a text.
Dmitri: Got her.
“Let’s go,” I said to Memphis.
He pulled the SUV onto the street and made his way around the block to another alley so we could have some privacy. I shot off a text to Dmitri.
Enzo: Bring her to me—side alley.
Memphis stepped out of the SUV and moved to my door. I waited, my breath held as Dmitri emerged with her. She didn’t look like she was coming willingly as he held her by her bicep.
He stopped at my door.
“Kiss my ass,” she snapped. “I’m not getting in there.”
“Boss wants to see you,” Dmitri said. “Get it over with. You’ll get to leave when he’s done.”
A sour look crossed her face as Memphis opened the door.
My heart pounded in my ears as her green eyes zeroed in on me.
“Hey, Sunshine,” I murmured.
Dmitri nudged her forward, and she relented, getting inside. Immediately, she tried to make herself tiny by tucking her arms and legs as she sat in the leather seat next to me.
The smell of coffee and fried food greeted me, along with an undercurrent that was just so Sunshine.
I inhaled.
“How are you?” I asked.
Dmitri and Memphis stayed outside the vehicle.
“Fine,” she muttered, hugging herself.
“How are you and… what’s his name? Ryder?”
“Fine.” She looked anywhere but at me.
“I heard you moved out of Anson’s. Why are you staying in a hotel?”
“I like room service.”
This was definitely not my Sunshine. This was a girl who…
I couldn’t think the thought. It was killing me inside.
“I can put money into your account if you need it. Working at a diner is a little beneath you, Sunshine—”
“Go to hell.” Her green eyes snapped to me. “I don’t need your fucking money, Enzo.”
“Right. You have a job now.”
“I do. I’m doing shit on my own. Stop having your men follow me. Stop acting like you give a damn.”
“I do care—”
Her eyes moved from my face to the wedding ring on my finger.
“Right.” Her bottom lip trembled. “Just leave me alone.”
“Do you remember my promise to you?”
“Is that what all those were?” She scoffed. “Go to hell.”
She attempted to grab the door handle, but I dragged her to me. She kicked and bucked against me, but I held tightly, pushing her down onto the seat so I was hovering over her, her arms pinned above her head.
“I made a promise to you that I intend on keeping,” I said, staring into her eyes.
“You cheated on me,” she snarled. “Got a girl pregnant! Got married. Get off me. Get the fuck off me!” She fought, and I held her harder, my dick so hard I thought I’d pass the fuck out. It had been way too long since I’d been inside her. Since I kissed her. Since I told her I loved her.
“You cheated first.” I slammed her hands down. She stopped fighting me, tears on her cheeks.
“You fucking cheated first,” I whispered to her, the words gutting me. It was my fault she had, but fuck, it hurt.
She shook beneath me. “You stopped loving me first. When I needed you, you left me.”
“What was his name?”
“Why? So you can kill him, too? Like you just did to your new father-in-law? Like you did to Fox?”
Her words about Fox gutted me. I studied her pretty face. Where I thought I’d see fury was only heartache.
“What’s his name, Sunshine? It’s tormenting me. I just want a name.”
Her bottom lip trembled. I reached out and cradled her face. She closed her eyes at my touch.
Fuck, kiss her. Give in. Tell her everything.
My dick was so fucking hard. I pressed myself against her. She trembled more beneath me. I shifted, putting pressure on her pussy, and a little gasp left her lips.
“Have you fucked anyone?” I husked out. “Ryder? Anson?”
“Leave me alone,” she whispered, crying softly. “Just get out of my life. Please. Just leave me alone.”
“Sunshine—”
“I’m not your Sunshine anymore. Enzo, please. If you ever loved me, you’ll let me go. You’re killing me. Please. I’m begging you to stop. I-I can’t…” She sobbed softly.
I stared down at her, my heart shattering at her words, fear blossoming in my chest. I always thought she’d wait, but now I was terrified that I had been wrong.
“You’re married. You-You’re going to have a baby. Be a father. Please. Let me go. God, let me go.” She wept softly. “I want to live. Please. Please let me.”
I blinked and released her, the fear now gripping me hard. I sat up, watching as she continued to cry.
“You can go,” I whispered thickly. “You’re free.”
She sat up and wiped her eyes, her small body still trembling. I watched her reach for the handle. She paused and looked back at me, her face tear-soaked.
“H-His name was Sylar. The guy I kissed,” she said, her voice shaking.
I stared at her, desperate to drag her back to me. Sylar. The same one Vander Veer told me about.
“And I wish I hadn’t stopped him. Maybe then this wouldn’t hurt so much.” She pushed open the door and tumbled out, knocking into Memphis as she tried to rush away.
“You good, boss?” Dmitri poked his head in and looked at me.
“No,” I whispered. I didn’t think I’d ever be good again. She was done. I’d really ruined it all.
He gave me a sad look before nodding to Memphis. He shut the door, and the pair got into the front while I sat in the back, hating everything I was.
But at least she was free.
Maybe I’d finally done something right.