Chapter 22
We arrived at the mansion late in the evening, the car gliding through towering metal gates adorned with intricate floral designs, marking the boundary between the Dubois family’s estate and the outside world.
We pulled up to the front of the house, where gardens stretched out, softly illuminated by lanterns nestled among the bushes, casting eerie, flickering shadows that painted the scene in a sombre glow.
If I had been more awake, the place might have sent shivers down my spine, but all I could think of was sinking into a bed and escaping everything, even if just for a few hours.
Someone opened the car door for Gina and me, and I stepped out into the cool evening air.
“Sorry for leaving the party without telling you,” Enzo murmured as soon as my feet touched the ground. He extended his hand to help me out, and I took it.
Gina appeared behind me, yawning and stretching. “Hey, lovebirds,” she said with a sleepy grin. “I’m going to leave you two alone, okay? I’m dying to get some sleep.”
Enzo smiled at her. “Rest well, Gina.” He turned to a man who had been lingering quietly to his left, someone I wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t stepped forward. “Please escort her to her room.”
The man nodded, saying, “This way, miss,” and she disappeared into the house. The car that had brought us soon drove off, fading from sight.
“Shall we go in? I’d like to talk to you,” he said after a heartbeat.
I followed him through the doors of the house.
The mansion was just as impressive inside as it was outside, and we were greeted by an open space dimly lit with warm lights.
Enzo explained that this was the main hall.
The room was split in half by a large, heavy curtain, like something you’d see on a stage.
It could be pulled back whenever they needed to host something big, like banquets, parties, or ceremonies, turning the space into a wide dance floor.
“Tomorrow’s brunch,” Enzo said, “will be held outside, so there’s no need to expand the space.”
The room had an academic air about it, with books and large volumes of encyclopaedias in various languages lining the shelves. To our left, a staircase ascended to the upper floor.
Enzo leaned against the armrest of the sofa, looking at me from a distance with a sly smile that changed his features.
“Do you remember the professor we had for Applied Theory of Law last year? A very short guy, bald, with an oversized nose?” he asked, his eyes gleaming under the lamp’s light.
“I remember him,” I said, unsure of where this conversation was going.
Enzo crossed his arms over his chest.
“He used to start every class with a quote from Voltaire. There was one that stuck with me…”
I laughed out loud.
“Seriously? Voltaire?”
“I know, I know. Pretentious, but effective.”
“Okay. What quote?”
“The secret of being a bore is to tell everything,” he recited.
I started to feel a tingle in my stomach.
“Why that quote?”
Enzo shrugged. “When I was little…” he began. He trailed off and lowered his head, shaking it slightly. “God, it’s too late to bore you with stories, sorry.”
I inched closer to him, and Enzo uncrossed his arms to take my hands in his.
“Tell me,” I said softly. “I want to know more about you.”
I gently let go of his hands, but instead of stepping back, I leaned on the armrest next to him and nestled my head against his shoulder.
“Alright,” he agreed. “When I was little, my mother always said that a life without a little mystery wasn’t a good life.
It lacked entertainment.” His voice sounded calm in my ears, like a lullaby.
“So, every week, we’d play different games.
They all had one thing in common: a mystery, a riddle to solve, a clue to follow, something hidden to discover. ”
“Didn’t she run out of ideas?”
“Never,” he said, filling the word with nostalgia. “She’d get everyone involved in her games. Dad, Elo?se, the nanny, the relatives who would come to visit that week… It was always something new. Each time more twisted, more intricate.”
“What did you get if you won? If you manage to solve the game?” I asked, intrigued.
Enzo laughed softly, his shoulders rising. “Satisfaction,” he said, “but that was about it.”
“That’s wild,” I responded, smiling. “But it must have been a lot of fun.”
“It was,” Enzo agreed, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “Though, looking back, I sometimes think all that mystery might have shaped me into who I am now.”
I stifled a laugh.
“Mysterious, you mean? Is that why you wanted to create a new identity separate from your family?”
“I suppose so. I’m sorry.”
Enzo lifted his head, his gaze getting lost in the distance in the hall. I lifted my head from his shoulder and brought my hand to his cheek. He turned his attention back to me.
“You would’ve told me at some point,” I asserted.
“Not just because of that,” he added, caressing my hand, which still rested on his cheek, with his fingers.
“I feel like I’ve been treating this as just another game.
The money thing, I mean. It’s been so long since I left my family that I didn’t realise how much I missed these things…
But this isn’t a game. Not when it’s so important to you. ”
I lowered my gaze. I had to admit that, in a way, I had also treated it as such. I had been following clues around and playing by the rules instead of trying to put an end to all this nonsense, and for that, I felt stupid.
I bit my lip. “You have no idea where it came from, do you?” I asked one more time, more for me than for Enzo.
Enzo let our hands slip apart, but before I could fully process the change, he gently lifted my chin to make me look up at him.
“I’ll help you find answers,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “I promise, Vera. I really will.”
His gaze held mine, and my heart raced. Before I could react further, his lips were on mine in a tender, unexpected kiss.
It was all I had wanted during the past few hours: answers and Enzo. A solution and the boy of my dreams.
That’s why I gave in and kissed him back.
My lips parted to welcome his, kissing me with a delicate yet intense balance.
His hands went to my hips, lifting me slightly off the ground.
Enzo’s back gave way over the sofa’s armrest, letting us both fall onto the soft fabric.
My body was on top of his. His mouth was still on mine.
And then my stomach flipped, forcing me to pull away from him. A gasp escaped my lips. This was everything I wanted, so…
Why couldn’t I just let myself go? Why was I thinking about…?
Never mind. I wasn’t in the right headspace, so I decided to attribute my confusion to sheer exhaustion. I gently pulled away from Enzo’s embrace and got up.
Enzo cleared his throat and straightened himself, his gaze filled with something dark that didn’t quite mask his anguish.
The look I gave him in return likely did little to ease his doubts.
“I’m sorry,” I apologised. “I’m exhausted. I’d better go to sleep.”
I turned around, avoiding looking Enzo in the face, and walked away. Enzo’s steps didn’t echo mine.