I walked into the shop, which practically screamed money.

"Hey sir, ma'am, what can we do for you-" The staff abruptly paused once she realized who we were.

Her eyes widened and she did a slight bow.

I hate when people treat me like royalty. I just want them to respect me, that's it. However, Enzo had a proud and a cocky smirk on his face.

Ugh, idiot.

"So, you're looking for gowns?" the staff, Claire, as written in her name tag, asked.

"It would be awkward if we weren't," I muttered, scanning the octagonal shop which was filled with racks of gowns.

She giggled. "True. Alright, now, what gown are you looking for? Mermaid? Flowy? Straight? With a slit-"

"I want to customize it," I interrupted her.

"Oh, that's absolutely fine. We customize gowns as well. Just tell us want material you want it made of, the designs, color, and all," she said with a smile.

I smiled back.

She guided me to a room in the shop in which she took my measurements.

I then told her my plans for the gown. The color, design, material, length, and accessories.

When I was finished, Claire was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Ma'am, your fashion sense is fabulous, I must say," she remarked, scanning through the notes she scribbled about my gown.

I smiled in acknowledgment.

"Now, we'll have the gown ready in 3 days," she informed.

"Tomorrow."

She furrowed her brows when I said that. "I beg your pardon?"

"I need this gown ready by tomorrow."

"But-but that's too soon."

"I know, and for that, I'll pay you double."

Her eyes widened and she agreed. "Uh, sure, okay!"

I grinned.

If money can't solve something, there isn't enough money.

"Fantastic. Now, the guy who I came with will pay for the gown," I said, smiling, and hopped out of the room.

Enzo saw me and motioned me to go near him.

"So, what do you think? Blue or black?" he asked, holding up 2 smart blazers in front of me.

After scanning both, I pointed at the black one.

It looked hella smart, and also matched with my gown.

He smiled at my choice and placed the black one back in its place.

"So, selected your gown?" he asked, walking to the cashier.

I rolled my eyes. Was he deaf?

"I told you before, I customize my gown. We will get the gown by tomorrow," I replied.

He hummed and paid for my gown, as well as his suit.

We walked out of the shop. It was still afternoon and the sun shone dimly in the sky.

"Wanna have coffee before we head back?" Enzo asked. I nodded.

Why not?

We walked to an outdoor cafe which was a 5 minutes walk from the shop.

Enzo pulled out a chair for me and I sat down. Enzo sat in front of me, crossing his right leg over his left knee. His hands were resting on the table, intertwined.

"What would you like to have?" The waiter asked, smiling politely at us.

"I'll have one blueberry muffin and a caramel cappuccino with 3 cubes of sugar," I replied, leaning against the chair.

"I'll have the caramel macchiato and a cheese sandwich," Enzo added after me.

The waiter nodded and walked away.

"So, you like caramel too?" I asked, trying to spark a conversation.

Enzo looked over to me and nodded with a smile.

"I remember making caramel puddings with my mom every Sunday. She used to make the best puddings," he added, looking up at the sky.

"You can make it for me," I shrugged with a smile, "I love caramel puddings."

Enzo smiled back. "Of course. I'd do anything for you."

Damn it, my heart.

"Enzo," I cleared my throat, "Are you sure you love me?"

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," I sat straighter," are you sure whatever you feel for me is love?"

He frowned. "Yeah...what else would it be, if not love?"

I shrugged. "You became infatuated with me after you first met me. I would call it lust. You lust me."

He smiled. "The desire of lust is to get. The desire of love is to give. If I lusted you, you would seem like the most perfect woman in my eyes. But because I love you, I know that you aren't perfect, no one ever is, but that doesn't matter. If I lusted you, I would want to sleep with you. Because I love you, I want to wake up with you beside me every morning."

My heart warmed hearing him speak those words. Did he really mean it?

Before I could dwell much on that, the waiter came and served us our food.

I quickly took a sip of my cappuccino to calm down.

Minutes passed in silence.

None of us said a word.

There was just a constant crying of a baby in the next table. The mother looked over at our table and gave us a sheepish look while cradling the baby.

"I'm extremely sorry. She won't stop crying. I'm sorry if it's disturbing you," she apologized, rocking the baby back and forth.

"It's completely fine. Trust me. Do you mind if I try?" Enzo asked, holding out his arms towards the baby.

The mother and I looked at him in surprise. She seemed hesitant but was willing to try.

"Sure," the mother muttered as she gently handed Enzo the cute baby.

Enzo locked both his arms around the baby and softly cradled her on his chest.

A small smile played upon my lips as I watched him handle the baby with such care.

Men who were good with babies seemed more attractive in my eyes.

"What's her name?" I asked the mother with a small smile.

She smiled back. "Grace. She's 9 months old."

Surprisingly, Grace's cries became softer and softer as Enzo gently swayed her back and forth. It wasn't long before extremely soft snores were heard. The mother and I glanced at Enzo with surprise.

Enzo leaned down and gently kissed Grace's forehead.

It was an extremely cute sight.

Grace's head lay on his chest as she slept soundly. Her baby hands fisted Enzo's white shirt tightly. Enzo gently caressed her hair while still cradling her.

"You're very lucky to have a boyfriend like him," the mother whispered to me.

I blinked. "Oh, uh, we're not dating."

She frowned. "It's clear he loves you. You can see it in his eyes. The way he looks at you is the way my husband looked at me on our wedding day."

"Oh, um, I think you're mistaken," I shrugged, biting my lip.

Enzo was busy with Grace to notice our conversation.

The mother smiled. "Ah, so it's one of those fucked up one-sided love stories?"

I just fiddled with the ends of my sweater.

This was so unlike me.

I was never this nervous.

"You can give him a chance you know? He seems like he genuinely loves you," she continued.

I sighed. "It's- It's complicated."

Before she could say anything more, Enzo spoke up. "Xena, I think we should get going now."

I nodded, silently thanking him in my head.

Enzo gently handed Grace to her mother. She was still sleeping like an angel.

"Thank you so much. It was nice meeting you both," the mother said, smiling widely.

We smiled back. "Likewise," Enzo replied, nodding his head.

"Bye Grace," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her on the cheeks. We then waved at the mother and turned to walk away.

"So, let's go back home, ya?" he asked.

I just nodded. My mind was still stuck on the conversation I had...

●・○・●・○・●

"Amore, why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you!" I wanted to yell loudly.

I snorted when he asked that.

"I don't know? Maybe because you kidnapped me and forced me to love you."

He sighed. "Maybe, but that was in the past. I saved you, didn't I?"

"Oh, come on! Are you still stuck on that? Yes, you saved me, you prevented me from dying. Move on!"

"Look, I-"

His phone ring cut him off. He answered it, giving me an apologetic look.

"Hello? Yes. Right now? Is it urgent? Alright, then," he sighed and hung up.

"There's a mafia meeting, about the alliances and all. I'll be back before you know it," he said hurriedly.

"Wait!"

He abruptly stopped when I said that.

"What?"

"I'll accompany you."

He scoffed. "No offense, but I really don't think you'll be able to understand shit about the alliances."

"Offense taken. You keep forgetting that my parents are mafia leaders. They taught me everything I need to know. I handled several alliances myself."

He raised his brow but nevertheless, nodded. "Fine, take a bath if you want."

I skipped to the bathroom and took a quick refreshing shower. Wrapping the silky, long, robe around my body, I walked back into the room.

I saw Enzo sitting on the edge of the bed, looking in deep thought. He heard me enter and he looked up at me.

"I selected your outfit!" he announced excitedly, pointing at the clothes laid on the bed.

I blinked.

Twice.

Then, I turned back to meet his gaze.

"We're going to a meeting, no?"

Enzo nodded, scrunching up his nose.

"A formal meeting?" I asked further, and he nodded again.

"Then why on Earth would I wear a mini skirt and a crop top to a formal meeting, Enzo?" I gritted, staring at those clothes.

"Uh, because they're nice?" Enzo asked.

"They are nice, but no one wears that to a meeting!" I exclaimed, walking into the walk-in closet.

I strode over to the female sections and picked a smart, black, suit.

Walking back into the bathroom, I changed into that.

I tied my hair into a neat bun and walked out into the room.

Enzo saw me and his eyes widened.

"Damn, you look fabulous in suits," he remarked.

I know.

I wore black sneakers and a smart, Rolex watch on my left wrist.

Gazing at myself through the mirror, I smiled, content with my looks.

I then swiveled back to meet Enzo.

"Now, this," I motioned to my outfit, "is what you wear to a meeting."

"But what was wrong with that?" he whined, pointing to the frilly, yellow mini skirt and a pink tank top, laying on his bed.

I sighed.

"That outfit is beautiful-" Lie- "But it is not a work-appropriate outfit. Suits and blazers are," I explained, almost analogous to talking to a baby.

He made an 'o' with his mouth and nodded.

"Alright, then. Let's get going," he declared, walking out of the room. Sighing, I followed him.

I loved attending meetings.

It made me connect with my mafia, along with others. I was training to be the future American mafia leader, so I needed to have good relations and alliances with the other mafias. So, my dad let me attend meetings.

I got into the Rolls Royce Phantom, which happened to be Blaze's favorite car.

Funny how I remember the favorite cars of everyone, but not their birthdays.

Enzo roared to car to life and started driving.

●・○・●・○・●

"Come on, we reached," he announced, parking the car into a deserted area.

I got out and gazed at the tall building with awe.

Beautiful.

"This is your company?" I asked Enzo. He nodded with pride.

He had the right to be proud.

Enzo wrapped his right arm around my waist, pulling me to him.

The sun had already started setting.

Funny how fast the day flew by.

Crests of red clouds swayed in the sky. The streaks of the fiery sun peeped through the cracks. The cardinal clouds represented a mirror that had been shattered into several fragments of glass, letting the vivid golden rays through.

The celestial beauty of the dusk had a mesmerizing effect on me. I had always enjoyed the dusk, watching the plumes of clouds forming mesmerizing patterns in the sky.

I saw intently as the warm, incandescent sun subsided into the horizon.

"You love the sunset?" Enzo asked softly, watching me staring at the dusk.

I nodded, not tearing my gaze from the sky. He hummed with a smile.

This silence was a peaceful one.

I wish this moment could last forever.

But sadly, time and tide wait for none...

Learnt that the hard way as well.

"Come on, love. It's time for the meeting."