I was currently lying on the bed in Enzo's room.

It was a nice meeting.

I had fun.

"Xena!" Enzo sang, entering the room with a box.

The box in his hands was covered in a black velvety material. It had gold linings on the cover and intricate designs on the side.

"What's that?"

"The dress you customized," He replied happily.

"Come on, the jet's ready. We're leaving for Madrid," he announced.

Oh, right.

I sighed and nodded.

"Ysa and Serena are coming too, right?" I asked expectantly.

He nodded and I smiled.

"Now, get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs. Pack some of your clothes as well," Enzo instructed.

"Oh, and yeah...I'll let you go after the ball."

My head snapped towards him.

He gave me a sad smile and walked out of the room, leaving me with my own thoughts.

●・○・●・○・●

I changed into a black joggers and a white loose shirt after the bath. After 15 minutes, I packed a small suitcase filled with few shorts, leggings, and shirts.

I placed my gown box on the very top and gently zipped the suitcase shut.

...Convert gently to roughly sitting on top of it and pulling the zip harshly.

Finally Enzo rushed in the room and zipped the suitcase shut in one smooth move while I stared at him with a dropped jaw.

"Now this requires muscles," he teased, flexing his amazingly hot, drool-worthy biceps.

I frowned. "What do you mean? You mean to say that I don't have muscles?"

He just shrugged with a grin.

I stared at him, offended. "Excuse me?"

He shrugged again, making me pounce on him.

I literally clung onto his torso like a koala. He instinctively wrapped his arms around my waist.

I started hitting him.

"Ouch! Hey, hey, hey! Why're you- Ouch!- hitting me? I helped you zip the suitcase!- OUCH!"

Enzo tried to push me off him, but lost his balance and fell on the bed with me on top of him.

"Stop!" He shrieked, after I kindly punched his jaw.

In a swift moment, he flipped us around so that I was below him.

I kept on throwing punches on his chest, but was forced to stop when he scooped my wrists in his large hand and pinned them beside my head.

He leaned towards my ear. "You're so feisty...," Enzo whispered huskily, causing a chill to run down my spine.

His face was just a few inches away from mine.

My heart hammered against my chest as the tension in the room grew stronger second by second.

Tring

The ringing of his phone slapped both of us back into reality.

I pushed him off and rubbed my face in frustration.

What was I about to do?

●・○・●・○・●

Dante, Ysaline, Enzo, and I were in the car driving to Matteo's house to pick them up.

By them, I mean Serena as well.

Things were pretty awkward between Enzo and me after what just happened.

"We reached," Enzo announced, snapping me out of my reverie.

My gaze fell on the same mansion I had visited 3 years back.

Everything looked the same, except for the garden. It had many more flowers and trees.

Beautiful.

I stepped out of the car and walked to the gate with the others.

Enzo ranged the bell, and few seconds later, Matteo appeared.

He saw us and smiled. "Come in," he said, extending the door for us.

We all walked in.

Nothing's changed.

The same hall, the same corridor, same everything.

I sat down on one of the couches beside Ysaline, while Dante and Enzo sat in front of us.

Few minutes passed...

I groaned. "Guys, I'm gonna check up on Serena."

Deja vu, much.

Matteo, Dante, and Enzo's eyes snapped towards me.

"No way," all 3 said together.

"But why?" I whined.

"Because the last time you went to check up on her, she escaped," Enzo said.

"Oh come on! Matteo, listen to me-"

"I agree with Enzo," he cut me off.

I groaned again.

5 minutes later, I heard a shuffling of footsteps, and then Serena appeared. She saw Ysaline and me and her eyes widened.

"You two!" she squealed, running to us with a large smile etched on her face.

She wrapped her arms around us and we hugged her back.

"I missed you," she sniffled, "Thank you for helping me escape."

I smiled and pulled back.

"Yeah, but it didn't work did it," I sighed sadly, "you're back where you escaped from."

She smiled and shook her head. "Maybe, but if you didn't help me escape, I wouldn't have become the owner of my company. I worked my ass of for it, and hell, I'm proud of my work. Thank you for that."

My smile widened, but then dropped. "You still work, right? If Matteo forbad you to run your company, may god help me, I'll kick his ass."

Before Serena could answer, Matteo spoke.

"Of course she still works! I would never stop my woman from working. Nah, I love that Serena's the owner of a fucking multi-national company. I love her."

Aww...

but nope.

He's still a kidnapper.

"Were you held captive over here for-for 2 years?" I asked, scared of the answer.

It seemed horrifying.

"Well, I did go out of the estate several times, but as a prisoner," Serena sighed.

I gave her a sad smile and squeezed her shoulders softly.

"Wait...why are you both here again? Did Enzo-"

"No we did not!" Dante and Enzo yelled together.

We chuckled.

"No, they didn't kidnap us...it's a long story. I'll tell you in the flight," I said.

"Okay, come on, let's go. The jet's ready," Enzo announced, grabbing my wrist and guiding me out of the house.

His touch felt warm.

●・○・●・○・●

"Taking off in 3, 2, 1!" The voice in the speakers boomed.

And we took off.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins as the jet flew higher at an accelerating pace.

I was in the bedroom in the jet, leaning back on the headboard. The door opened and Enzo walked in.

He sat down on the bed beside me.

"What do you wanna ask?"

He frowned. "How did you know I wanted to ask something?"

I shrugged. I was good at reading people's body language.

He cleared his throat. "When you were sleeping...you-you started yelling, and sweating. You yelled a name- Aoife."

I froze, but then soon relaxed, not wanting Enzo to know that this topic effected me.

"Yeah, Aoife was a good friend of mine," I half lied.

"I see. Where is she now?"

I let out a shaky breath.

"I don't know."

"Are you sure-"

"I wanna sleep," I fake-yawned and laid down on the bed.

I heard Enzo sigh. "It's okay if you don't wanna tell me. I understand," he whispered.

He gave a soft kiss on my cheek and walked out of the room.

I let out a shaky breath I was holding and laid down on the bed, shutting my eyes.

I really need to move on from that...It's been 9 years.

Aoife.

I don't know who that girl is, but she must be really close to Xena.

I heard her yelling and screaming in her sleep.

She looked so helpless- so despondent.

Something she isn't...

Or that's what I think.

I had experienced nightmares like her as well- about my dad dying. I couldn't bear that, so after a year I visited a therapist.

Yeah...a mafia leader going to therapy.

But hey! Lucifer went to therapy as well, so why can't I?

Anyways, the therapist (who I didn't have sex with, may I add proudly) helped me overcome this trauma. It took time, of course, but I did it.

Sure, I miss my dad every day.

Every fucking day.

But at least the nightmares stopped.

Moving on from the past doesn't mean you don't remember it. It means that you've come to terms with whatever happened and there is nothing you could do to change it. I accepted that, but hell yeah I miss my dad everyday still.

Anyways, not wanting to think about this much, I walked back into the room Xena was in and saw her sleeping like a baby.

Unknowingly, a smile graced my lips.

I walked towards the bed and covered her sleeping figure with the blanket properly. She let out a sigh of content and snuggled closer to the blanket.

Oh, how I wish that blanket was me...

I sat down beside Xena and gently stroked her hair.

"You don't know how you make me feel, Xena. You make me feel alive again...," I whispered, and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

She hummed and a soft smile graced her lips, but she didn't open her eyes.

I yawned and slowly shut my eyes, placing my head on top of her stomach and wrapped my arms around her waist.

●・○・●・○・●

I hummed in content after I felt someone running their hands through my hair and snuggled closer.

Damn that felt nice.

"The plane will land in 2 minutes!" The voice of the pilot from the speaker boomed.

I yelped and got up with a jolt.

I turned around to see Xena retracting her hands as if she got burned and cleared her throat.

"Well, um, the plane's about to land," I said quickly, and walked out of the room, not wanting to embarrass her further.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

What in the world just happened?

I shook my head and took a deep breath. I tied my hair into a neat bun and walked out of the room.

I sat on one of the sofas, beside Matteo. I didn't spare a single glance at Enzo- I felt way to embarrassed to do so. Ysaline sat beside Dante, sneaking subtle glances at him. However, Dante, being the oblivious fool he was, didn't notice. Serena sat beside Matte as he forcefully interlocked their hands together.

I sighed. While Dante and Enzo learned from the mistakes in their past, Matteo was still the same. He could never change.

"The plane is landing," The voice from the speaker resonated.

"Xe, you good? You look a bit pale," Ysaline said, frowning slightly.

I quickly gave a soft smile and nodded. "Yep."

Ysaline narrowed her eyes suspiciously but didn't push the discussion further.

"Alright, guys, so what's the plan after this?" I asked, sitting straighter.

"Well," Enzo cleared my throat, "we reach the hotel and rest for tomorrow's ball. Tomorrow, once the ball is over, we part ways."

My ears perked up.

"Part ways?" I breathe out, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Meaning, Dante, Serena, Matteo, and I go back to Sicily, and-," Enzo whispered shakily, and paused.

His tone was undercut with a choking heaviness that forced him to pause several times mid-sentence. Taking a deep breath, Enzo continued.

"And Ysaline and you go back to Paris."

A heavy silence fell upon us. The only sound audible was the roar of the jet's engine, and the shattering of my heart.

My throat tightened. I felt a deep cascade of emotions overpowering my body as I thought about the events post-ball. I released a shaky breath, gripping the arm-rests of the seat with quivering hands. With all the energy I had left in me, I spoke up bluntly.

"Alright. We part ways."

Why was it so hard to accept parting ways?

●・○・●・○・●

After the plane landed in Madrid, we took 3 cars to reach the hotel.

Well, we could have stayed at Alejandro's estate, however we didn't want to intrude.

Actually, that's not the reason. We just gave that as an excuse. The real reason was the Spanish mafia hated me for slapping their boss, so going into the Spanish estate would be suicide.

Enzo and I were in one car, Ysaline and Dante were in another, and Matteo and Serena were in a separate car.

During the car ride to the hotel, we hardly said a word to each other. I opened the car window and smiled softly as the wind hit my face. I loved this feeling.

"Ti amo," I heard Enzo whispered.

It was almost inaudible, but I heard it. I turned to face him and saw that his eyes were on me. I raised one eyebrow, pretending not to know what he said.

Enzo just shook his head slightly and turned back his focus on driving.

I gazed at him for a while- how his strong, veiny arms turned the steering wheel while he took a sharp turn to the right. The Rolex watch on his wrist didn't help in subsiding my desires either. Why the fuck did that turn me on so bad?

Fuck.

Before I got lost in my trail of thoughts, I quickly turned around and looked through the window, watching the cars and bikes.

"We reached," Enzo suddenly said, abruptly pressing the brakes.

Surely enough, we were near the huge iron gates of the hotel we were staying in. Enzo got out and gave the keys for valet parking. I, too, unbuckled the seatbelt and walked out.

As we entered the hotel lobby I spotted Dante, Ysaline, Matteo, and Serena sitting on the sofas.

They saw us and waved us over.

"There's a slight problem...," Dante began, rubbing the back of his neck.

Enzo frowned. "What?"

"Well, as cliched as it sounds, almost all the rooms are occupied. Only 3 rooms are available- 2 deluxe suites, and 1 super deluxe suite, and I booked all 3 rooms," Dante continued.

"Dante, are you new to this? Just pull out your gun or some cash and throw it at the manager's face," Enzo state with a shrug.

Dante bit his lip stood up from the sofa and came near Enzo and me.

"The manager of this hotel was a woman I had a one night stand with before I met Ysaline...if I try to, well, bribe or threaten to kill her, she might tell Ysaline about it," Dante whispered softly, so Ysaline and others couldn't hear.

Enzo face-palmed. "cazzo di asino," He cursed, running a hand through his hair.

Enzo then turned to Matteo, Serena, and Ysaline. "Well, we have no other choice but to use the 3 rooms. As I am the don, I get the super deluxe room. How you decide to divide the 2 rooms between you guys, that's up to you."

We all gaped at him.

"Excuse me? I am the mafia princess. I think I- no, no, I know that I deserve the super deluxe room," I snapped.

"No, no! I am the reason why Enzo's mafia is one of the most powerful ones in the world. There's a saying- 'Behind every successful man, there is his best friend and his second-in-command," Dante butt in, "Therefore, I deserve the room."

"Uh, no way. First of all, I am the reason why Enzo's mafia is so powerful. Second of all, I am the only person who is not single out of all of you. Because Serena and I need to enjoy out stay here together, I say that we take the super deluxe room," Matteo declared, grabbing Serena's hand and standing up.

"Excuse me, you motherfucking bitches? I deserve the super deluxe room because- you know what, I have nothing to prove to you guys. I know I deserve it, and I don't need to convince you guys. I am getting that room," Ysaline growled, standing up as well.

Serena rolled her eyes. "You do know that if any one of you guys take the super deluxe room, I will have to sleep with Matteo, on the same bed...so to avoid that, I, and solely I, deserve the room."

We all stood in threatening stances, glaring at one another.

"Fine," Enzo breathe out, "let's do a voting."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be stupid Enzo. Everyone will obviously vote for themselves."

He slumped when he realized I was right.

"I have an idea," Serena squealed, "Laser tag!"

We all stared at her, thinking hard.

"Whoever gets the most kills, wins," she elaborated.

I smirked. I was the fucking queen of laser tag. I could easily tackle all these bitches.

"Fine. I'm in," I stated.

"Me too," Enzo added, giving me a challenging look.

And like that, all of us agreed to laser tag.

I walked up to the receptionist and politely smiled at her.

"Hello-" I read her tag- "Maria. My friends and I are just going out for a while. Can you keep the 3 rooms ready by the time we come? We'll be leaving our bags here only."

She pressed a key on the computer in front of her and then looked at me with a smile.

"Sure. We'll keep the rooms ready. You can leave your bags here," She said politely, "Once you all come back, we'll give you your room keys."

"Alright, thank you very much."

I walked back near the sofas. "Now, how do we find laser tag in Spain?"

Serena shrugged. "Just check google maps."

Nodding at her idea, I pulled out my phone and typed 'Laser tag' in the search bar. In no longer than 2 seconds, search results came up.

"There's one laser tag which is a 5 minutes walk from here," I informed.

"Alright, Let's leave now only. You know, you guys can save time and just give me the room. We already know I'm gonna win," Enzo said cockily.

We all rolled our eyes.

"Shut up," All of us said in unison.

●・○・●・○・●

The walk to the Laser tag hardly took 10 minutes. On the way, Ysaline and Enzo kept on rambling about how they would win. Pfft, we'll see.

As they say, empty vessels make the most noise.

We approached the building and walked in. I had to resist the urge to skip and jump around. It had been ages since I had been to Laser tag. However, that didn't mean I forgot how to play it. Old habits die hard, you know.

I walked over to the worker and asked her for 6 passes. She pressed few buttons on the screen in front of her and asked us for payment.

Damn it.

I left my card in Paris.

I motioned Enzo to whip out his card instead.

We all walked into a room and put on our vests and grabbed a gun each. After doing all that, we entered the laser tag room.

The moment we stepped in, darkness blinded my vision. The only thing visible were the walls and the neon lights.

I could feel the tension and competitiveness in everyone. Of course, like me, they all strived to prove themselves to be worthy.

As we entered, everyone split up in different directions. Enzo and I were the last ones to split up.

I gave him a determined look and he returned it with a wink and a smirk. I smirked back.

"Game on," I whispered dangerously.

"Game on," Enzo whispered back.

With that, we split up.

He went right and I went left.

As I walked steadily around the room, I kept my eyes and ears open. Being in the dark had heightened the other senses.

This was definitely not a game of luck.

It was a game of strategy.

You have to keep a low-profile. Find an efficient hiding place, hide, and then...attack. If you think you have nothing to do, keep moving. Keep shooting. And be precise. Don't give the opponent even one chance to shoot you.

I gazed my surroundings carefully, thinking of a nice hiding place. My eyes fell on a stack of tires laying on top of each other carelessly. I could easily hind behind them, and shoot through the tire holes.

Perfect.