ENIOLA

Asides from figuring out that Tobias was pissed with Robert even when he looked eerily calm, Eniola was unsure of what would happen to the driver. For someone reason, Alvaro seemed to be gleeful that they were going to question the man.

What was the duo up to again?

No doubt torturing Robert.

Tobias did not have any problem impaling Giovanni with a knife and threatening the detective, who for some reason already knew him. It should not surprise her, but it still did.

It bothered her realizing she did not know much about the man she had reunited with.

How deep does this family thing go?

She did not think she wanted to know. Yet, she so badly wanted to figure it all out.

She wanted to figure him out.

No matter how annoying and secretive he was.

Why is he so infuriating?!

"Here you go." Vittore's voice called to her as he handed her a red cup and helped himself with pouring some vodka from the bottle that had his last name, Lothario on it.

"Thanks. You did not tell me you have your own brand." Eniola commented, taking the blue bottle from him.

"Yeah. It's a family business." He explained as she examined the pretty bottle. It had Lothario written in blood red and other contents in similar but less bold font. "Since the 30s, mi nonno chose this design. My father didn't bother to change it. I don't think I would either."

Eniola nodded with a small smile. "He's Franchi G?" She asked, tracing the engraved name at the bottom of the bottle. It was directly placed on the glass and almost invincible.

"Francisco Ayuba Lothario. I never understood the 'G'. Perhaps it's a nickname?" Vittore said with a shrug.

"The family businesses in this family are something else." She replied, absently pouring more into her cup.

"It's expected. It's hard to find someone in here who isn't in their family trade. It's like tradition. Now enough cuddling, you'll make the drink warm." He said, prying the bottle out of Eniola's hands. Rude.

"Thanks." She replied coyly, sipping from the cup. The burning at the back her throat momentarily muting her thoughts.

"It's the least I can do, especially when you and that devil finished the first." He grumbled but his deep brown eyes showed he was joking.

"Come on, you said it was already forgiven. Are we still playing?" She pouted and Vittore just exhaled, stretching his long legs on the soft rug.

They had planned to play some games in the newly equipped gameroom and just get to know each other.

"I forgave you, not him." He replied, tipping his own cup for a sip before moving to connect the gamepads. "What would you like to play? There's Mario Kart 7 and Mortal Kombat." He said and she just waved her hand.

She was not sure she had heard of them.

"Any is fine. You'll just have to teach me."

"Oh." He said then sighed in frustration due to his long dreads kept getting in the way.

She really liked his locks.

"I guess people like you don't have time for games like this? Sorry, I'm this close to chopping this off." He added as he binded his hair together with a hairband that seemed to be permanently placed on his wrist.

"What do you mean people like me?" She asked, watching his back muscles flex as he inserted the game disc into the player.

"All done." He returned back to his position on the rug and tossed a pad at her. "People like you are always busy. No time for fun." His italiano accent, prominent for only a second as he readied to press play.

"Oh. Well, you're wrong." She shrugged. "I just invest my free time in other activities."

Like partying, getting drunk and laid.

"Hm, like what?" Vittore asked, reaching for the bottle again. "Press 'X'."

She nodded and did as he instructed, opening the game.

"Like working... And shit." She said after a while of scrolling through the different fighters in the game. "The girl with fans is pretty hot."

"That's Kitana and if you're so busy working, how did we all end up here, saving your ass from this Berlusconi guy?" He asked, selecting a shirtless Asian. "I selected Liu Kang. Are you ready?"

"I am ready."

Ready to lose.

She intended on just smashing random buttons.

They always seemed to work in movies.

"Bene. Let's start." He replied, and started the game.

She was sure he had not expected her to start with so much force.

Force as in shuffling back and forth and throwing kicks and punches at random places.

"What are you doing?" He struggled to keep a straight face at her silliness as he just ducked and dodged her attacks.

"I'm playing. Nigga, come get some of this! And this!!" She screamed wildly as she managed to get Kitana to jump up and kick simultaneously, luckily hitting him in the neck. Still, he retreated, with her tailing on him.

"No, you're being silly and careless and I could end you with three fatal shots." He answered, his playful gaze meeting her concentrated one for a moment.

She was pissed that he could be so cocky even when he was losing.

"No, you can't." She managed to throw one of her fan thingys at him and it hit him in the chest. "I'm murdering you right now!"

"Okay..."

Suddenly, he did a cartwheel towards her and kicked her side, destabilizing her.

Her smashing on the pad's buttons were more furious as he suddenly engulfed in flames and shot her with a fire ball. She realized she had lost control of her fighter.

"FINISH HIM!" A robotic voice sounded on the screen as Kitana just wobbled like jelly before he cleanly kicked her head off her body. "FATALITY!"

"Wait, what?" She asked in confusion.

"Two moves. Can't wait to tell Diego." Vittore said smugly, dropping his pad and turning to her after the game ended.

"You cheated."

She too dropped her pad to take a gulp from her cup. The burn at the back of throat was not as noticeable as the previous one.

"But I didn't. It's your first game and it is expected that I should be better than you." He replied and she just rolled her eyes.

"You should have let me win then." She murmured, still frowning while he letting out a loud laugh.

"Let you win? Why on Earth would I do that?" He poured more vodka into his own cup.

"Because I'm a girl." She muttered sourly, watching the clear liquid slush around in the cup.

She had always been a sore loser.

"Oh come on, what happened to gender equality? Feminism?" He asked bashfully and she just huffed.

I know but still...

"Let's just play again. I'm sure I'll do better this time." She picked up her pad one more time, her vision blurring for a moment. It seemed she was already a little tipsy.

"You want to lose again?" He teased keeping his now empty cup. Eniola noticed he had drank at least three full cups of pure vodka. Even she knew how strong it should have hit him.

But he didn't, she seemed more drunk that him.

"Fuck you." She said, not bothering to hide a burp.

"I'm not sure il capo will like that." He replied, still grinning.

"It's none of his business." Eniola spat bitterly. "It's his fault for not knowing what he wants."

Vittore just sighed and emptied his cup, his eyes watering because of the burn for a moment.

"I was beginning to think you were immune." She noted watching as he still poured more.

"I've been drinking the same shit since I was like what? Ten? Some level of tolerance is expected." He replied lightly.

"You've been drinking for like 15 years?" She asked, guessing his age. He didn't look above 25, his dark skin was smooth with zero wrinkles and blemish.

Save for the scar/bump on the right side of his nose.

His rich laugh filled the room for a few moments. Apparently, something she had said was funny.

"How old do you think I am, Eniola?" His accent calling her name was totally off. Even Alvaro who would rather call her by last name because her name was too complex still pronounced it better.

She decided to say nothing about it.

"Twenty five? Twenty eight tops?" She replied and he shook his head.

"I am thirty two. I'll be thirty three in December, next month. A day before Christmas Eve." He answered and she rose an eyebrow.

Most of them looked way younger than they actually were. They also seemed to be in the same age group. Except Luca, the youngest and Olegario, who was the oldest.

"Y'all are ageless." She said and he laughed.

"I think it's mainly because I am dark skinned. I think the Americans put it as black don't crack?" He joked again and changed the topic. "How long are we going to keep doing this though?"

"Doing what?" She knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Pretending to like each other. Having il capo smolder me to ashes with his glares is a bit unnerving." He said and she just rolled her eyes.

If he's so bothered, why won't he just say something?

"Calm your balls. You know he won't do anything to you." She said reassuringly, stretching on the long couch why he just huffed.

"He won't. I cannot say the same about Alvaro though. He grabbed me by the shoulder for no reason today and just grinned." He said and Eniola propped herself up with her elbows to watch him staring at the half full bottle.

"Maybe he's trying to be friendly?" She tried to suggest positively and Vittore let out a sarcastic laugh.

"I know the difference between his friendly smile and psychopathic smiles. I am sure he wants to boil me in hot oil."

"You can't be that sure."

"Okay, maybe not oil. Maybe just drown me in wet cement." He said in a casual tone. "If he's feeling merciful."

"You all make Alvaro to be some sort of monster. I am sure he would not do any of that sort." She tried to defend Varo but was met with another scoff. "They said you were a dick too, but here we are, drinking and playing Mortal Kombat."

"That's different." He replied and it was her turn to scoff.

"Different how?"

"Bene... You have been nice to me, it's only right I do the same and Alvaro on the other hand would rather gouge his eyes out than be polite to me. Where do you think I got this scar from?" He pointed to his nose and laughed. "I guess I deserve this one."

"Maybe you should try being nice to him, he might do the same." She suggested and he rolled his eyes.

"Then he'd gouge my eyes out." Was all he said as he polished off another cup.

She studied Vittore for a moment and thought the man was nervous. Surely, Vittore would be more than able to stand up to Alvaro. He did not seem scared of anyone. Not even Tobias.

What makes him so different?

She knew that the entire family was good in keeping their mouths shut. However, they were not that good in hiding the fact that there was a secret.

She was determined to know it.

"What's going on in that head of yours? Another way to get me killed?" Vittore called from the floor.

He was lazily going through his phone and suppressing a yawn. His hair had finally come undone and formed a blanket on the floor, partially obstructing her from seeing what he was doing on his phone.

Eniola eyed him.

He was cute. Not Tobias cute, but cute.

"No one is going to kill you." She replied wondering for a moment were her own phone was. It had been a while she had seen the device. Perhaps she left it at her house?

"Yet. No one is going to kill me yet."

"Don't be dramatic." She shushed him and asked a question that had been bothering her, "Why is everyone so scared of Alvaro?"

Vittore froze for a moment before he cleared his throat rolled on his back, purposely resting his leg on the couch, near her head.

"I will not say scared. Just cautious."

"But why?" She probed and he sighed heavily.

"He is just... Unpredictable. He's been through some shit so nobody except the boss and maybe Mateo seems to understand him. Not even Luis." She remembered Tobias had told her that Luis and Varo were cousins. "At least that Clara girl is keeping him distracted and out of our way."

Eniola tried to ignore the bite in his voice when he mentioned Clara but being the curious person she was, she could not.

"You've got beef with Clara?" She asked and Vittore thought a little and shook his head.

"I hardly even know the woman." He replied, picking up his phone again. Eniola took it as his way of ending the topic.

"How are you not attracted to me?" She suddenly asked making him raise a brow at her question.

"Scusa?"

"How are you not attracted to me? I haven't met anyone that is not attracted to me."

It sounded petty but it troubled her a little. Surely he should feel something for her. She knew she was a beautifully endowed woman.

He is a man after all.

"Someone is getting cocky." He teased and she just pouted.

"I am not cocky. I just thought you would have made a move." She said immaturely and he laughed and finally sat upright. "I'm kinda used to shit like that."

"Do you not love him anymore?" He asked lightly, still smiling as he reached for his drink again.

"Of course I do. Why would you ask that?" She queried, almost insulted.

"Then my feeling towards you should not matter..." He answered and exhaled before continuing. "...and besides, I am not attracted to women."

His revelation made her stare at his still grinning face in surprise.

He was as masculine as a straight man. He looked and acted straight. She would never have guessed.

She thought it was about time she stopped being so stereotypical.

No wonder it was so easy to manipulate him. The man was only in it for the fun and felt zero attraction towards her.

Well, if he was gay, that would mean—

"Are you jealous of Clara?" His head whipped back to her so fast that she was scared he would break it. She was now certain that the bite in his voice then was not one of malice or irritation but of jealousy.

"Of course not!" The high pitch in his voice said it all.

He was extremely jealous.

The look of denial on his face was hilarious. Coupled with the redness of his eyes and rosiness of his cheeks, he looked like an embarrassed drunk.

"Aww, is Vittore in love with big bad Alvaro?" It was her turn to tease the man whose face morphed into something that resembled anger and embarrassment.

"No." He said. "I am not." He finally composed himself to answer calmly and chugged down his drink.

"That's why you're so scared. You're pretending to be in love with someone your crush's best friend is interested in." She said in amusement.

Vittore stared at her in confusion, "Eh?"

"Ah! So you do love him!" Eniola exclaimed excitedly and he immediately clamped her mouth shut.

"Be quiet. Someone might hear!" He said harshly just as the door opened.

"I know you've seen this room before but Franco just-The fuck?!"

~~~