ENIOLA

"What's up?" She tried to soothe the lies on Tobias's forehead. His skin was cold to touch. Maybe they should go back. "You good?"

"It's... It is nothing." He tried to answer smoothly but she caught the tremor in his voice. It was not nothing.

"Come on, you just told me a big secret. What's this one?" Her heart fluttered at the thought of Tobias telling her a big part of him (no matter how dark and scary it was) because he trusted her.

She knew better than to not expect a complete mental meltdown when it all sunk in but for the moment, she was content he could confide in her.

She was surprised when he dipped his head to connect his lips with hers and she could not help the small gasp that escaped her.

It was the first time he was initiating a kiss. The thought made her feel even giddier.

She returned the kiss with just as much passion as he was giving. He was going a bit slower than she liked but she didn't push it.

She gently followed his lead, not wanting to do anything that would make him uncomfortable or worse, pull away.

He made no attempt to deepen the kiss but tightened his grip around her waist as he pulled her closer to him.

She had noticed that he loved body contact.

She felt her panties dampen when the man released a quiet moan. The response she got from lightly tugging at his hair was always worth it. At least he was enjoying it as much as she did.

She let out a disappointed whine when he pulled away, his pink lips glossed in saliva. She pulled him down for a quick peck before finally letting him go.

"What was that for? Not that I'm complaining." She said, eyeing him as he absently licked his lip.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said and she shook her head at him.

"The fuck? I liked it. Don't apologize." She grinned as his cheeks turned a bright pink.

"Okay..." He said, getting up from the bench. "As much as I hate to say it, we should go. It's dreadfully cold now—" She almost awed at the small sneeze he let out.

Too cute!

"Oop, you've caught a cold. We should go." She wrapped her fingers around his cold ones and began to lead him to the house.

Eniola hoped to explain all that transpired between her and Vittore to him before they encountered the Chinese woman someday. She couldn't lose him to an ex who he wanted to get married to.

"Tobias?" She looked up to her pretty boy and her heart melted when she saw the warmth his icy eyes held. "Did I hear Franco mention Anthony?"

The sudden stiffness in his grip confirmed her suspicions.

"Where did they see him?" Tobias tried to wriggle his hands out of her grasp but she stubbornly held on to him. "What is wrong with Anthony?" She asked again and he gave up on the little staring contest they were having and looked away in defeat.

"He is dead." Eniola almost missed what he said as blood rushed to her ears.

"What?" She asked quietly and Tobias nodded, his expression sombre.

"He was killed sometime last week. I only knew about this yesterday." He quickly added the last part.

"Did Berlusconi kill him?" Eniola asked again as she still held on to him. She frowned when he stalled. "Tell me."

"You could say he is affiliated. I have reasons to believe it was Christopher Davis." He seemed like he wanted to say a lot more but stopped himself.

"You're not... You're not lying to me, are you?" Her voice was as light as a feather as she asked the question, hoping he would tell her it was a joke.

"Unfortunately, I am not."

She quickly wiped the tears that gathered in her eyes. "Man, that's fucked up."

Anthony had always been there for her since Tobias left and after her father died. He handled everything— from her finances, to education and the man even pestered her health and personal life. He did not know what boundaries were but undoubtedly made her life a lot easier. How could she continue the business now that he was gone? Who would call her at odd hours of the night to know whether she was safe at home?

"Are you alright? You stopped walking." Tobias asked kindly and she feverishly nodded. "Alright. Come on."

He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and drew her close as they walked back to the house.

Her heart dropped when she saw most of the members of the house circled in a small group. Their solemn and pitiful looks were enough to draw more tears from her eyes.

As they approached the group, she saw Anthony on a small pedestal. Most of his body had been concealed in a brown overall and his head was wrapped in a bandage. His once full cheeks had been hollowed as clean bruises dusted his face. His deep blue eyes that always narrowed and widened at her antics, closed in death.

Whoever had cleaned him up had done a great job.

"Fuck..." She muttered, turning away from the corpse.

"Should I burn him? I deemed it would be the best way for him. He's a bit too... far gone for a mortuary or traditional burial. It would raise questions." Miguel's usually cool voice was void of emotions as he addressed her and Tobias.

"Burn him." Tobias said calmly, watching Anthony from over Eniola's head.

His arms wrapped around her stomach like he wanted to shield her from it.

"Del polvo venimos, al polvo volveremos. Un tigre herido siempre sanará y volverá a luchar. Hasta la próxima hermano." From dust we come, to dust we will return. A wounded tiger will always heal and fight again. Until next time brother.

As he recited what seemed strange to her, Miguel wordlessly threw a lighted bottle underneath the wooden pedestal.

Eniola couldn't help the broken sob that escaped her lungs as what was once her manager's body engulfed in flames.

"It's alright, I've got you." Tobias whispered above her, his words almost too painful to hear.

They stayed silently, watching the fire cackled and lick at the wood until he decided to lead her back into the house.

She hated funerals and this was downright traumatizing.

She barely heard him request for lunch to be brought to his room as they walked up the stairs.

"I'm sorry." She apologized pathetically after running her sleeve under her runny nose one too many times. She understood that he may not be the best at comforting people having witnessed a lot of deaths himself.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Blow." He had taken off his shirt and covered her nose with it.

She almost laughed at his actions.

"Get me a damn tissue." She muttered, her voice muffled by the clothing.

"I couldn't find any. Blow or you'll give yourself a headache." She rolled her eyes but did as she said, her cheeks heating up in slight embarrassment. "Good girl."

She tried to ignore the warmth in her stomach as he said so and had to remind herself that she was grieving.

"He did not deserve to die." Tobias said and she nodded, leaning into his bare chest again.

He hadn't even worn any undershirt. No wonder he was so cold.

"How far is this going to go, Tobias?" Eniola asked quietly, feeling his arm tighten around her stomach.

She wanted to know how far the whole fight was going to go on. If giving up her fortune would end the killings, she considered doing it.

"Tell me something, Fuego, where do you see yourself in ten years?" He completely ignored her question as he still stroke her hair.

Ten years was a painfully long time and she would be thirty six. She hadn't thought that far into the future.

"I don't know." She answered truthfully and raised her head to look at him. "Where do you see yourself in ten years?"

She watched in fascination as his lips curled in thought, his grey eyes glossing over.

The man was a work of art.

"Retired, hopefully. I don't want to be 43 and still juggling the company and the family." He answered. "Hopefully, I'd settle down. I think I still have a lot of time to decide on that."

His plans were basic.

She hadn't expected him to be so plain and normal. She had expected some complex future goals.

"Well maybe I'll consider settling down too. I can't live this fast-paced life forever now, can I?" She asked and he chuckled.

"I'm glad you have a choice."

They fell into a comfortable silence with her occasional sniffles and sneezes.

Eniola had expected to be the one nursing him because she had thought he would suffer a cold.

"Will I be in your life in ten years?" She asked curiously.

"If you want a peaceful and carefree life, I am afraid it would not be possible." Eniola knew his words were not meant to hurt but they still did.

"Okay."

"Enny, don't think for one second that I wouldn't still keep an eye on you." She only nodded, unconsciously tightening her hold around his biceps.

She was not ready to let go of him again. He had already been gone for so long.

"Eniola." He drew away from her to tilt her chin upwards to face him. "Have I said something that upsets you?"

She couldn't tell a lie to save her life as his eyes pulled her in so she nodded.

"I'm not ready to let you go, Tobi." She felt stupid because of how desperate her voice sounded, sending her back to the first time he left 8 years ago.

"But we still have time, Fuego..." He carefully caught a lone tear threatening to roll down her face. "I am still here."

His voice sounded like an angel as he reconnected their lips, the kiss itself shared how pained he was.

Eniola on the other hand could not stop the tears. She was scared.

"Fuego, please don't cry." He pleaded. "Please?" He kissed her cheek, then the other, successfully stopping the tears and did the same on her eyelids.

She did not want him to leave. He had been the only person she had wanted to hold on to for as long as possible. Who would make her feel this way if he was gone?

By the time his lips touched hers again, she was more than ready. Her lips moved feverishly against his, tasting the salt from her tears and holding on to him tightly.

She was not going to let him go. Not ever. She loved him too much.

She quickly crawled into his lap, simultaneously slipping her tongue into his mouth and tugging at his zebra patterned hair.

She gasped quietly as he tightened the hold on her ass, trying to hold her even closer.

She felt secure in his arms.

She whined in frustration when she wasn't getting enough heat from him and broke up the kiss. The eyes she was obsessed with stared back at her in confusion as she just smiled, took off her hoodie and undershirt and threw them away.

The man let out the most arousing moan as she pressed her almost bare chest against his. His lips immediately went to her jawline, planting tender kisses as he trailed down to her collarbone. The new stimulation forcing her to grind her hips against the obvious excitement he was enduring.

He withdrew to look at her with narrowing eyes that were now darkened.

"Do it again."

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as he bucked his hips into hers, combined with the voice that had turned almost guttural.

She found no urge to reply as she turned into jelly in his hands so he did it again, sending tremors of pleasure to her core.

She could not believe she was being so stimulated and there was no direct contact.

Eniola gasped as she was suddenly suspended in the air and the felt the soft bed mattress against her back.

The man hovered over her with a flushed face, his lips and eyes, focused on just her.

"Fuck, you're so beautiful." He took the words right out of her mouth as he kissed her again, quickly pulling apart to trail down her neck again.

His warm tongue was perfect for the weather.

Her back arched in pleasure as he not so gently bit the flesh on her collarbone and began to suck on it. His free hand making his way down her stomach. She was a moaning mess.

Her breath hitched as she felt him nibble at the skin between her breasts that were still in the bra and she could swear she heard him chuckle.

A loud gasp escaped her lips as he pushed his pelvis into her and her legs involuntary locked around him.

She moaned in anticipation as his fingers pulled at the band of her pants and she urged him to take them off.

"Izan, please. Please take it off." The idiot was stalling as his hands left the bands leaving her with no other option but to violently pull him into her. "I need you."

She could not care less about how desperate she sounded as his fingers finally slipped into her pants—

"Fuck, I should have knocked." A familiar voice called, followed by nervous laughter.

Tobias was more annoyed than embarrassed as he immediately pulled away from her and threw a blanket over her before facing Alvaro.

"But I'm sorry, you didn't really close the door. I don't know if you noticed."

"What do you want?" Her hazy mind almost missed the anger in his voice.

"You asked for food and I-I just thought I should bring it." Did Alvaro just stutter? Her mind was definitely fucked.

"Drop it and leave then." Tobias said quietly as intensely stared at the door behind Alvaro.

"Uh, I was wondering if you and I could like talk later."

"Get. Out." Varo gulped as Tobias's voice dropped a few octaves and he nodded in defeat, silently slipping out of the room and locking the door behind him.

He dropped his face into his palms and Eniola frowned when she saw the state of his back. She slowly turned her fingers and gasped when she saw what they had turned into.

"Is there a problem?" Tobias asked and she just pointed at his back. He craned his neck but was unable to see anything so she asked him to go to the mirror.

"Oh... wow." She nodded in agreement as he finally saw it.

His perfectly built back was littered with bruises and scratch marks. It would turn a hideous purple in a few hours.

"Fuck, I am so sorry." She apologized as he walked towards her after picking up the tray.

"I won't lie, I expected more." He said casually as he set the tray in front of her.

"And we didn't have sex." She commented. It looked extremely painful but it seemed he was handling well.

She almost laughed at his flushed face when she mentioned sex.

"Be rougher next time." He retorted, the tiniest of smiles playing on his lips when she laughed.

"Freak."

~~~

Tobias had left a while ago as he said he needed to have a small meeting with the other members to discuss Anthony and their next move.

The man had been a bit odd since their encounter. She had not expected him to be so dominating. She was like clay in his hands and she actually enjoyed it.

If he was that invigorating during foreplay, she looked forward to what he would do during the main thing.

Eniola smiled like a masochist as she felt how sore her hips were because of how tightly he had held on to them. She wondered if he would feel the aching on his back and think about her too.

She threw on another shirt of his after she took a shower that he had recommended and left the room. He would be pissed because he had asked her to rest but she had another mission.

She needed to tell the girls.

The last person she had expected to stand in front of the door leading to the living room with their ears pressed against it was Detective Foster.

She watched her disbelievingly for a few seconds before surprising her by dragging her by the hair.

"Bitch, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" She whispered harshly, dragging Foster away.

They had barely turned from the straight hallway before one of the men she recognized as Xino poked his head out the door to see what the commotion was. Finding nothing, he went back inside.

"Is this how you repay him for accepting to protect you?" Her voice was much louder now that she was away from the living room.

Foster struggled uselessly in her hold as she pulled her hair more tightly.

"Let me go!" The detective cried and Eniola laughed bitterly.

"Not until you tell me what you were doing there or so help me God, I'll pull your entire head off your body." She threatened and she had all the determination in the world to go through with the threat. She had hurt her Tobias.

"I swear, I wasn't doing anything. I swear!" The detective struggled to talk and Eniola shoved her away.

"For a cop, you're weak." She had expected to be flipped on her back or those things that cops did in movies.

"If I touch you, Mr Ferna would not hesitate to kill me." The woman complained, wincing as she touched her scalp and Eniola nodded in agreement.

Tobias would easily get rid of the woman seeing he didn't even want her there in the first place.

"He would kill you anyway if he had been the one to find you here."

~~~

Oh no, mum and dad are fighting😔 I need meme template ideas for this chapter lol.