Broken Bonds

Chapter 49

Alexander Romano

Slamming the file loudly onto the table, I muttered a curse under my breath. This was the second time in this month that our shipment had been messed with. And the most infuriating thing was that we still could not track down which bastard had done it. It had to be someone who was able to get a hold of the shipment dates and timings. 

Uncle Francesco had also noticed the missing shipments and suspected that it must have been done through someone within the organisation. 

A random thought passed through my mine, though I was not sure if I could think of it that way. Could it be that our missing shipments had something to do with the person behind the threats? It couldn't be, right? 

The sudden appearance of Roman Parker snapped me out of my train of thoughts. He entered my office and settled himself on the couch without saying anything. I furrowed my eyebrows at his actions, what is he up to again?

Crossing his leg over the other, I continued eyeing at his actions. 

"Drop your glare, Romano. I'm here to kindly offer my help, not for you to glare at me the whole time." He stated, while the frown between my eyes deepened. 

He sighed loudly, and continued, "Your missing shipments. I will help to look into that, so take it as my way of showing gratitude for offering Reine's security and also my job as part of our alliance. I don't wish to owe you anything." I wanted to refute his comment, but something in me reminded me not to. 

I thanked him briefly for his help, then he left the office. Leaning into the chair, I pinched the bridge of my nose as I exhaled. 

This is going to be one hell of a tough fight.

Reine Parker

I could no longer feel my legs. 

Ever since reporting to my direct supervisor in the morning, I had been running all over the hospital, from one department to another, doing various tasks for the doctors. I could almost memorise the whole layout of the hospital at this rate. 

The only thing that I was glad was that I had chosen the right pair of shoes that had last me through the first half of the day. There was an hour break but I had absolutely no appetite to stuff any food down into my system. All I needed was to rest my legs for that good hour. 

Thankfully, I felt rejuvenated after the break and headed back to work again. As much as it was tiring, it felt fulfilling since I was working hard towards my goal. 

The work ended at 6.30pm in the evening and I made a mental note to myself to dress more casually and comfortably since it was not required to be working in formal attire. Just as I stepped out of the entrance, the sound of car honk got my attention. 

I recognised the black Rover to be Vince's car, but I was surprised to see him here. He pulled down his window as I walked towards his car and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard today was your first day of internship, so I came to pick you up." He looked at me, holding back a smile that was forming its way on his face. The car behind him suddenly honked, signalling that we were getting in their way. I hurriedly opened the door and hurled myself into the car.

"How was your day?" He asked, as he kept his focus on the road. He picked up a cup and handed to me, while keeping one of his hand on the steering wheel. I took over the cup and opened up, smiling widely because he had bought me a cup of hot chocolate.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, as I took a sip of the hot chocolate that warmed up my system instantly. That felt so good, especially after a tiring day.

Placing down the cup, I then replied to his question, "Today was chaotic, patients kept flowing in continuously, doctors were everywhere and I was given multiple tasks to do because they were understaffed." He looked over to me as I was speaking and remarked, "But you don't seem to be complaining, you looked as though you're enjoying all of it." 

I chuckled, "You're right, I am enjoying. Because this is just the start of the career, there's more to go in the future." Suddenly, a constant beeping sound caught our attention. Vince then pulled over to the side of the road, as I sat in my seat in confusion. 

"You forgot to buckle up." He leaned towards me, as his face got dangerously close and pulled on the seat belt right beside my head. All of my exhaustion disappeared in that moment. We maintained the eye contact between us for a brief moment, until he clicked the seat belt in place and we both snapped out of our trance. 

"Thanks." I muttered, desperately trying to hide the oncoming blush that was appearing on my face. I almost forgot how to breathe for a split second. 

We sat in silence for the rest of the ride, until we reached the familiar gate ahead of us. As I took out the seat belt, Vince asked softly, "Are you free to go on a date with me this coming weekend?" I stopped with whatever I was doing and looked at him, blinked once, blinked twice. I nodded my head lightly as he seemed to release a sigh of relief. 

As we stepped out of his car, he strode over to my side, standing right in front of me and I could almost feel his breath with this distance between us. His soft breath fanned across the tip of my nose, as he leaned a little more forward to my face. My fingers clamped onto the side of my pants, trying so hard to conceal the nervousness in me. 

Pressing his lips against my forehead, his lips remained there for a good five seconds before he moved back one step. Flashback from the first time when he first kissed me on the forehead came rushing back into my mind. 

"There's...something that I haven't tell you, but you will find out on that day." He assured, as I nodded at his words. 

"Head in, it's getting cold. Goodnight." He whispered gently, turning my body towards the door and pushed me gently forward. 

Turning my head around, he was still standing there, waiting for me to head in. 

"Goodnight, Vince." I smiled, walking towards the door. 

updated! looking forward to spend more time on this story as I can finally call it a week for today! 

Happy reading! -28/10/2022